He patted the air in front of Reggie, with an eloquent gesture.
“They are marked ff.,” said the leader of the Argive elders in good plain English.
“Well, you must erase your double forte,” said Dr. Propert.
The conductor folded his arms, and waited till Dr. Propert had retired up O. P.
“We will now begin again four bars back, at the double forte,” he remarked.
“Yes, pianissimo,” said the doctor turning round.
The Argive elders looked puzzled. Diplomacy, to judge by their speeches, was not their strong point.
“Are we to do it double forte or pianissimo?” asked Reggie of the conductor.
“I presume that Doctor Propert has informed Professor Damien of the alterations he has thought fit to make in the music,” he remarked bitterly.
But as Doctor Propert was already employed in showing Agamemnon, who was about to enter, how to lean against a door in the attitude of a Sophoclean adult, the sarcasm fell innocuous, and the practice proceeded fortissimo without further interruption.