My father bowed his acquiescence; and then enquired whether she had been at the opera?
“‘O no;’ Signor Colla answered; ‘she was too much afraid of that complaint which all her countrymen who travelled to England had so long lamented, and which the English call catch-cold, to venture to a theatre.’
“Agujari then condescended to inquire whether _il Signor Dottore_ had heard the Gabrielli?
“‘Not yet,’ he replied; ‘he waited her coming to England. He had missed her in Italy, from her having passed that year in Sicily.’
“‘_Ah Diable!_’ exclaimed the Bastardini, ‘_mais c’est dommage!_’
“This familiar ‘_Diable!_’ from such majestic loftiness, had a very droll effect.
“‘_Et vous, Signora, l’avez-vous entendue?_’
“‘_O que non!_’ answered she, quite bluffly; ‘_cela n’est pas possible!_’
“And we were alarmed to observe that she looked highly affronted; though we could not possibly conjecture why, till Signor Colla, in a whisper, represented the error of the inquiry, by saying, that two first singers could never meet.
“‘True!’ Dr. Maty cried; ‘two suns never light us at once.’
“The Signora, to whom this was repeated in Italian, presently recovered her placid dignity by the blaze of these two suns; and, before she went away, was in such perfect amity with _il Signor Dottore_, that she voluntarily declared she would come again, when her sore throat was over, and _chanter comme il faut_.”
“My father, now, bids me write for him—which I do with joy and pride, for now, now, thus instigated, thus authorised, let me present to you the triumphant, the unique Agujari!
“O how we all wished for you when she broke forth in her vocal glory! The great singers of olden times, whom I have heard you so emphatically describe, seem to have all their talents revived in this wonderful creature. I could compare her to nothing I have ever heard, but only to what you have heard; your Carestini, Farinelli, Senesino, alone are worthy to be ranked with the Bastardini.
“She came with the Signor Maestro Colla, very early, to tea.
“I cannot deign to mention our party,—but it was small and good:—though by no means bright enough to be enumerated in the same page with Agujari.
“She frightened us a little, at first, by complaining of a cold. How we looked at one another! Mr. Burney was called upon to begin; which he did with even more than his usual spirit; and then—without waiting for a petition—which nobody, not even my dear father, had yet gathered courage to make, Agujari, the Bastardella, arose, voluntarily arose, to sing!