You remind me of the
Privileged Orders when confronted by the Third Estate."
It was audacious of him, and he was prepared for anything - a laugh,
applause, indignation, or all together. But he was not prepared for
what came. And it came so suddenly and spontaneously from the
groundlings and the body of those in the amphitheatre that he was
almost scared by it - as a boy may be scared who has held a match
to a sun-scorched hayrick. It was a hurricane of furious applause.
Men leapt to their feet, sprang up on to the benches, waving their
hats in the air, deafening him with the terrific uproar of their
acclamations. And it rolled on and on, nor ceased until the curtain
fell.
Scaramouche stood meditatively smiling with tight lips. At the
last moment he had caught a glimpse of M. de La Tour d'Azyr's face
thrust farther forward than usual from the shadows of his box, and
it was a face set in anger, with eyes on fire.
"Mon Dieu!" laughed Rhodomont, recovering from the real scare that
had succeeded his histrionic terror, "but you have a great trick
of tickling them in the right place, Scaramouche.
Pages:
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329