duet with her daughter, Frau Lenore observed that Emilio had a fine
voice, like a silver bell, but that now he was at the age when the
voice changes--he did, in fact, talk in a sort of bass constantly
falling into falsetto--and that he was therefore forbidden to sing;
but that Pantaleone now really might try his skill of old days in
honour of their guest! Pantaleone promptly put on a displeased air,
frowned, ruffled up his hair, and declared that he had given it all
up long ago, though he could certainly in his youth hold his own,
and indeed had belonged to that great period, when there were real
classical singers, not to be compared to the squeaking performers of
to-day! and a real school of singing; that he, Pantaleone Cippatola of
Varese, had once been brought a laurel wreath from Modena, and that
on that occasion some white doves had positively been let fly in the
theatre; that among others a Russian prince Tarbusky--'_il principe
Tarbusski_'--with whom he had been on the most friendly terms, had
after supper persistently invited him to Russia, promising him
mountains of gold, mountains!... but that he had been unwilling to
leave Italy, the land of Dante--_il paese del Dante!_ Afterward, to
be sure, there came ... unfortunate circumstances, he had himself
been imprudent.... At this point the old man broke off, sighed
deeply twice, looked dejected, and began again talking of the
classical period of singing, of the celebrated tenor Garcia, for
whom he cherished a devout, unbounded veneration. 'He was a man!'
he exclaimed. 'Never had the great Garcia (_il gran Garcia_)
demeaned himself by singing falsetto like the paltry tenors of
to-day--_tenoracci_; always from the chest, from the chest, _voce di
petto, si!_' and the old man aimed a vigorous blow with his little
shrivelled fist at his own shirt-front! 'And what an actor! A volcano,
_signori miei_, a volcano, _un Vesuvio_! I had the honour and the
happiness of singing with him in the _opera dell' illustrissimo