One night the Western nightingale brought Loie Fuller to my studio。 Naturally I danced for her and explained to her all my theories， as I did for everyone and， indeed， would have done for the plumber had he come in。Loie Fuller expressed herself filled with enthusiasm， and said she was leaving for Berlin the following day and proposed that I should join her in Berlin。She herself was not only a great artist， but she was also managing Sada Yacco， whose art I admired so much。She suggested that I should give concerts through Germany with Sada Yacco。I was only too delighted to accept。And so it was arranged that I should join Loie Fuller in Berlin。
The last day André Beaunier came to bid me farewell。We took a last pilgrimage to Notre Dame， and he escorted me to the railway station。He kissed me farewell in his usual reserved manner， but it seemed to me that I caught a glint of anguish behind his spectacles。
I arrived in Berlin at the Hotel Bristol， where， in a magnifiant apartment， I found Loie Fuller surrounded by her entonage。 A dozen or so beautiful girls were grouped about her， alternately stroking her hands and kissing her。In my rather simple upbringing， although my mother certainly loved us all， she rarely caressed us， and so I was completely taken aback by coming upon this extremeattitude of expressed affection， which was quite new to me。Here was an atmosphere of such warmth as I had never met before。
Loie Fuller's generosity was unbounded。 She rang the bell and ordered such a dinner that I could not help imagining what an extravagant price it would be。She was to dance that night at the Winter Garden， but as I watched her I wondered how she would be able to keep her engagement， for she seemed to be suffering from terrible pains in the spine， for which her lovely entourage brought ice bags from time to time and placed them between her back and the back of the chair。“Just another ice bag， darling，”she would say，“it seems to make the pain go。”
That night we all sat in the box to see Loie Fuller dance。 Had this luminous vision that we saw before us any relation to the sufering patient of a few moments before？Before our very eyes she turned to many？coloured， shining orchids， to a wavering， fowering sea？fower， and at length to a spiral？like lily， all the magic of Merlin， the sorcery of light， colour， fowing form。What an extraordinary genius！No imitator of Loie Fuller has ever been able even to hint at her genius！I was entranced， but I realised that this was a sudden ebullition of nature which could never be repeated。She transformed herself into a thousand colourful images before the eyes of her audience。Unbelievable。Not to be repeated or described。Loie Fuller originated all the changing colours and floating Liberty scarves。She was one of the frst original inspirations of light and changingcolour。I returned to the hotel dazzled and carried away by this marvellous artist。
The next morning I went out to view Berlin for the first time。 At first I， who had already dreamed of Greece and Greek art， was momentarily impressed by the architecture of Berlin。
“But this is Greece！”I exclaimed。
But after I examined it more closely I realised that Berlin did not resemble Greece。 This was a Nordic impression of Greece。These columns are not the Doric columns which should soar into the skies of Olympian blue。These are the Germanic， pedantic， archaeological professors'conception of Greece。And when I saw the Kaiserlich Royal Guard goose？step out of the Doric columns of the Potsdamer Platz， I went home to the Bristol and said，“Geben Sie mir ein Glas Bier。Ich bin müde。”
We stayed some days in Berlin， and then left the Bristol Hotel to follow the Loie Fuller troupe to Leipsic。 We left without our trunks， and even the modest trunk I brought from Paris was left behind with the rest。Why this should have happened with a successful music？hall artist I could not at that time understand。After the luxurious life of champagne dinners and palatial hotel suites， I could not comprehend why we should be forced to leave without our trunks。Later I found out it was because of Sada Yacco， whom Loie Fuller was managing。She had made failures， and Loie Fuller’s receipts were drained to pay the deficits。
In the midst of these nereis， nymphs， iridescent apparitions， there was a strange figure in a black tailor？made。She was shy， reticent， with finely moulded yet strong face， black hair brushed straight back from her forehead， with sad， intelligent eyes。She invariably held her hands in the pockets of her suit。She was interested in art， and， especially， spoke eloquently of the art of Loie Fuller。She circulated around the bevy of brightly coloured butterfies like some scarab of ancient Egypt。I was at once attracted by this personality， but felt that her enthusiasm for Loie Fuller possessed her entire emotional force， and she had nothing left for me。
