Carlotta came into the room bearing a parcel in her arms. She put it down on the table in front of Magda.
“A present from the company,” she announced.
“What is it?” Magda asked, pulling aside the wrappings of tissue paper.
It was a china figure of Mrs. Siddons. Underneath was the inscription,
“To Carlotta Lenshovski in commemoration of her marriage.”
To Carlotta Lenshovski in commemoration of her marriageIt was followed by the names of all those who had subscribed to it and who had been acting with Carlotta in the play.
“It is very pretty,” Magda said. “It was kind of them, wasn’t it, my darling?”
Carlotta was standing in front of a mirror on the wall, running her fingers through her hair, which had been flattened by the tight cap of satin and lace that she had been wearing.
Someth
