"
Tamara asked for paper and pencil, and wrote a few words right on
the spot. Then she gave the note to the waiter, together with a
half-rouble piece for a tip, and rode away.
The following visit was to the artiste Rovinskaya, living, as
Tamara had known even before, in the city's most aristocratic
hotel--Europe--where she occupied several rooms in a consecutive
suite. To obtain an interview with the singer was not very easy:
the doorman below said that it looked as if Ellena Victorovna was
not at home; while her own personal maid, who came out in answer
to Tamara's knocking, declared that madam had a headache, and that
she was not receiving any one. Again Tamara was compelled to write
on a piece of paper:
"I come to you from her who once, in a house which is not spoken
of loudly, cried, standing before you on her knees, after you had
sung the ballad of Dargomyzhsky. Your kind treatment of her was so
splendid. Do you remember? Do not fear--she has no need of any
one's help now: yesterday she died. But you can do one very
important deed in her memory, which will be almost no trouble to
you at all.
Pages:
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573