Identifier: meccasofworldpla01cran (find matches)
Title: The meccas of the world; the play of modern life in New York, Paris, Vienna, Madrid and London
Year: 1913 (1910s)
Authors: Cranston, Ruth
Subjects:
Publisher: New York, John Lane company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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dby a mob of eager enthusiasts, while behind hergrating the senora is shaking out her mantilla,fixing the great red and white carnations in herhair, draping the lace above them and her monstrouscomb. A carriage drives swiftly down the street toher door, her husband hurries in, calling impetuouslyto make haste. The slumbrous eyes of the lady catchfire with a thousand sparks; she clicks her fan, flashesa last triumphant smile into her mirror, and is sweptaway to the Bull Ring. Here all is seething anticipation: the immensecoliseum black with people moving to their seats orstanding up to watch the crowd in the arena below;Royalty just arrived, Doiia Isabel and her ladies lin-ing the velvet-hung box with their picturesque man-tillas ; the President of the Bull Ring taking his placeof honour; ladies unfurling fans and gossiping, afici-onados waving to one another across the ring and call-ing final excited bets; small boys shouting cushions,cigarettes, postcards, or beer and horchatas. Sud-
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THE BROKEN-DOWN ACTOR 191 denly a bugle sounds. People scuttle to their seats,the arena is cleared as by magic, and, to a burst ofmusic and thunderous applause from ten thousandpairs of hands, the splendid entrada takes place. Matadors in their bright suits heavy with gold,banderilleros in their silver, picadors on their sorryhorses, march proudly round the ring; while the bandplays and the crowd shouts itself hoarse—just for astarter. Then the picadors go out, the torero who isto kill the first bull asks the President for the keysto the ring; the President throws them into the arena,and—the first bull is loosed! From this point on there is no wit in regarding thespectacle from a humane or sentimental standpoint.He who is inclined to do so had better never have lefthome. If he has eyes for the prodigal bloodshed, thetorture of the bull with the piercing darts, the suffer-ings of the horses, he will be acutely wretched frombeginning to end. But if he can fix his attentionsolely on

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