As the New York season came to an end I realised I would miss the sophistication of the audience once we went out into the wide open spaces.  I wished too that there had been more time to go sightseeing.  There was literally no time for anything, but on Sunday before we left we were lucky enough to hear Chaliapine singing at the Manhattan Opera House.  The house was completely packed out and we all crowded into the wings.  Chaliapine was supposed to be unwell, but nobody listening to that glorious voice would have known it.  I realised that he and Pavlova were not only close friends but two of the greatest artists in the world.