"The remainder of the program was divided by Ranna, in exotic dances of his native India, and a ballet in the manner of Marie Laurencin by Miss Lucy Claudel, première danseuse of Broadway revues, which was well received by an audience which obviously contained many of her personal friends."
"Well, good for Ilona. I guess we just didn't appreciate her," Lucy said in a small voice.
"Listen to Mark Gordon in the World. I guess he and Twadell didn't attend the same performance," Vida said, furious at what she considered prejudiced reporting in the Mail. She read:
"Lucy Claudel Scores
"There was a capacity turnout last night at the Langtry to greet the recital debut of Lucy Claudel, of Broadway fame, and Ranna, the celebrated Hindu dancer. Ranna's contribution was a group of exotic dances performed with skill and grace, but the evening's high light was Miss Claudel's 'Les Jeux des Filles Méchantes.' The ballet was a gem, pictorially and choreographically, and evoked with a kind of provocatively ingenuous humor rarely seen at events of this nature the precocious pastimes of girls on the threshold of love. Our only regret is that she may, as a result of her great success, desert Broadway. Perhaps some enterprising producer will transfer her ballet to a revue—with of course Miss Claudel in it. Her beauty alone is enough to electrify any show.
"That's more like it," Vida said happily.
"But doesn't he say something about Ilona?" asked Lucy dispiritedly despite the praise.
"He certainly does." She read:
"An unfortunate item, Miss Claudel's only error in showmanship, was a number by a Miss Ilona Klcmper and a few earnest handmaidens, all very unhappy about something, as I was for myself until they finished."
Vida looked through the other papers, and then said, "The other reviews are enthusiastic about you too, like Gordon."
"But just the same," Lucy persisted, "Twadell may be the one who is right because he is the only one interested in the art of the dance."
"He is also Ilona's friend."
