Book Description
Excerpt from Romance The Bishop's library in Washington Square. The two walls meet back at a wide angle. At right are two windows, with heavy curtains drawn. At left is a large fireplace and white marble mantel and, above it, a door. There are high bookcases running up to the ceiling, set in both walls, wherever there is any space. In corner at back, where the two walls meet, is a Victrola, of sober mahogany. Before the fireplace, half facing audience is the Bishop's big arm-chair. At right, is a big mahogany table-desk, arranged in an orderly way with electric lamp, telephone, desk-furniture, books, memoranda, files, etc. The chair is behind it, between the windows. The whole room is one of quiet dignity, - slightly old-fashioned in effect, yet very comfortable. It is night. The lamp on the desk is turned on and there is a cheerful wood fire burning. In his arm-chair before the fire sits Bishop Armstrong, a charming, gentle, humorous old man, over seventy years old. At the right, Suzette, a pretty young girl of seventeen, is sitting reading a newspaper. Suzette: - (Reading head-lines) - "Reputation of Skyscraper - Measures." (She yawns) - "Borough President gives to Board of Estimates the Report on Improvement." (Looking up) - Sounds dull, doesn't it? The Bishop: - No - but if you think so, try the next. (Reading) - "President in the West - yesterday's Speech at Cheyenne" - Is that the way you pronounce it? - "Crops, Race Suicide, and Tariff Reform." (Looking up.) It looks dreadfully long! Now, grandpa, speak the truth! Wouldn't you really rather hear Caro Nome on the Victrola? The Bishop: - Well, my dear, perhaps I would. Where's Harry? He said, he said he wanted to speak to me after dinner about something important. Suzette: - (At Victrola) - Oh, he just went out. He'll be back soon. (The record begins) There, grandpa! Isn't that a splendid record? The Bishop: - (Singing.) Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta? Yes, a rather fine voice - who is it? Suzette: - Tetrazzini. The Bishop: - Ah, you should have heard Patti sing this at the Academy in '72 - ! Suzette: - Now, grandpa, I can't help being young and anyway I'm sure that Melba and Destin and Farrar are every bit as good as your Cavillinis and Pattis and Grisis. And as for Caruso - ! The Bishop: - Ah, my dear! I have heard Mario! - (Humming again) - Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta! Now - (He listens) - Ah, well, fair - fair! (With a sigh) After all, there's no one like Verdi. Suzette: - Grandpa? The Bishop: - Yes, dear? Suzette: - (Beguilingly) - Which do you think would be more apt to melt you into a perfectly angelic, Bavarian-cream sort of mood - "O Parigi" from Traviata or the "Sextette" from Lucia! About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.