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222 to their advantage in the event of there being a full house," she continued. "It is understood that the younger members of the audience shall ascend to the higher tiers, but the management look after these matters when required. Besides," she went on, "there are many theatres in the city which do not differ materially from one another, and as a general rule, the people are not so enthusiastic over the drama as to over-crowd any particular one."

We now heard the strains of music from invisible musicians, and a number of beautiful girls, just budding into womanhood, appeared, as if by magic, on the stage. They were dressed in the most brilliant costumes, danced, sang, and made their exit.

Then Delemia appeared by herself. She was greeted with applause. I learnt from Vandalia that she was the prima donna of the company. She indeed looked charming, and sang in her usually superb style. When she concluded, there were evident signs of universal admiration, and the stage was fairly strewn with flowery wreaths.

The singing and dancing, however, were only a preliminary to the opera itself, which represented some historical event with which I was not