The Baroness and
Clovis seemed to have sunk their mutual differences, and
between them dominated the scene to the partial eclipse of
all the other characters, who, for the most part, seemed
well content to remain in the shadow. Even Agamemnon, with
ten years of strenuous life around Troy standing to his
credit, appeared to be an unobtrusive personality compared
with his flamboyant charioteer. But the moment came for
Cassandra (who had been excused from any very definite
outpourings during rehearsals) to support her role by
delivering herself of a few well-chosen anticipations of
pending misfortune. The musicians obliged with
appropriately lugubrious wailings and thumpings, and the
Baroness seized the opportunity to make a dash to the
dressing-room to effect certain repairs in her make-up.
Cassandra nervous but resolute, came down to the footlights
and, like one repeating a carefully learned lesson, flung
her remarks straight at the audience:
``I see woe for this fair country if the brood of corrupt,
self-seeking, unscrupulous, unprincipled politicians'' (here
she named one of the two rival parties in the State)
``continue to infest and poison our local councils and
undermine our Parliamentary representation; if they continue
to snatch votes by nefarious and discreditable means---''
A humming as of a great hive of bewildered and affronted
bees drowned her further remarks and wore down the droning
of the musicians.
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