Pauline, the Prima Donna; Or Memoirs of an Opera Singer
9781465533203
1 pages
Library of Alexandria
Overview
My dear friend: It gives me great pleasure to inform you that I have received your letter and am happy to know that you sometimes think of me. I am delighted, too, to know you are enjoying such splendid health. Really, my dear, I thought you had quite forgotten me after all these years, but I see you haven't, and I am glad. Yes, I am very happy and contented, and I have retired from professional life. I intend to devote the remainder of my days to travel and ... well, you know my great weakness. It is strange that you should ask me to write my memoirs just when I was about to write them for myself, and now I believe I shall do so. And I hope you will enjoy reading these pages as fully as I have enjoyed them in the flesh. Well, where shall I start? At the very beginning, I suppose-all careers have a beginning somewhere, you know. Up to and including my eighteenth birthday there is precious little to tell, so I shall skip over that; it has nothing to do with this tale and would-I dare-say-be rather tiresome. I knew nothing of love, except, of course, the love one had from a parent, and the pets I had. So I can think of no one thing which might be called responsible for the strange and delightful life I have led. To sum up the whole thing, I guess I was born for love! How could it be Otherwise when it has been the one ruling passion of my whole life? Love! Yes, that was it, and believe me, I have had my share. There are very few things concerning my early life which I think would be of interest here. I was an only child. We lived in a pretty little home, and in my childish way I was happy. I never had to attend school like the Other children. Father provided a private tutor, and an ugly old witch she was, too. She was very strict with me, and I can well remember how she used to scold me when I romped about the gardens with my pet poodle, telling me it was vulgar to show one's legs; nor could I visit with the Other children who passed our home. It was this very strictness as much as anything else, perhaps, which led my active mind into Other and stranger channels. I guess she was what we call today a "prude" and I believe she disliked herself.
