k was conductor, and everything had been done
in the way of scenery and costumes. The success was a remarkable one,
and Meyerbeer's name became famous throughout Europe.

Dr. Veron, in his "Memoires d'un Bourgeois de Paris," describes a
thrilling yet ludicrous accident that occurred on the first night's
performance. After the admirable trio, which is the _d'enoument_ of
the work, Levasseur, who personated Bertram, sprang through the trap
to rejoin the kingdom of the dead, whence he came so mysteriously.
_Robert_, on the other hand, had to remain on the earth, a converted
man, and destined to happiness in marriage with his princess,
_Isabelle_. Nourrit, the _Robert_ of the performance, misled by the
situation and the fervor of his own feelings, threw himself into the
trap, which was not properly set. Fortunately the mattresses beneath had
not all been removed, or the tenor would have been killed, a doom which
those on the stage who saw the accident expected. The audience supposed
it was part of the opera, and the people on the stage were full of
terror and lamentation, when Nourrit appeared to calm their fears.
Mile. Dorus burst into tears of joy, and the audience, recognizing the
situation, broke into shouts of applause.

The opera was brought out in London the same year, with nearly the same
cast, but did not excite so much enthusiasm as in Paris. Lord Mount
Edgcumbe, who represented the connoisseurs of the old school, expressed
the then current opinion of London audiences: "Never did I see a more
disagreeable or disgusting performance. The sight of the resurrection
of a whole convent of nuns, who rise from their graves and begin dancing
like so many bacchantes, is revolting; and a sacred service in a church,
accompanied by an organ on the stage, not very decorous. Neither does
the music of Meyerbeer compensate for a fable which is a tissue of
nonsense and improbability."*

* Yet Lord Mount Edgcumbe is inconsistent enough to be an
ardent admirer of Mozart's "Zauberflote."

M. Veron was so delighted with the great success of "Robert" that he
made a contract with Meyerbeer for another grand opera, "Les Huguenots,"
to be completed by a certain date. Meanwhile, the failing health of Mme.
Meyerbeer obliged the composer to go to Italy, and work on the opera was
deferred, thus causing him to lose thirty thousand francs as the penalty
of his broken contract. At length, after twenty-eight rehearsals, and
an expens