Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-02-27

she was dying of the desire to see her husband
again. And proof of her disinterestedness was,
that she refused the Princes two hundred
thousand francs
She left Paris the 1st of December, and ar
rived In st. Petersburg on the 18th. in a ma
nifcent sleigh, embla.onsd with the coat Of
arms OF the Prince. Vasilikoff had arrived two
days before, and the whole city, Russian s.
French and GorgeOn knew of the expected event
of Pauline entry.
The Prince gave her fifteen days to recover
the fatlgues of the journey, and she had Q
further delay of week, during which Gorgeon
did not play; She regarded the play bills
each day as the prisoner of the Reign of Ter
ror used to look at the list of the headsmen.
She enjoyed neither her splendid wardrobe
her princely house, nor any of the luxuries
which surrounded her, and the chief cook-a
miracle of fProvence-exhausted all bis CASTRO
nomic resources in vain-she had no more ap-
petite.
The sixth of January (new style) the bill an
nouneed to her that Gorgeon was to play that
evening in Ire diner de Madelon." She
wished to write and ask grace of the Prince;
but her cousin advised her to write to her hus-
band, which she did, in tender, supplicating,
and sincerely cOntrite spirit enclosing a with
cred flower, which they had culled at Fontain-
bieau on their wedding trip. Unfortunately
the man who carried the letter wore the livery
OF the Prince. GOrgeOn imagined it contained
some new insult. and threw it into the fire un
opened.
In the evening" Pauline, more dead than
alive, allowed herself to be dressed, and arrived
at the theatre doors with a faint hope of not
hndIng the Prince there; but he sprang joyous
ly from the vestibule, opened her carriage
door, and led her half fainting to her box I he
theatre was crowded, and every glass was
leveled at her, as she threw herself uncon-
sciously into an armchair, exactly beneath the
gas chandelier.
lhe curtain rose; Pauline was seized with ver-
tigo, and saw nothing-heard nothing, thou gh
she sat erect ard her eyes were fixed on the
stage.
Gorgeon had steeled himself to bear all, and
covered his paleness with a double coat of
rouge, though he forgot to paint his lips which
were llvid. He played his part throu ghout
without failure or interruption, save by the
plaudlts of his cOmpatriots, and the ironical
applause of the Russians, who were disposed to
return to the side of the Prince. The curtain
feil, and Pauline was carried to her carriage
The next evening GOrgeOn played Macha-
voine, in '' lie Nisanthrope ct I Anuerenat. -
admirably! Brasseur never did il better, The
French audience had brought wreaths and
crown OF laurels and roses, and the Russians
were furnished with crowns of vegetable leaves
and other absurdities, all of which rained to-
gether on poor GOrgeon, while some Door wit
shouted (as he left the stage) NV compliments
10 Madame. GOrgeon wept with rage as he
entered his dressing room, and finding on the
table new letter from Pauline wet with tears,
ne tore II savasely up, and threw the fragments
After these two horrible evenings. Pauline
besought the Prince to dispense with the other
SIX Gorgeon was more than sufficiently pun
ished
|asilikof was amiable enough to drop half
his vengeance, and decided that after two more
nights Pauline should be free. "Gorgeon,
he said. " had played him off eight times. but
be thought bis comedy ought to count double
ana tour performances would heal his wounded
honor"
They were to play, the two succeeding nights
an amusing vaudeville of Messrs. Xavier and
Varin, called, +" La colere d. AchiiLe." The
hero OF the piece, AchiHe Pangol,n, is a
modern Syanarelle, who finds in everything
cause for suspicion and jealousy If he dis,
covers q cane in his entry be thinks il was left
by rival, and breaks it to atoms without re-
cognising it as his own. He forgets his hat in
his wife chamber, and returns for it; seizes il,
and crashes 1T furiously up, looking savageIy
around at the same time, in every possi Bile
corner, tor the owner Of the cursed hat. Fl.
nally, IN climax of despair, be resolves on
suicide, and loads pistol to blow out his
brains; but scruple arrests him. He wants
AiA1Scii, " oc sure Dut ne uOcS not
wish to give himself pain. So, to conciliate
his horror of existence with his tenderness for
his flesh, he places himself before mirror, and
suicides his image.
The piece on the first night achieved an en-
tnusiastlc success. Two hours before the Der
formance, GOrgeon had refused to receive
visit from his wife, and he played the part of
the enraged Achille con amOre Unfortunate
iy, the theatre pistol was venerable relic,
which would not go off until after the third At
tempt. But GOrgeOn said to the manager, as
ne made an excuse after the performance ::
Never mind-I've got an excellent pistol in
my rooms, which I'll bring for tomorrow 3
performance, and which I'll promise not to
tall. Sure enough, the next evening he
brought double barrel pistol of admirable
workmanship. ''You see, said he to the
manager, IF the first barrel fails, can fire the
second
He acted with force and spirit beyond his
happiest antecedents
AT the last scene instead of firing into the
mirror, he turned the barrel of hls weapon IA
pldiy round and shot his wife through the
heart; then, before the spec tators had recover
cd their presence Of mind, he blew out his own
brains with the second barrel,
The performance was Of course INTERRUPTED
and the tragedy made a great hubbub in Saint
Petersburg. 1t was Prince Vasilkoff who re-
lated il 10 me-
Would you have believed ?" cried he. as
he finished the tale, GOrgeon and Pauline
had really married for love? That's the way
with you people at Paris"