The Mapleson Memoirs, 1848-1888, vol IMapleson, James Henry
History
The Mapleson Memoirs, 1848-1888, vol I
Mapleson, James Henry
Opera -- England -- London; Opera -- United States
"'Oh, no, it was not so bad as that,' replied Patti, laughing heartily
as she recalled the adventure. 'I hardly, however, like to mention it at
all, for I am really so comfortable in this hotel. They do all they can
to please me. When I went to bed last evening my maid turned the clothes
over for me to get in, when out jumped six mice--a complete family, in
fact; nice fat little fellows. I was not frightened; at least, I was
only astonished. I took my bon-bon box and scattered some sweetmeats on
the carpet so that the tiny intruders should have some supper, and I
went to sleep without any apprehension. In the middle of the night,
however, something disagreeable occurred, and I was awakened by a sharp
pain in my ear. I put my hand to my head when a mouse jumped to the
floor, and I felt blood trickling on the side of my cheek. I got up and
called my maid, and examination showed a bite on my left ear. It bled a
good deal, and to-day my ear is much swollen. I shall not put any
bon-bons down to-night,' continued Mdme. Patti, 'and when I sleep in the
day time I shall place my maid to act as sentry.'"
The reporter, feeling that he had passed one of the most delightful
quarters of an hour in his life, now left the apartment.
When the news got about that Patti had been bitten by a mouse,
enterprising makers and patentees of mousetraps approached her from all
sides with specimens of their various mouse-catching contrivances. Some
of these were very curious. One was prompt and severe in its action,
despatching the mouse at the moment of capture by a single cutting blow.
Another was apparently the work of some member of the Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Far from killing the mouse, it
provided the little creature with a wheel, which, as long as it was
allowed to live, it could amuse itself by turning.
About this time two "sensations" occurred. One was connected with
Commander Gye, who was leaving the city at an early hour, when he was
robbed of his black leather travelling-bag, containing money, pins,
rings, Roman coins, cigarette boxes, a cheque book, a cheque for 4,400
dollars, which I had signed for Mdme. Patti's previous night's salary,
with other documents of less value, including Nilsson's broken contract.
The reports of this robbery, as usual, were considerably enlarged, and
it afterwards got into circulation that amongst the things lost were
Mdme. Albani's jewels, worth several thousands of pounds. This cost
Captain Gye a deal of inconvenience, for it brought down the Inland
Revenue authorities on him. He was accused of having smuggled in the
diamonds from abroad, and some considerable time passed before all the
excitement subsided.
The other "sensation" was the invasion of the basso Monti's room while
he was in bed and the theft of 400 dollars worth of jewellery belonging
to him. This, too, caused a deal of talk in the papers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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