Perth Amboy evening news., 1905-09-14
AT THE OPERA.
By ARNOLD ao1swoRTHY.

scene: A box at the opera In tn,
grand tier. Mrs. de We're and Mrs
Montmorency enter and take then
eeats Just as the overture commences.
Mrs. De We're: I'm so glad we're il
time for the overture. | wouldn't
nave missed it for worlds. Who's tina
~odd-looking creature in white in thu
box opposite? No, not that one, the
one, TWO, three, four-the fifth from
the end. Just look at her diamonds!
Mrs. ~Montmorency Cooking through
her glass): l don't suppose they're
real. They get these limitations up 81
well nowadays. If l were she | thinl
ia spend a little less on my diamonds
n a little more on my dressmaker
Ihose sleeves have gone right out now
"a musical enthusiast, in a neigh
boring box, says Ssh-h-h! by way of Q
gentle protest.)
Mrs. De We're (whose remarks are Q
little broken by the varying volume OF
sound: Nearly had an accident
Percy said-coming down the kill al
about 40 miles an ~hour-yelled out
run into the hedge-just managed tc
get out in time-thing caught fire.
Percy gave twelve hundred pounds fol
1t only last week-frightfully sick
about it.
Mrs. Montmorency: What's thist
That's Carmen singing, isn't it? What's
she going to do?
Mrs. De We're: / don't know. | never
can follow the story much. l only
come to hear the music. I'm SO fond
of music. That's a pretty dress, isn't
It? had n something like that for
u charity bazaar. 1 went as Carmen,
you know, and everybody said
(Her voice is drowned by a sudden
swell in the accompaniment.)
Mrs. Montmorency Cher narrative
suffering from the variation of the
music): Awfully disappointed about
Ascot-dressmaker promised me faith
fully-came too late to be any good
still. | can't make her take it back
25 guineas-would be only 20, but |
run an account-a pound or two extra
for having to wait-they call it inter
est, don't they? Or is 1t principal?-
never can tell which is which-says |
should never make successful flnapcier
20, this one?-third time I've worn 1t
says he likes me best in black-all
think he has very refined tastes
artistic temperament or something of
thai sort-gone off to the club with
Percy to see a billiard match-doesn't
care for music much
(Several musical enthusiasts, by
way of mild protest, exclaim Ss-h-h-h!)
Mrs. De We're: What are those peo-
pie going ssh-h-h! for?
Mrs. Montmorency: don't know.
They can't surely have the impudence
to mean us. I'm sure il you can't ex-
change a few words in your W box
it's coming to something. The class
of people they admit to the opera now
adays is ~dreadfully inferior to what it
was. Fancy anybody ~"ssh-h-hing' like
that in public! 1t oughtn't to be al
lowed.
Mrs. De We're: l think it's the people
In the cheap seats. One can hardly ex-
pect good manners from them. Who's
that singing now?
Mrs. Montmorency: Didn't you get
a programme? | made sure you would,
and so l didn't bother. Let's ring for
the attendant. l always like to know
whom I'm listening to. It's something
to talk about afterwards.
(Musical enthusiasts again protest.
Furthermore, somebody cries, order!
ORDERLY
Mrs. Montmorency: The people
seem to be behaving very badly this
evening. I'm surprised that such per-
sons are admitted. 1t makes 1t quite
unpleasant for those who want to en-
ioy the music in peace without being
disturbed.
Mrs. De We're: I think ! shall ask
Percy to complain to the management
about 1t.
Mrs. Montmorency Gas the music be
comes irregular again Asked us to
their houseboat party for Henley
awfully jolly people-regular match
making atmosphere-Maud met MI
Darrell there-going to be married
next month-much older than she is
but got heaps of money-gave her a
diamond necklace-ffteen hundred
pounds-lovely little place near Alder
shot-going down for the shooting IN
September-nearly got drowned last
year-had to hook him out with our
parasols-made us laugh for a long
time Acknowledgement she look
pretty as Carmen?
Mrs. De We're speaking under the
same drawback: Paint and powder
eyebrows don't match-thicker on
one side than the other-hear she's
got a grown-up daughter-husband was
a lovely tenor-used to rave about him
made Percy frightfully jealous
don't you think her voice is cracking
a little?-you're not half eating the
chocolates, and we're not going to
have supper till IL o'clock-always go
there-Percy says best supper in Lon
don-awfully good band-takes me be-