One of the things we liked best while stationed at Cremona was to get a short leave of absence to go to Piacenza ; and that fair city well deserved its name, for it was, in truth, a city of pleasures and delights. My first visit there really arose from my having nothing else to do. One evening the opera was, for some reason or other, closed at Cremona, and we found the cafe somewhat dull. The captain second in command, to whom I have alluded, lived in the same quarters as myself ; I had given up my rooms to our servants, and we shared everything together. "Was thun wir ? Kumm mit, gehen wir zu Hause" — ("What shall we do ? Come, let us go home") — he said to me. I consented, for I saw he had something in his head, and as we walked together, he asked, "Bist Du im Piacenz gewesen, Engländer?" — ("Wert thou ever in Piacenza, Englishman ?") I replied in the negative. "So ?" he answered, and then told me that there was an opera there, and that we could go to Piacenza, and be back in time for morning parade. It was then 7 P.M., and there were twenty- five good miles to ride and the same distance to return, but the idea of the adventure charmed me, and in less than ten minutes we were in our saddles, preparing for une nuit blanche. My friend knew the road well, and after a little more than two hours and a half of hard galloping we entered the city, stabled our horses, which, contrary to our fears, were not too much knocked up to take kindly to their food, and finding the principal café empty we turned our steps- at once to the opera. At the door we discovered at the same instant that we had neither of us so much as a single kreutzer in our pockets, and could not, of course, obtain seats. We walked round the building, trusting to light on some of our comrades, and while doing so perceived a small door, which we pushed open. It led, apparently, to the lower regions, and we determined to explore a little.
We groped our way cautiously along several damp, dark passages, always descending somewhat, until at length we became aware that we were under the stage, for at a distance we could see a light, and a pair of legs, which we felt sure belonged to the prompter, while above we heard the crash of music and the applause of the audience. They were performing the opera of Robert Devereux. Just then I stumbled, and came with a dreadful clanking of sword and spur to the ground. We stood silently for a little, but by the profound quiet around us, and the sound of the singers' voices, and the answering murmur of the spectators, we concluded that we wore alone in this subterranean region. " Stay, Engländer," said my friend. " I know exactly where we are now, and there is a passage by which we could enter the pit easily if only the attention of every one could be diverted for the moment. An idea comes to mo, which we will quickly execute. Draw thy sword, and follow me softly." We proceeded cautiously until we arrived at the aforesaid pair of legs, on each side of -which we arranged ourselves; then my friend pricked the leg nearest to him gently with his sword point, which produced from above a curious yell, not at all in harmony with the music. I caught a glimpse of an arm descending on the opposite side, and to counteract the movement, I also, with the utmost delicacy, pricked the leg next to me. This caused another screech, and a tremendous scuffling, as of many feet rushing to and fro over the boards.
Now or never, we thought, and immediately applied our swords' points to both legs at the same instant. The prompter uttered an unearthly scream, greatly resembling that of a wild cat ; the legs flew upwards, out of the reach of our persecution ; the tumult above redoubled ; and we hastily decamped, ran along one of the little passages which communicated with the boxes, with which my friend was acquainted, and having entered perfectly unnoticed, we walked with an innocent and unconcerned air to the place reserved for the officers. We could not help being diverted with the scene which presented itself. The whole theatre was in a state of excitement and uproar, such as only those who know the easily-moved, impetuous, effervescent nature of the Italians, can understand. The orchestra was dumb; at least half of the people from the pit and lower boxes had leapt upon the stage ; the actors, every employé about the place, and all the ladies of the corps de ballet, in full costume, had likewise rushed thither. In the middle of them the prompter was hopping about, with both his hands applied to the calves of his legs ; every one was gesticulating, shouting, and asking what was the matter. Some imagined the man was attacked by a sudden fit of madness and would have laid violent hands on him, and to elude their kindly grasp he crouched, dived, and darted here and there in the oddest conceivable way, screaming out as he did so that il diavolo was below, and calling on all the saints to help and aid him. When comparative calm was restored a rigid search was made below, but, of course, nothing was discovered ; his legs were stripped and carefully examined in the presence of the gendarmes, but as there were neither wounds nor blood, and only one little scratch, which, I beg to say. was not on the leg which fate had given into my care, the assault was generally supposed to have been made by some playful kitten which had endeavoured to ascend to the upper regions by using the prompter's legs for a ladder, and no further inquiry was made. That night we supped joyously with our brother officers, but mindful of the consequences which we had formerly sustained by babbling tongues, we kept our little adventure rigidly to ourselves, and long before break of dawn we were on our horses, riding hard to reach Cremona before morning parade.
We groped our way cautiously along several damp, dark passages, always descending somewhat, until at length we became aware that we were under the stage, for at a distance we could see a light, and a pair of legs, which we felt sure belonged to the prompter, while above we heard the crash of music and the applause of the audience. They were performing the opera of Robert Devereux. Just then I stumbled, and came with a dreadful clanking of sword and spur to the ground. We stood silently for a little, but by the profound quiet around us, and the sound of the singers' voices, and the answering murmur of the spectators, we concluded that we wore alone in this subterranean region. " Stay, Engländer," said my friend. " I know exactly where we are now, and there is a passage by which we could enter the pit easily if only the attention of every one could be diverted for the moment. An idea comes to mo, which we will quickly execute. Draw thy sword, and follow me softly." We proceeded cautiously until we arrived at the aforesaid pair of legs, on each side of -which we arranged ourselves; then my friend pricked the leg nearest to him gently with his sword point, which produced from above a curious yell, not at all in harmony with the music. I caught a glimpse of an arm descending on the opposite side, and to counteract the movement, I also, with the utmost delicacy, pricked the leg next to me. This caused another screech, and a tremendous scuffling, as of many feet rushing to and fro over the boards.
Now or never, we thought, and immediately applied our swords' points to both legs at the same instant. The prompter uttered an unearthly scream, greatly resembling that of a wild cat ; the legs flew upwards, out of the reach of our persecution ; the tumult above redoubled ; and we hastily decamped, ran along one of the little passages which communicated with the boxes, with which my friend was acquainted, and having entered perfectly unnoticed, we walked with an innocent and unconcerned air to the place reserved for the officers. We could not help being diverted with the scene which presented itself. The whole theatre was in a state of excitement and uproar, such as only those who know the easily-moved, impetuous, effervescent nature of the Italians, can understand. The orchestra was dumb; at least half of the people from the pit and lower boxes had leapt upon the stage ; the actors, every employé about the place, and all the ladies of the corps de ballet, in full costume, had likewise rushed thither. In the middle of them the prompter was hopping about, with both his hands applied to the calves of his legs ; every one was gesticulating, shouting, and asking what was the matter. Some imagined the man was attacked by a sudden fit of madness and would have laid violent hands on him, and to elude their kindly grasp he crouched, dived, and darted here and there in the oddest conceivable way, screaming out as he did so that il diavolo was below, and calling on all the saints to help and aid him. When comparative calm was restored a rigid search was made below, but, of course, nothing was discovered ; his legs were stripped and carefully examined in the presence of the gendarmes, but as there were neither wounds nor blood, and only one little scratch, which, I beg to say. was not on the leg which fate had given into my care, the assault was generally supposed to have been made by some playful kitten which had endeavoured to ascend to the upper regions by using the prompter's legs for a ladder, and no further inquiry was made. That night we supped joyously with our brother officers, but mindful of the consequences which we had formerly sustained by babbling tongues, we kept our little adventure rigidly to ourselves, and long before break of dawn we were on our horses, riding hard to reach Cremona before morning parade.
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