“What a shame to treat the poor Czar so badly! Strathie and I were planning to visit Russia after the war, too. The Czar was awfully nice to Strathie once and I was sure we'd be invited to live right in the Duma or the Kremlin or whatever they call the palace. And now they've got a cheap and nasty old republic over there! And they're talking of having republics everywhere. What could be more stupid? As if everybody was born free and equal. Mixing all the aristocrats right up with the common herd!”
Mrs. Thropp agreed that it was simply terrible.
“Do you know what?” Kedzie gasped.
“What?” her mother echoed.
“I've just had a hunch. I'll bet that by the time I get married to Strathie there'll be nothing left but republics, and no titles at tall. His people came over with Henry the Conqueror and his title will last just long enough for me to reach for it, and then—woof! Wouldn't it be just my luck to become plain Mrs. Strathdene after all I've had to go through! Honestly, m'mah, don't I just have the dog-on'dest luck!”
“It's perfectly awful,” said Mrs. Thropp, “but bad luck can't go on forever.”
On April 2d the future Mrs. Strathdene was cheered by an extraordinary spectacle—newspapers in the Metropolitan Opera House! Kedzie was there with her waning Marquess. The occasion was rare enough in itself, for an American opera was being heard: “The Canterbury Pilgrims,” with Mr. Reginald De Koven's music to Mr. Percy Mackaye's text.
Suddenly, in the entr'acte the unheard-of thing—the newspapers—appeared in the boxes and about the house! People spread evening extras on the rails and read excitedly that President Wilson had gone to Congress and asked it to declare that a state of war existed and had existed.
The Italian manager directed the Polish conductor to play “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the three thousand men and women of the audience made a chorus on the obverse side of the curtain.
Mr. Gerard, lately returned from Germany, called for “Three cheers for President Wilson,” and there were loud huzzahs for him and for the Allies.