At that moment his land-lady sends in the bill for lodging, which, by-the-by, she always seems to do when he is in one of his repentant moods, and Mr. Higgins expresses a kind wish that all Italians were in a climate somewhat warmer than that of the south of Europe.
The Smiths do not feel any inconvenience, physical or pecuniary, from their visit to the opera, and petit souper afterwards. "When one has money," says Mrs. Smith, in a very oracular tone, "what is the use of it, except to let people know that one has got it!" Immediately after this expression of her sentiments in regard to filthy lucre, Mrs. Smith tells the servant not to give a shilling to the whimpering little boy who has been sweeping the snow off the pavement; that a sixpence is enough, and more than enough, for him, and that it is wrong to encourage such exorbitance.
* * * * *
Now, that Mr. Higgins should feel thirsty in the morning, or that Mrs. Smith should regret to part with a sixpence, concerns not us; we have not been writing to correct public morals, but only to amuse the readers of The Physiology of the Opera.
ERRATA. [corrected in etext]
| Page. | Line. | ||
| [16] | 6 | after | a, insert fast man or a. |
| [34] | 10 | " | chef (d' orchestre), read chef d'orchestre. |
| [34] | 17 | " | chef (d' orchestre), " chef d'orchestre. |
| [55] | 10 | " | guoi, read quoi. |
| [55] | 10 | " | singers, read Singers. |
| [55] | 11 | " | led horse, read lead horse. |
| [70] | 24 | " | was, read is. |
| [76] | 12 | " | bulversé, read boulversé. |
| [92] | 22 | " | gentlemen, read gentleman. |