shared my
room with several other women and had only a corner of it which I could
call my own. Long shelves with lockers under them ran down two sides of
the room, with lights over them at intervals, and under every light a
singer "made up." There was a long glass at one end of the room, but we
had to provide individual mirrors for ourselves. There was no running
water, only a couple of jugs and basins stood in one corner of the
shelf. Good routined dressers were provided by the theatre. Mine was an
Alsatian who loved to speak French with me, but whom I discouraged as I
wanted all the practise I could get in German. She used to call me
"Fraeulein Miss"--pronouncing the latter like the German word _miess_
which means mediocre, but she meant to be particularly respectful. I
have always found that it pays a hundred fold to make friends of the
dressers, stage-doorkeeper, property-man, carpenter, head scene-shifter,
fireman and all the other workers whose co-operation is necessary for a
good _ensemble_. It is usually quite easy to be on good terms with them,
and they have unlimited opportunities for making things go smoothly for
you, or the reverse.

Women's costumes are not kept in the theatre; as they are the personal
property of the singer they must be kept at home, and be sent over to
the theatre on the morning of a performance. A _Korbtraeger_ (basket
carrier) is usually provided to whom you give from 75 cents to $1.00 a
month, and who performs this service for you--but many singers send
their maids. With the usual discrimination against our sex, men's
costumes are provided in opera houses of all grades. In the largest
theatres the women's are furnished also, and you even have to have
special permission to wear your own.

The scenery and costumes in Metz were often surprisingly good when one
considered that so few "sets" must do such varied things. Our property
man was an inventive genius at making something out of nothing. He
prided himself upon certain realistic details. If the piece called for
coffee, the real article, though of some dreadful variety unknown to
contemporary culinary science, was provided, and really poured into the
cups. If a meal were to be served on the stage, some sort of real food
was there for the actors to eat, even if it were only slices of bread
served elaborately as the most _recherche_ French supper, though usually
it was ladyfingers. Eating scenes are usually confined to the drama,
thou