The dialogue now remained with Estelle
and this husband-elect, so that Nina had time to recover; and in the
trio that closes the scene she sang her part well enough. Directly they
had left the stage, Estelle ran to her friend.
"Nina, what was the matter?" she exclaimed.
"My head--" said Nina, pressing her hand against her forehead and
talking rather faintly--"I do not know--my head is giddy, Estelle--oh, I
wish it was all over!--I wish I was home!"
"You have very little more to do now, Nina!" Estelle said quickly to
her, in French. "Come, you must have courage, Nina--I will run and get
you my smelling-salts, and it will pass away--oh, you must make an
effort, Nina--would you let Miss Burgoyne see you break down--no, no,
indeed! You will be all right, Nina, I assure you--and I will tell the
prompter to be on the watch for you--oh, I wouldn't give way--before
Miss Burgoyne--if I were you, no, not for a hundred pounds!"
Therewith the kind-hearted little French officer sped away to her own
room, and brought back the smelling-salts and was most eagerly
solicitous that Nina should conquer this passing attack of hysteria, as
she deemed it.
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