To Diana it seemed as though the duet were very quickly over, and
although the applause and recalls were persistent, no encore was given.
Then she saw Olga Lermontof mounting the platform steps preparatory to
accompanying Kirolski's solo, and with a sudden violent reaction from
her calm composure she realised that the following item on the
programme must be the first group of her own songs.
For an instant the room swayed round her, then with a little gasp she
clutched Baroni's arm.
"I can't do it! . . . I can't do it!" Her voice was shaking, and
every drop of colour had drained away from her face.
Baroni turned instantly, his eyes full of concern.
"My dear, but that is nonsense. You _cannot help_ doing it--you know
those songs inside out and upside down. You need haf no fear. Do not
think about it at all. Trust your voice--it will sing what it knows."
But Diana still clung helplessly to his arm, shivering from head to
foot, and Madame de Louvigny hurried across the room and joined her
assurances to those of the old _maestro_. She also added a
liqueur-glass of brandy to her soothing, encouraging little speeches,
but Diana refused the former with a gesture of repugnance, and seemed
scarcely to hear the latter. She was dazed by sheer nervous terror,
and stood there with her hands tightly clasped together, her body rigid
and taut with misery.
Baroni was nearly demented.
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