Harold Macgrath

The Lure of the Mask Annotated Harold Macgrath

The story opens with a jump--literally. A young New Yorker, rich, of course, hears from his window on a night of fog and mists a woman's voice singing divinely. Late on, this young, adventurous Mr. Hollard again meets the young, adventurous singer under most mystifying circumstances. They dine together, but she comes in mask. From then on Hollard is full forty fathoms deep in love and curiosity. Then the scene shifts to Italy, with the shifting fortunes of an American comic opera company, stranded at Venice. The beautiful singer becomes the prima donna of this company. . At Bellagio, the loveliest of lovely spots in the land of love, the curtain goes down on happy lovers.