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
Camilla did not remain in obscurity and poverty long. Archbishop Hughes
heard of her and arranged a charity concert in which she was invited to
appear. The concert was for the benefit of the Catholic Orphan Asylum
and as Camilla had contributed largely to its success a share of the
proceeds were given to her father. This fortunately saved them from
immediate want and in a few days after a still greater piece of luck
came to them. A letter came from Philadelphia inviting Camilla to play
at a concert given by the Philharmonic society of that city. She at once
went to Philadelphia in company with her father and aunt and there
received one hundred and fifty dollars for a single performance on her
violin. This was the largest sum she had ever received at one time and
it seemed as if their day of small things was nearly over.
While they were in Philadelphia an agent of the Germania Musical Society
of Boston visited them and invited Camilla to join the Society in a
series of concerts that they proposed to give in the New England cities.
A handsome salary was offered and they all three started once more for
Boston.
They took rooms at the United States Hotel and prepared for a long stay.
Camilla’s return and reappearance in our streets was not happy. They
arrived on Saturday and the next day having nothing in particular to do
Camilla took aunt Caroline’s hand and they went out for a little walk.
The streets, so strangely quiet in their foreign eyes, seemed dull and
they walked on thinking they might come to some garden or pleasure
ground where the people would be listening to a band, drinking coffee
and making merry in a proper manner.
They could not find the place. The stores were all closed and it seemed
very stupid and gloomy. They would return to their hotel. It was down
this street No. It was that way. Which way was it? The streets were so
very crooked that really they were quite lost.
They stopped a gentleman and said as best they could—“Unated Statis
Hotel?” He did not seem to understand and passed on. Then they tried a
lady and repeated the words “Unated Statis Hotel?” The lady talked about
something but they could not understand a single word. Again and again
they stopped people on the walk and repeated the strange words. Every
one shook his head or talked rapidly about things they could not
understand and not one could show the way to the “Unated Statis Hotel.”
Poor Camilla began to cry with the cold and they were having a sorry
time of it. They met an Irish servant girl going home from church. They
repeated the words to her and the quick witted girl soon led them back a
few steps and showed them the great brick block with its gilded sign
“United States Hotel.”