Laughing Torso

LAUGHING TORSO

pictures after a show than during it, and during the
few weeks after I did quite well.
I visited the home of my friend the Countess quite
often. She was very kind to me. One day she
invited me to a dance. I had some quite good
evening dresses that Marie and Nancy had given me
and so, fortunately, I could go out looking quite
respectable. I arrived about eleven p.m. There
were mostly French people there, very chic women,
and Miss Elsa Maxwell was playing the piano with
great vigour. I danced a lot and when the people
began to leave, the Countess said to me, " Don't
leave but stay on, we will get rid of the dull respect-
able people and have some fun, avec des amis.
Leading out of the ball-room was a small room
where supper was laid. There were only about ten
people remaining. Lady Michelham who, alas! is
now dead, the Marquis de Segur, Cecile Sorel,
Madame M., a beautiful Russian, and several others
whose names I do not remember. I wore a most
beautiful dress that the Countess had given me. It
was long and straight and was covered all over with
golden spangles, which looked like fishes' scales. . . .
It fitted quite tight and exposed the lines of the
figure to view and I was very much pleased with
myself. The Marquis de Segur played the piano.
He played very loudly and we pelted him with
oranges, Cecile Sorel and myself. She was a most
marvellous person, magnificently dressed, with a
most interesting face. I had seen her act and was
very much impressed with her. She was very nice
to me. She seized a large ham and said to me.
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