I thereupon put up the following announcement at the opening of the doors, not wishing to make a scandal:—"Owing to the non-arrival of Mdme. Gerster from New York she will be unable to appear this evening. The opera of Ernani will be substituted. Money will be returned to those desiring it."
In a short time the entire Opera was closely packed with ladies in full evening dress. All were in a high state of excitement, and seemed unable to decide what to do, whether to go into the theatre or take their carriages and return home. The ladies shrugged their shoulders, and the gentlemen gesticulated indignantly, looking at me as if they would like to say something forcible but impolite. "Outrage!" "disgrace!" "shameful!" and other excited utterances born of polite anger were heard on all sides. About one-third of the indignant ones left the theatre, whilst the balance remained to hear Ernani, which was exceedingly well played. Two minutes after the curtain rose on Ernani I hurried down to the railway station and entered the train for New York in quest of the fugitive prima donna. As I had eaten nothing from early morn I was placed in a very disagreeable position. I could not get even a glass of water or a piece of bread until some six or seven o'clock the next morning.
On reaching New York I went in quest of Mdme. Gerster at all the likely places, and at length discovered her at her brother's. It took the whole of the day to get things into shape, and I succeeded towards night in bringing back the truant, and inducing her to appear the following day, at a matinée, in L'Elisir d'Amore, when she attracted an enormous audience.
I was placed in great difficulty with regard to the public and the press, knowing that the reports would be greatly exaggerated, and injure the business in all the other cities to which we were going. I thereupon circulated the news that Mdme. Gerster's baby in New York had taken a cold in its stomach, and that she had been hurriedly sent for. This got repeated during the next four or five weeks in the papers at all the cities we visited, and afterwards gradually died out.
Before leaving Baltimore I had a bill presented to me for return of money in consequence of the Gerster disappointment as follows:—
| Two opera tickets at five dollars | $10.00 |
| Carriage | 5.00 |
| Gloves | 2.50 |
| Necktie | 0.25 |
| Overlooking and pressing a dress suit | 3.00 |
| Flowers for her corsage | 3.00 |
| Two return tickets | 14.00 |
| Total | $37.75 |
Legal proceedings were resorted to, but I ultimately settled the matter by giving a private box for our next visit.
On arriving at Chicago we found ourselves not only in the same town with our rivals, but also in the same hotel.
Such a galaxy of talent had never before been congregated together under one roof. The ladies consisted of Adelina Patti, Etelka Gerster, Christine Nilsson, Fursch-Madi, Sembrich, Trebelli, and Scalchi, whose rooms were all along the same corridor.
It was here that our great battle began; and I have much satisfaction in quoting the following account of the conflict from a leading journal:—