CHAPTER VII
GERMANY: THE TURNING-POINT
I spent that summer of 1900 uneventfully in Brittany, and in the early autumn off we started for Berlin.
This was another turning-point in my career. The German capital was to further as dazzling a future as my heart could have dreamed—and with it were to come Romance, Fame and Wealth under the shadow of the Prussian eagle's wing.
One of my letters from Nordica was to Frau von Rath, the charming wife of Herr Adolph von Rath, the leading banker of Berlin. Frau von Rath maintained one of the most beautiful homes in the German capital, and her social functions were attended by leading dignitaries and officials of the Court. It was no small honor, therefore, to have the entrée to her receptions and to have her take an interest in the little American girl who had come to Berlin to study music.
Graziani proved to be a protégé of Frau von Rath, and through her I met this strange and wonderfully gifted man, whose early death cut short a brilliant career. He proved a remarkable teacher, and I profited by his admirable instruction throughout that first winter in Berlin.
One day, in the spring of 1901, Frau von Rath asked me if I could sing in German.
"No, unfortunately only in French and Italian," I replied. "I came to Berlin to study, but I never expect to sing in opera here."
"Would you like to sing for the Intendant of the Royal Opera?" she asked.