The next morning they all hurried to the private sitting room of Mr.
Ludlow"s suite, where he had asked them to a.s.semble.
"Aunt Betty and Alfy," called Dorothy, "both of you must come too, so you can hear what Mr. Ludlow has to say, for you know you belong to the company, too."
Ruth rushed up to Dorothy and whispered, "I think you were very mean, keeping Mr. Dauntrey all to yourself last night, and making me stay with Mr. Ludlow. He was so cross. I hope he is better natured to-day, or when we rehea.r.s.e this afternoon we will all have trouble."
"I didn"t take Mr. Dauntrey," answered Dorothy in a very surprised tone of voice. "I didn"t seek his company. He just took us and put us in a taxicab and that"s all."
"Sh!" whispered Ruth, "here he is now. Isn"t he a handsome man?"
"I don"t particularly care for his style. He is too effeminate looking. Come over here and sit down by Aunt Betty and I," and Dorothy started to walk over to where the others sat. Ruth did not follow her, however, but remained just where she was.
"And how is Miss Ruth, to-day?" inquired Mr. Dauntrey. "I am quite longing for our real work to start so I can hear you sing. I am sure it will be a great pleasure."
Mr. Ludlow entered just then as Ruth looked up to Mr. Dauntrey, and murmured, "Ah, that was so nice of you to say."
"Are you all here?" inquired Mr. Ludlow. "Let me take a little account of you." Mentally he ran over the small list of people. "All ready then. All sit down and make yourselves comfortable. I will only detain you a few minutes now. We are going to have a very important recital in the new National Theatre to-morrow night. I have a little typewritten letter for each of you. I will give these to Mr. Dauntrey and he will hand them to you." Turning to Mr. Dauntrey he handed him a number of white envelopes, saying: "There now, don"t neglect to give each one the proper envelope."
Turning once more to the rest of them, he continued, "If by any chance you don"t happen to like the instructions contained in those envelopes, report at once to Mr. Dauntrey and he will take up the matter with me, or refer you to me."
Mr. Ludlow had had many dealings with performers before, and he knew from experience that it was better to give instructions this way. It avoided open contentions which were likely when one artist thought he or she was slighted, and enabled each one to know exactly what they had to do, for there was no mistaking written orders.
"The new National Theatre," continued Mr. Ludlow, "is on Pennsylvania avenue near Thirteenth street, and is of great capacity and comfort.
I hope you will all do your best for I have written to the President, and have asked him to accept, as a token of our respect, a box for that night. I hope he honors us with his presence, and it may afford you all an opportunity to meet him personally. I expect this concert to be a big thing for us. This city is favorably disposed toward cla.s.sical concerts, and Mr. Dauntrey has worked hard sending out special announcements for us.
"I expect each of you to do your very best and look your very best.
Always look your best. Looks go a great way. If people see you enter the stage confidently and look nice--nice and neat, not gaudy, not cheap or overdressed, just good simple dresses, and not made in outlandish styles--their first impression is very apt to be a lasting one. There, I think that is enough of a lecture. I plan to go from here to Pittsburgh, and, with several stops, on to Chicago. From Chicago on to St. Louis, and from there with a half dozen stops, if we are successful, to San Francisco. Just what we will do then I can"t tell now. But I think that is enough to know now."
"But what hotels are we to stop in at those places, Mr. Ludlow?"
inquired Miss Winters.
"I suppose all you fair ladies will want to have a list of the hotels in advance," laughed Mr. Ludlow, "and you shall have duplicate route lists with dates, which you can send to your friends so you can have mail each morning. I may want you to give two concerts here in Washington, but I am not sure yet," added Mr. Ludlow. "We also may have to run down to Mount Vernon and give a concert there, so I want you all to be ready to render something different than what you are to use to-morrow. You can each select your own piece. Is there anything now you want to ask me?" he said finally, turning so as to see them all.
"Well," he continued, "if there is nothing else we will adjourn till this afternoon when I have made appointments with some of you to come here alone so that I may have an idea of how you are doing. If you all would care to, I think it would be a good thing if we visited the Capitol now. You are privileged in each city to do as much sight-seeing as you can and care to without getting over tired."
They were all appreciative of this courtesy, and thought that that would make their tour a very very pleasant one. Just as soon as Mr.
Dauntrey had handed them their envelopes, they departed for their rooms to get hats and coats and be ready to start at once. Aunt Betty also had her guide book, and in a very short time they were all ready for a visit to the Capitol.
The Capitol building commands a central and slightly hilltop position.
The grounds in front of the building are perfectly level, but in the rear slope downwards towards the Potomac flats. In the northwestern part of the park is an ivy-covered rest-house, one window of which looks into a grotto.
Ruth thought this a pretty spot indeed, and exclaimed, "Oh, just see here, isn"t this a romantic spot? I could sit here for hours and dream."
