Then Peppino and you and I just steal away. _La
lampa_ is acting beautifully. We tried it over several times."
"Everybody's tummin'," said Georgie, varying the cipher.
"Me so _nervosa!_" said Lucia. "Fancy me doing Brunnhilde before
singing Brunnhilde. Me can't bear it."
Georgie knew that Lucia had been thrilled and delighted to know that
Olga so much wanted to come in after dinner and see the tableaux, so he
found it quite easy to induce Lucia to nerve herself up to an ordeal so
passionately desired. Indeed he himself was hardly less excited at the
thought of being King Cophetua.
At that moment, even as the crackers were being handed round, the sound
of the carol-singers was heard from outside, and Lucia had to wince, as
"Good King Wenceslas" looked out. When the Page and the King sang their
speeches, the other voices grew piano, so that the effect was of a solo
voice accompanied. When the Page sang, Lucia shuddered.
"That's the small red-haired boy who nearly deafens me in church," she
whispered to Georgie. "Don't you hope his voice will crack soon?"
She said this very discreetly, so as not to hurt Mrs Rumbold's
feelings, for she trained the choir. Everyone knew that the king was Mr
Rumbold, and said "Charming" to each other, after he had sung.
"I liked that boy's voice, too," said Mrs Weston. "Tommy Luton used to
have a lovely voice, but this one's struck me as better-trained even
than Tommy Luton's.
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