Philip Curtiss

“ Every one remained motionless, the eyes of the men on the singer, fixed and respectful, the eyes of the women turned musingly downward. Even Tilly Marshall, beside Bellsmith, was lost in a reverie. Even the bold-faced girl was silent. ”

“ The singer went on, throaty and nasal at the same time, falsely accenting the Italian words to get cheap, sentimental effects, bellowing at absolutely unrelated moments and pianissimo-ing when piano would have been more than ample. Where the voice was expected to break in pathos he merely slurred up a half-tone and back again. Where the song was Intended to trail off wistfully, Bellony "improved" it by jumping up a full octave and ending in a piercing, triumphant falsetto, sustained and strongly crescendo. ”

“ Drawn into a common cause, they all looked around at each other inquiringly.
"Is n't there any one here who knows the ropes?" asked Knight. "Does n't somebody know the manager?"
Suddenly, by a process of elimination, Bellsmith, who had not been paying much attention, discovered that every one at the table was looking at him, the only stranger and the only native. Whether he welcomed it or not, Bellsmith's great moment had come. He wet his lips and spoke to the boy, nervously.
"What's that head waiter's name!" he asked. "Is he still around?" ”

“ Any girl of his own acquaintance who could dance one tenth as well as this girl would have been regarded as a prodigy. Indeed Bellsmith had seen heralded "artists" of what Barnes had called the "interpretive" school who had nothing like the genuine accuracy and finish of this girl—none of her genuine groundwork. Yet they were highly paid and famous. This girl was a nonentity in a routine hack company and always would be. ”