In Leipsic， also， I went every night to see Loie Fuller from a box， and I was more and more enthusiastic about her marvellous ephemeral art。 That wonderful creature—she became fluid；she became light；she became every colour and fame， and fnally she resolved into miraculous spirals of fames wafted toward the Infinite。
In Leipsic I remembered once being awaked at two o'clock in the morning by hearing voices。 The voices were confused， but I recognised that of a red？haired girl whom we called Nursey， because she was always ready to soothe and nurse anyone who had a headache。From their excited whisperings I was able to glean that Nursey said she would go back to Berlin to consult with a certain person in order to procure sufficient funds to take us all to Munich。And then， in the middle of the night， this red？haired girl approached me and kissed me passionately， saying in fervid tones：“I am going away to Berlin。”As it was only a couple of hours’journey， Icould not imagine why she was so excited and upset about leaving us。She soon came back with the money to go to Munich。
From Munich we wished to go to Vienna。 Again we were without sufficient funds， and， as it seemed quite impossible， this time， to secure any， I volunteered to go to the American Consul for help。I told him that he must get us tickets for Vienna， and it was through my persuasion that we fnally arrived there。At the Hotel Bristol we were accommodated in a most luxurious apartment， although we had appeared with practically no baggage。By this time， in spite of my admiration for the art of Loie Fuller， I began to ask myself why I had left my mother alone in Paris， and what I was doing in this troupe of beautiful but demented ladies。I had so far been but a helpless and sympathetic spectator of all these dramatic events en route。
In the Hotel Bristol at Vienna I was given as room？mate the red？haired girl called Nursey。About four o’clock one morning Nursey arose and， lighting a candle， advanced towards my bed proclaiming，“God has told me to choke you！”
Now I had heard that if a person suddenly goes mad， one should never cross them。 In all my fear， I was able to control myself sufficiently to reply，“That's perfectly all right。But let me say my prayers first。”
“All right，”she consented， and put the candle on a little table near my bed。
I slipped out of bed and， as if the devil himself were after me， I flung open the door， flew down the long corridors， down the wide staircase， into the ofce of the hotel clerk， dressed as I was in my nightclothes， my curls streaming behind me， and cried，“Lady gone mad。”
Nursey was hot upon my footsteps。 Six hotel clerks leapt at her and held her prisoner until doctors arrived。The result of their consultation was so embarrassing to me that I decided to telegraph to my mother to come from Paris， which she did。When I told her all I felt about my present environment， my mother and I determined to leave Vienna。
It so happened that while I was in Vienna with Loie Fuller， I danced one night at the Künstler Haus for the artists。Each man came with a bouquet of red roses， and when I danced the bacchanal I was completely covered with red roses。That evening there was present a Hungarian impresario， Alexander Gross。He came to me and said，“When you wish to fnd a future， seek me in Budapest。”
And so， in this moment， when I was frightened to death by my surroundings， and desired to rush from Vienna with my mother， we naturally thought of Mr。 Gross's ofer and turned to Budapest in the hope of a brighter future。He ofered me a contract to dance for thirty evenings by myself in the Urania Theatre。
This was the first time I ever had a contract to dance before the public in a theatre， and I hesitated。 I said，“My dancing is for the élite， for the artists， sculptors， painters， musicians， but not for the general public。”But Alexander Gross protested that the artists were the most criticalaudience， and if they liked my dancing the public would like it a hundred times more。
I was persuaded to sign the contract， and the prophecy of Alexander Gross was fulfilled。 The first night at the Urania Theatre was an indescribable triumph。For thirty nights I danced in Budapest to a sold？out house。
Ah， Budapest！It was the month of April。 It was the springtime of the year。One evening， shortly after the frst performance， we were invited by Alexander Gross to have supper in a restaurant where the gypsy music was played。Ah， gypsy music！This was the first call to the awakening of my youthful senses。With such music what wonder that my budding emotions were beginning to flower。Is there any music like this—the gypsy music springing from the soil of Hungary？I remember， years after， talking to John Wanamaker。We were in the gramophone department of his store， and he was calling my attention to the wonderful music which his machines produced。I said to him，“Of all these finely constructed machines—products of skilled inventors—none could replace the gypsy music of a single Hungarian peasant playing on the dusty roads of Hungary。One Hungarian gypsy musician is worth all the gramophones in the world。”
