Camilla: A Tale of a Violin: Being the Artist Life of Camilla Urso — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Camilla: A Tale of a Violin: Being the Artist Life of Camilla Urso
John Stuart Mill · en
Her reception in Boston had not been a pleasant one. There seemed to be
a prejudice against her. The good people could not quite forgive her for
being a girl. It was well for Paul Julian—he was a boy. Camilla’s
appearance disturbed their nice sense of propriety. This is only the
more remarkable when we come to see that later in her life Boston became
her second home. It was here that she afterwards laid the foundation for
her reputation and here she won her greatest triumphs. Since, she has
played in our city over two hundred times and here her greatest and
latest artistic efforts have been made. Little did she think as she left
the city that she should afterwards enter it twice under most peculiar
circumstances and afterwards make it the home of her girlhood and
sometimes her residence in womanhood.
Heaven helps those who try to help themselves. It was useless to cry or
sit down in despair. Camilla at once resumed her practice under her
father’s guidance. The violin was taken out again and the wretched
alley-ways about Howard street reechoed with the strains of the
marvelous instrument. By the hour the music floated out the dismal
chamber window where the wonder-child toiled over the seemingly hopeless
task. The thin, pale face bent over the music book all the day long.
Practice, practice, practice. Life seemed made for that.
What was the good of it all? It had only brought them poverty and
sorrow. Not for a moment did she pause. The art was reward enough
without the money. She would wait.
It happened just at this time that Paul Julian, not in the most happy
financial circumstances came to New York and for a week lived in the
same humble boarding house with the Ursos. Camilla’s room was up stairs
and Paul’s just under it. Both practiced incessantly, and Camilla’s
father while attending to her lessons would often say:—
“Hear that boy! He loves to practice.”
Paul’s father in the room below would bid the boy stop and listen to the
girl artist overhead and say:—
“Hear that girl! See how she loves to practice.”
When the lesson hour was over the two children met on the stairs or on
the sidewalk for their brief play hour and would exchange notes
concerning their two fathers.
“Was your father cross to-day?”
“Yes. Cross as a bear!”
“So was mine.”