When the curtain fell on the first act, the audience were somewhat bewildered; it was such an entirely new departure from the story of Faust, that they almost resented it. But as the piece progressed, they saw the real cleverness of the satire, and when the curtain came down they called loudly for the author and composer, who came forward and bowed their acknowledgments.
When Mortimer heard the eulogies lavished on the piece, he drew a long breath of relief.
"Jove! I thought it was going to fail," he said, "and I believe it would have, if Caprice hadn't pulled it out of the fire."
And, indeed, Caprice, with her wonderful spirits and reckless abandon. had carried the whole play with her, and saved it at the most critical moment, A young man sitting near Eugénie summed up his idea of the piece in a few words.
"It's a deuced clever play," he said; "but Caprice makes it go--if any one else plays her part, the theatre will be empty."
Eugénie turned angrily to look for the author of this remark, but could not see him. Just as she was turning away, a shrill voice near her said,--
"Ain't Caprice a stunner! I've seen 'er lots of times at old Lazarus's."
The speaker was a small, white-faced Jewish youth, being none other than Isaiah.
Miss Rainsford pondered over these words as she walked out of the theatre.
"Goes to old Lazarus's," she said to herself; "that was the old man who was killed. I wonder why she went there."