The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-11-20 00:00:00

/'' IR O '•" _.' fl 111t11 QO, 1R55 ,r, , 1 11„ I les, „ "ne table before Madame Prevost. cale,,i l ,,,'"onlan followed with her gaze the ctif N i ' he disappeared in the .court of the t°l l:l cl ßi Nn t ilitn 'have the worth orrf his money," fit,t L l)le . `" , in a determined tone, t ur n ing ge ' L a e time, from two bundles of flowers V i e t, add z ,rd in th e b as k e t s h e arranged a In g toit an immense tuberose with t • ° l' Oil' good lady," I ventured to observe, ii Ntl e o tt ainly kill with asphyxy the person r 4 11 'th e se flow ers j -are i n t en d e d. „ f ° sl ,;1 4 h 4 t 10 c ontrary," replied Madame Prevost, N ' lt t rp: i iti t Preserve her from the pursuits of a 6 I ti t , - littip7 t inent man. Do not be uneasy ; ,°,4y,:t4 4 - %at Madame de Melcy has of heart t : 4 oe —t t q - 1 . 44, Y nerve—she will at once throw this r„Pr I t 'et 41 0 , (4 the window, and turn out of doors "` allt,P1(1 Madame to take it. What a clown, bib f) : d eli e 'vladame de Melcy, who is so grace to 4tel Take this bouquet," she added, t 41 1 4 '44 4 'boy seated near her, " with the jllr, ad tire to Madame de Melcy. ), Olt on his commission, holding the 6 "N b mto ti i "t two hands. He had thrown the ea 4 „ e luidat of the tuberose. The name ``l, l ; . ° liet t l, ° . ll it was surmounted with an equivo ,4444ttkie a count or baron. ri; t his ,P l eton." muttered Madame Prevost. ; 4t ili, e „Oter ul e r e i nt Nsited int a stoat young man, about a s g h l shop There was something 44 .411 d h his figure was so 11 1 . heavy that the advantage lost. o7tgon, however was N' t ' who had . Was evidently superior to just , °ln him, thatwhile left the place, and so far "4:i t , the tall stranger was (re province, he was a ,provincial de €t " ki to ,41.1) he said, addressing Madame Pre- Th e ' lll a4„'''' ) a send a bouquet for me, this even left qow, 't :ttle de Melcy ?" - dealer curtsied an affirmative, and I 1 °41 %1 ' tb. qc he . worth " observed the old lady, Ithe r d 4i e , II h, him good nor ill. Madame de tNt i ,'N o ' v e a bouquet similar to those usually kl iq k ` fra r ll le handsome dahlias and flowers N t e i ti al ;ee—she can carry it in her hand, lef t is her apartment. The person who Oti q eve t, neither a coxcomb nor a fool. He Oh t 0 !Ilistaken, perhaps, in sending a f°rV ; 11 s lad, who most certainly never l e d himl:qeddi for one but, however, I e in his affairs, let him think and ' l aid than done. Madame de Melcy „, -e cand bouq ue t, sma ll er t h an t h e fi rst, -‘o A tifi ti . r e tastefully arranged. e , t s having been despatched, I was when I saw glide into the shop a man of eighteen or twenty ; but timid, and modest in his manners, d have imagined he was entering ll ee of the lady of his thoughts. ' said he, i n a l ow t one , an d w ith ti c/1 of man ner , “would you be so PA some flowers, without saying , "Y came, to Madame de Melcy ?, d t hese words he offered a golden 41 Prevost, w h o, somew h a t as s third visitor on the same errand, doe chan ge , exc l a i m i ng as he left, ttio li st the b est f or this customer. He : 111 e, retiring, an d mo d est, an d he known who sends the flowers. 14004 certainly, have my protection." t t 14 4 (1 /Ilan at once arranged the bouquet, Iv eet e r , a few wild flowers, very simple, thoUrs, and delicious fragrance it SUPPLEMENT TO THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. was soon prepared, and seemed as if it had been gathered from a meadow in the month of June. By a sudden caprice, she placed in the centre a sprig of wild thyme in blossom. Observing that I was watching her proceedings with great eagerness, she explained what appeared to be somewhat of a mystery. " It is impossible that Madame de Melcy can choose any bouquet but this, out of the three I have prepared for her this evening. The first is vulgarly made of large red flowers, which, if a lady took into a ball-room, would give her the appearance of having been drinking. The second bouquet is too white for a young, pale, and languishing beauty, like Madame de Melcy. This, which I hold in my hand, on the contrary, is beautiful, animated, and unassuming, therein differing from the others. I have not the slightest doubt it will be worn this evening. Do you not share my sympathy, and approve my protecting this young suitor ?' " Most certainly. Adieu, until to-morrow." " And what are you going to do this evening ?" " I am bound to the Opera ?" " May you be amused there. But take a bouquet with you—a real one—to present to Mademoiselle Taglioni." That evening Mademoiselle Taglioni, that sylph of the air, was to take her farewell of Paris. We were about to lose, if not for ever, at least for a very long period, this charming creature, whose lightness and pace could not be surpassed. All the capital seemed to be flocking to the theatre ' to see and applaud once more the b e l ove d idol. , The Opera-house was densely crowded. I was at my post at an early hour, and took my place in a second box on the left. I was reflecting on the great loss we were about to suffer, when sud denly the door of the box next to mine was opened, and two ladies—one very young, and the other of elderly appearance—entered and took their places in front, while three gentlemen, who seemed to belong to their party, seated themselves behind—the two