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Amid the laughter of his comrades the officer left the café, and La Luciola triumphed. Such was the person upon whom the fate of the new opera depended, for she reigned supreme at the Scala, and Salvani as well as Ticellini knew this. While they were both meditating how to secure the Luciola in the easiest way, the songstress said: "My visit seems to be unwelcome to the gentlemen?"
"What does this mean?" the officer angrily exclaimed. "Have you noticed the three colors?" "Your Excellency, I " "Well, are you going to answer me?" "Will your excellency condescend to take a look over the house " At the same moment, as Salvani had entered the box, the gentleman in the opposite box had arisen and placed a light blue band over the lady's shoulders.
Simultaneously all the other ladies in the house threw sashes over their shoulders; yellow, blue, black, and brown were the colors which met the astonished gaze of the adjutant, and he grumblingly said: "Wait, canaille, I will not be deceived." Salvani had hurriedly left. The first notes of the overture ran through the house, and loud applause was heard.
La Luciola was certainly the pet of the public, but the situation at Milan was such that it was a question whether the performance at the Scala would receive any attention. Even the day before, there had been very little call for tickets, and Salvani, who had spared no expense to mount the new opera properly, had awful dreams on the night of the 14th about deficits and bankruptcy.
Without hesitating, the negro laid the sum of 3,000 lire in bank-notes on the window and put the tickets in his pocket. Thereupon he drew his arm under that of the impresario and pointed to the stage. "I do not understand," stammered Salvani. "You want to go on the stage?" "Yes." "Then follow me." Salvani walked down a small stairway and soon stood, with the negro, on the dimly lighted stage.
He put a roll of bank-notes on the package, and made a motion as if he wished to put the latter in his pocket. "Do you want to buy the whole package?" asked Salvani, breathlessly. "Yes," nodded the negro. The impresario looked doubtingly at him, and said: "But that is eleven boxes on the first tier, each of which costs fifty lire " "Yes."
But no matter how much he sought, he could not find a single libellous sentence, and at the end of an hour Salvani was able to bring his friend the news that the performance of the opera was allowed. Ticellini was overjoyed; he worked night and day, and at the end of a week he appeared before Salvani, waving the completed score triumphantly in the air.
"Well and " asked Salvani, breathlessly, as the diva paused. "Well, I must have a new rôle in a new opera or I shall run away," said La Luciola, firmly. Both men uttered a cry of joy. Luciola looked from one to the other and finally said: "Does my demand embarrass you?" "No, luck alone makes us dumb. We intended, signora, to ask you to-day to take a part in a new opera."
"Twenty-two boxes on the third tier, at thirty-six lire; and all the boxes on the fourth tier, thirty boxes at twenty-five lire." Again the Nubian nodded. Salvani began to reckon, and excitedly exclaimed: "But that is impossible. Are you aware that this is a matter of 2,848 lire?"
"Unwelcome?" repeated Salvani. "Signora, what are you thinking of? On the contrary, we were just speaking about you and wishing you were here." "Flatterer," said La Luciola, laughing, and pointing her finger warningly at him. "No, signora, Salvani says the truth," Ticellini said, earnestly. "We wish to ask a great favor of you." "That is excellent.
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