World's End; A Story in Three Books (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1877 edition. Excerpt: ...heroines. The piece was simply a spectacle devised to bring out one central figure into the boldest relief. The greatest difficulty the conspirators--for so they may be fairly called--had tocontend with was the necessity of keeping Sternhold completely in the dark, and yet at the same time getting together a large audience, which could only be done by advertising. But Aurelian was capable of dealing with more difficult dilemmas than this. His plan was very simple and yet effective. The manager had a piece in his repertoire which, owing to the fame or infamy of a certain fascinating lady, was the rage of the town. Suddenly this creature disappeared--went off to Vienna with a titled gentleman--and after blazing as a meteor of the first water there for a short time, as suddenly dropped out of sight altogether. The manager, at Aurelian's suggestion, gave out that this lady had turned up, and was going to again act at his house on a certain night. The excitement was intense. It was an awful falsehood, for the poor girl was in reality dead. (She met with her death under some strange and suspicious circumstances, which were, by influence, suppressed.) Her beauty, great as it was, had lost its charm in the tomb; yet her name, in flaring letters, was prominent all over Paris. The deception was kept up to the very end; and the company of the theatre, by dint of double pay, were got to carry it out to perfection. An exceptional number of waiters were, however, hired, and no one but the manager and Aurelian had any idea what the object of this troop of apparently idle fellows could be. The house filled to the last seat. The poor dead girl's name was on every lip--her frailties were discussed with horrid flippancy; the orchestra began, and Lucia...