"You know," he said to me once, "I'm a sly dog--a very sly dog indeed! When I sing off the key on the stage or do anything like that, I always turn and look in an astounded manner at the person singing with me as if to say 'what on earth did you do that for?' and the other artist, perfectly innocent, invariably looks guilty! O, I'm a _very_ sly dog!" _Don Pasquale_ was another of our "opéra comique" ventures, as well as _La Dame Blanche_ and _Masaniello_. It was a particularly advantageous choice at the time because it required neither chorus nor orchestra. We sang it with nothing but a piano by way of accompaniment; which possibly was a particularly useful arrangement for us when we became short of cash, for we--editorially, or, rather, managerially speaking--were rather given in those early seasons to becoming suddenly "hard up," especially when to the poor operatic conditions, engendered spasmodically by the war news, was added the wet blanket of Lent which, in those days, was observed most rigidly. Of the three _rôles_, Zerlina, Rosina, and Annetta, I always preferred that of Rosina. It was one of my best _rôles_, the music being excellently placed for me. _Il Barbiere_ had led the school of "opéra comique" for years, but soon, one after the other, the new operas--notably _Crispino_--were hailed as the legitimate successor of _Il Barbiere_, and their novelty gave them a drawing power in advance of their rational value. In addition to my personal liking for the _rôle_ of Rosina, I always felt that, although the other operas were charming in every way, they musically were not quite in the class with Rossini's masterpiece. The light and delicate qualities of this form of operatic art have never been given so perfectly as by him. I wish _Il Barbiere_ were more frequently heard. Yet I was fond of _Fra Diavolo_ too. I was forever working at the _rôle_ of Zerlina or, rather, playing at it, for the old "opéra comique" was never really work to me. It was all infectious and inspiring; the music full of melody; the story light and pretty. Many of the critics said that I ought to specialise in comedy, cut out my tragic and romantic _rôles_, and attempt even lighter music and characterisation than Zerlina. People seemed particularly to enjoy my "going to bed" scene. They praised my "neatness and daintiness" and found the whole picture very pretty and attractive. I used to take off my skirt first, shake it well, hang it on a nail, then discover a spot and carefully rub it out. That little bit of "business" always got a laugh--I do not quite know why. Then I would take off my bodice dreamily as I sang: "To-morrow--yes, to-morrow I am to be married!" [Illustration: Musical notation; Si, do-ma-ni, Si, do-ma-ni sa-rem ma-ri-to e moghi,]