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She sang, of course, "M'ama!" and not "he loves me," since an unalterable and unquestioned law of the musical world required that the Ger by Swedish artists should be translated into Italian for the clearer understanding of English-speaking audiences This seemed as natural to Newland Archer as all the other conventions on which his life wastwo silver-backed brushes with his ra in society without a flower (preferably a gardenia) in his buttonhole
"M'a, and "M'ama!", with a final burst of love triumphant, as she pressed the dishevelled daisy to her lips and lifted her large eyes to the sophisticated countenance of the little brown Faust-Capoul, as vainly trying, in a tight purple velvet doublet and plumed cap, to look as pure and true as his artless victiainst the wall at the back of the club box, turned his eyes froe and scanned the opposite side of the house Directly facing hiott, whosesince made it impossible for her to attend the Opera, but as always represented on fashionable nights by soer members of the family On this occasion, the front of the box was filled by her daughter-in-law, Mrs Lovell Mingott, and her daughter, Mrs Welland; and slightly withdrawn behind these brocaded irl in white with eyes ecstatically fixed on the stagelovers As Madame Nilsson's "M'ama!" thrilled out above the silent house (the boxes always stopped talking during the Daisy Song) a warirl's cheek, mantled her brow to the roots of her fair braids, and suffused the young slope of her breast to the line where it ardenia She dropped her eyes to the immense bouquet of lilies-of-the-valley on her knee, and Newland Archer saw her white-gloved finger-tips touch the flowers softly He drew a breath of satisfied vanity and his eyes returned to the stage
No expense had been spared on the setting, which was acknowledged to be very beautiful even by people who shared his acquaintance with the Opera houses of Paris and Vienna The foreground, to the footlights, was covered with ereen cloth In the reen moss bounded by croquet hoops fore-trees but studded with large pink and red roses Gigantic pansies, considerably larger than the roses, and closely rese the floral pen-wipersfrom the rafted on a rose-branch flowered with a luxuriance prophetic of Mr Luther Burbank's far-off prodigies