eldest close to the ladies, and the youngest in a corner at the back, where he was quite concealed from observation. My surprise was great on observing that they were the very persons I had seen at Madame Prevost's a short time previously. The tall man was noisy and affected ; his stout companion ap peared reserved ; while the younger stranger, in his retirement, was indulging in silent enjoyment of his thoughts, for his countenance was radiated with pleasure ; but the secret of this was soon betrayed. The elderly lady held in her hand the red bouquet, while the younger had attached to her breast the wild flowers, with the fragrant sprig of thyme in the centre. She seemed to have been made for the sweet flowers, which had also found upon her /heir most appropriate resting-place. The paleness of her complexion set off their beauty, and from time to time she inhaled with delight the frag rant bouquet. I would willingly—had it been possible—have made known to the young suitor of Madame de Melcy his good fortune ; and said to him, "My friend, be happy. You have two rivals near you, who have each sent a bouquet to the lady of your affections. The first, Madame de Melcy has in flicted on her companion ; the second, she has, probably, kept to adorn her chamber ; but yours is worn near her heart. You are the successful lover." The spectacle commenced. But what can I say of Mademoiselle Taglioni that has been left unsaid ? The multitude were ravished and en chanted. On this evening in question, I was, however, undecided whether to give the preference to Mademoiselle Taglioni, or. Madame de Melcy. Mademoiselle Taglioni was so graceful, hut Ma- IY9 dame de Melcy possessed surpassing beauty. The former seemed to float in the air ; but the latter was close to me : her magnificent figure displayed to full perfection ! Meanwhile, the three gentlemen who occupied the same box were variously occupied, according as their dispositions prompted them. The tall one, anxious to appear a profound critic, made a great noise in applauding, and fired a regular vol ley of bravos. His stout and lethargic companion, profiting by the enthusiasm of his friend, whis pered a few insipid compliments into the .ear of the younger lady ; mere words, which have either too much sense, or none at all ; while the favoured youth in the corner, immersed in his pleasant re veries, sat mute and concealed. The lady conducted herself towards her three male attendants, as every woman of wit, , who does not possess too much heart, should. Now and then she applauded Mademoiselle Taglioni, then listened for a moment to the stout gentleman, or gave a side glance at the young man behind her, who, however, could not observe her features from where he was seated. She contrived even to give me, seated close to her, a few of those uncer tain looks which imply neither attention nor indifference ; after which she played with her bouquet with a kind of infantine enjoyment. She was decidedly beautiful, with features regular, transparent, and placid ; large, lustrous eyes, black eve-brows and hair ; a small hand ; lips almost red ; and teeth of pearly whiteness.' I could easily understand why the young man was in love, b u t I cou ld no t accoun t f or his si lence. Of the three suitors near me, there was not one, who, like myself, really concerned him self about this splendid creature ; for 'I saw with out looking at her ; heard, without speaking to her; and I found her lovely without telling her so. But to resume : - Mademoiselle Taglioni had danced—with that exquisite grace every one has, or ought to have, beheld—the admirable last step of La Sylphide, when, suddenly, all the specta tors rose up as with one accord, while hands, 'feet, hearts, and voices were mingled in unani mous applause. The feeling was irresistible : every lady who had a bouquet in her hand, or pressed against her heart, threw it on the stage, until it was covered with a perfect avalanche of flowers. And yet, what mute prayers and tender vows had, probably, been impressed upon those tendrils of nature ! What enthusiasm to throw at the feet of a dancer so fragrant a harvest, every leaf of which contained a hope or a souvenir I But such was, nevertheless, the case ; and the same ladies who had cast them away, would have thiown their diamonds and pearls at the departing sylph, if the thought had occurred to them. Perhaps the only one, how ever, amidst the whole multitude, who had guarded previously her little bouquet, was Madame de Melcy. Unhappily, however, the young lover, who had remained until then motionless and dumb, either awakened by the acclamations , around him, or from a wish to let every one know that he had seen the ballet, from which he had been completely hidden, rising suddenly from his seat, commenced crying and applauding like the rest. _ I then noticed Madame de Melcy hastily detach the bouquet from her breast, inhale its fragrance once more, and then cutting with her teeth the sprig of thyme into two pieces, throw, with her delicate white hand, the dearly-cherished flowers at the feet - of Mademoiselle Taglioni. At this moment Madame de Melcy was ad mirable. No sooner had the bouquet fallen on ,he stage, than she regretted it, and turning ,owards the gentlemen who accompanied her, she 4 . fr I ,9ed, • ji- A • 4 0 „ s e fi l t o /1 1 Nef i . 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