t of
classical Little Bo-peep, received a hearty welcome on her return to
the Covent Garden House and Home. M. PLANCON was the thoroughly French
_Jupin_, and M. CASTELMARY an amiable _Vulcan_; both most accomplished
Divines. Altogether, a perfect quartette. The graceful _intermezzo_
only escaped an _encore_ because the knowing ones among the gods and
groundlings felt that too much enthusiasm at first might do serious
damage to the subsequent reception of the great _intermezzo_ of the
evening. All on _qui vive_ for great _intermezzo_. Anticipations of
event heard in the lobbies. Anxiety depicted on some countenances, but
most features looking happy and hopeful. The members of what was once
known as "the Organising Committee" nod encouragingly to one another
as they pass to and fro; the officials and _habitues_ exchange
greetings without any expression of opinion. Sir DRURIOLANUS
does not issue forth until the right moment, when he can shut up
his opera-glass with a click, and give the word to Field-Marshal
MANCINELLI to lead his men to the attack. For the present, "Wait" is
the _mot d'ordre_, "and this," quoth a jig-maker, "is the only weight
in the entire entertainment."

[Illustration: The Good and Great Archbishop Druriolanus
Coventgardenus giving his Chorus Flock permission to use Palms on
Easter Sunday. Quite "the palmy days" of the Opera.]

Up goes the Curtain, and those who remember the _Cavalleria_ as it
was put on "in another place," to use parliamentary language, see
at the first glance that this representation is going to be quite
another pair of shoes. The stage management is admirable: not a
second without movement, and every movement with a motive--musical
or dramatic, or both. Madame CALVE's _Santuzza_ is operatically and
histrionically--but especially the latter--a triumph; and "this is the
verdict of us all." GIULIA RAVOGLI makes a great part of _Lola_; the
many-talented little Mlle. BAUERMEISTER's _Lucia_ is not quite up to
her own _Marta_ in _Faust_. As for the men, the singing and the acting
of Signor DE LUCIA as _Turiddu_ (ye gods! what a name!), and of Mons.
DUFRICHE as _Alfio_ cannot be surpassed.

But--stop--the tremendous row (a quarrel quite representative of
Whitechapel in Italy, and suggesting to some of us what Signor
Coster CHEVALIER might do if this Opera were Londonised) between
_Turiddu-de-Lucia_ and _Santuzza-Calve_ is over, the latter has
denounced her former lover, there is thunder