"Wouldn"t that be rather lonesome, Miss Ruth?" said Mr. Dauntrey to her, softly. "Wouldn"t you rather have someone else here with you?"
Ruth did not answer this question, but just gave him an adorable little glance.
"The ground immediately in front of the Capitol is the plaza," said Mr. Ludlow. "Here vast crowds a.s.semble to witness presidential inaugurations."
Three flights of broad steps led up to the main entrance, an architecturally effective feature. The southern wing contains the House of Representatives and the northern one the Senate chamber.
"The central portico," remarked Mrs. Calvert, "I would like to have you notice particularly. It dates back from 1825. The allegorical group cut in sandstone was designed by the President, John Quincy Adams."
"What does it represent?" questioned Alfy.
"The group represents the genius of our beloved America," answered Mrs. Calvert. "America is resting her shield upon an altar, while an eagle rests at her feet. She is listening to hope, and points in response to Justice."
"I think you have told us a very good story of that piece, Mrs.
Calvert, and as you are just as well, perhaps better acquainted with this place than I am, do you mind explaining the things occasionally, so as to help me out?" asked Mr. Ludlow.
"Why, it is a pleasure to me, I a.s.sure you," answered Mrs. Calvert, gracefully. "You see I have been here often and I have my indispensable Rand, McNally guide book."
"Right here where you are standing," interrupted Mr. Dauntrey, for he wished them to understand that he had been to Washington before and knew something of the place, "is where all the presidents of the United States since the time of Jackson have been inaugurated, the chief justice adminstrating the oath of office here in full view of the onlookers."
The large bronze doors were thrown back, and all entered the building itself. The entrance takes one immediately into the rotunda, which is of enormous size. The floor is of sandstone, the rotunda being nearly 100 feet in diameter, and almost twice that high. A balcony runs around it, and strangely interesting is the fact that this balcony has a very good whispering echo. The decoration of this huge place is confined mostly to the walls, but there are a few pieces of statuary on the floor.
The great wall s.p.a.ce is given to historical pictures of considerable size, and all are familiar to everyone through their reproduction on postals, currency and postage stamps.
The whole party made a tour of the room with much interest, viewing the canvases.
"We might divide these pictures into two cla.s.ses," said Mr. Ludlow, "the early historical and revolutionary. The former are, I suspect, to a degree imaginative, but the latter are accurately true to the times and scenes they depict. In the first group are the following: "The Landing of Columbus at San Salvador in 1492," "The Discovery of the Mississippi by De Soto in 1541," "The Baptism of Pocahontas at Jamestown in 1613," and, the last of this group, "The Farewell Service on Board the Speedwell." This shows an unseaworthy old port now called Lyden, Holland--for America, bearing the first colony of pilgrims who were finally landed on Plymouth Rock by the Mayflower."
"Then," Mrs. Calvert pointed out, "there follows the group of Revolutionary pictures. Beside each picture of this group is an outline key which gives the names of the people shown. The first is "The Signing of the Declaration of Independence" in the old hall in Philadelphia in 1776. The second one is the "Surrender of Burgoyne at Saratoga" to General Gates. This picture was made from sketches made on the very spot by Colonel Trumbull, who was a close friend of Washington. He was present at the scene of the next picture also, "The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis." The British are seen marching between the lines of the Americans and their French allies.
"The fourth is the "Resignation of Washington" as commander-in-chief of his well-tried army, always a rather pathetic scene, it seems to me."
"How interesting. I could spend hours here, but suppose we must not."
"Where next?" inquired Dorothy.
"We will go through this door and into what was the original Hall of Representatives, and is now the Statuary Hall," answered Mrs. Calvert.
The room which they now entered was semi-circular in shape, and whose ceiling is half a dome beneath which is a s.p.a.cious gallery now filled with a library.
"The House of Representatives used this hall quite generally for fifty years, from 1808 on," said Mr. Ludlow. "Here Clay, Webster, Adams, Calhoun, Randolph, Ca.s.s, and many others won world-wide fame, and made the walls ring with their fiery eloquence. Here were many fierce and bitter wrangles over vexed questions, turbulent scenes, displays of sectional feelings. Too bad they had no talking machines in those days to deal out impa.s.sioned oratory for future generations."
"What is that star set in the floor for?" inquired Ruth; whose interest in oratory of past ages was limited.
"That marks the spot where John Quincy Adams, then a representative from his home, Ma.s.sachusetts, was prostrated at his desk. See, the date is February 1, 1848," read Dorothy.
"Where did all these statues come from?" questioned Alfaretta.
"Most of them were bought and placed here, and some of them, I think, were donated," answered Aunt Betty.
"This statuary hall," continued Mr. Ludlow, "has great acoustic properties."
"Shall we get a Capitol guide?" asked Mrs. Calvert. "They say they can amuse one greatly, for they know each place where these strange things can be heard."