The climax came when Clytemnestra annexed some
highly complimentary lines, which were to have been
addressed to the charioteer by a bevy of admiring Greek
damsels, and put them into the mouth of her lover. Clovis
stood by in apparent unconcern while the words:
``Oh, lovely stripling, radiant as the dawn,'' were
transposed into:
``Oh, Clytemnestra, radiant as the dawn,'' but there was a
dangerous glitter in his eye that might have given the
Baroness warning. He had composed the verse himself,
inspired and thoroughly carried away by his subject; he
suffered, therefore, a double pang in beholding his tribute
deflected from its destined object, and his words mutilated
and twisted into what became an extravagant panegyric on the
Baroness's personal charms. It was from this moment that he
became gentle and assiduous in his private coaching of
Cassandra.
The County, forgetting its dissensions, mustered in full
strength to witness the much-talked-of production. The
protective Providence that looks after little children and
amateur theatricals made good its traditional promise that
everything should be right on the night.
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