, 1877-12-23
.I>AI.IS.

anu laughter Knew lsu bounds ut that cataclysM
PARIS.
THE "P0iYEUCrE" SCANDAL.
From. Our Our. Correspondent.
PARIS, Dec Sit is now, as nearly as posi-.
tile, Two years since all fars was set in con,tno-
tion by one Of the strangcst stories Imaginable.
The hero aud hcroiuc (for there was heroine)
we're Charles Gouuou and mysterious English
lady OF the name OF Weldon. Such accounts OF
the affair as We rot were necessarily confused.
contradictory, and difficult to unrayel. The
personal a.Iiiia1s shown by all concerned made
US doubt even the little we could understand
but that little was sufficiently curious. Accord
ing to the popular version, Charles Gounod,
who during the Prussian war had e1nisrarcd to
Englund, haQ made the acquaintance in London
OF q
MP. AND MRS. WELDON,
living at Tayistock House, the former abode OF
Dickens. Who or what Mr.. Weldon Was. We
knew not, but it seemed Ills wife was d singer,
possessed of an extraordinary voice, and mar
vclously beautiful aud fascinating. Gounod
had fallen into the power Of this modern en-
cllaDtrcss, and, careless Of oil duties he might
owe to his wife and children {who were in Paris)
and to lis native land, had given himself up so
utterly to the subtle spells woven about him,
that not only was he living on terms Of the
closest and most scandalous intimacy with tlis
Mrs. Weldon, but be was on the very point Of
renouncing his own nationality an1 becoming q
naturaizcd Englishman-
Vague runors Of all this, set atloat in Paris,
reached the cars Of tue public. The Indignation
of everybody knew no bounds. Gounod was
renegade, Mrs. Weldon
A uKAzEN ADVENTURES,
and, as for her husband. polite language had no
word for him, Suddenly, after the reputed
liaison had lasted three long years, Gounod had
broken with the siren, and was in Paris. 4
little while after, we heard that he vas vaialy
eudeavoring, through his friends, to get
possession Of q quantity OF musical
MSS. which he had left behind him,
aud which Mrs. Weldonw was understood to claim
as her own, in virtue Of d gift made her by the
composer Amongst these MSS. were the sGorc
OF 4 new opera comiquc, "Georgcs Dandin,"
several religious compositions, and finally the
score OF - Polyeucte,n which N. Halanzcr was
anxious to mount aI the Paris Opera-Housc
Then it was given out that Gouuod, sick Of rain
efforts, WIS doing his best to remedy the luss by
rewriting the work from memory. The labor aud
difficulty Of such an undertaking arc: OF COURSE,
prodis,ous. People grew kinder to the man. nnd
AS i MAKTYE
hardly less worthy Of admiration than his own
Foiyencte. or than Wagners Inflated hero, Tam
Gouno1 grew stronger the condemnation passed
Gil the chua'tuss AAgtatsr, Us she was called, he
come more and more pltilcss. Not only had sho
aud aoused him shamefuly in money matters. i
Meanwhile the second MS of ''Poiyeuctc+' was
being painfully composed. 1t was near compile
tion when one day We learnt with increasing be-
wilderment that Nine. Weldon had returned the
original, together With the manuscriits of'Geosges
Dandin. etc. No more was said about the affair for
some time,-lwo Years. II. ualanz'cr was sup
posed to be buslly rchearsng the work. which. as
! have Informed you in former letters, wis PROM
ea ni f9E nest dn Sas inf
here with complications teufoid greater than ever
In point OF fact, Gouuods negotiations with
II, Ialauzicr. had, SO far as the acceptance Of
*Polyeucte" IL concerned, been perfectly sur~
cesstn. Tho director undertook to bear the heavy
expense Of mounting the opera next year. and the
was to receive ". Per cent OIL all the
the artanscmcnt however, to II. Ha}anziat's sur
prise, he was
REFERRED TO II. LEMolNNE.
Who is this N. Lemoinne: Gounol had not men
toned his name in al the negotiations Well. H.
Lemoinnc is publisher here. to whom Gounod
had. as it turned out sold '1Polyeucte" for the
trii1ing sum Of .loo, ooo; This gentleman claims
aueins his work, sum which, though not relatives
ty important. the latter mt unnatnraIy declined TO
pay. lie says he only knows Gonnod in the onsi-
ness. and will treat with nobody elsc So much for
At this juncturc WHO should arrive in Paris but |
sirs. Georgiua Weldon, accompanied hy her
HUSBAND AND FOURTEEN CHILDREN
to private Orphanage TO which she de- !!
votes most Of her time and energy. and which she
supports, ! believe, cnttrely unt of her own rock
IT. Hearing al the approaching production OF the |
opcra she reasscrts her right to be considered its
awful owner, and threatens to anbstant,ate her |
:lam by giving selections Of tho unpublished work
k.nr4 IftH0%@ h}a fNrfa f1jh
Barber the .'Polyeucte" librettiss twho thinks |
he opera is his as wei as Gounod's. as be wrote
lie poem' ia a fine frenzy: Splitting defiance and
lids her to give: selections at any con-
s,t IT. Without VI, .,on his ,,s,sp ps1mi'son ,r Th's
md read in the law courts Up to the present !
;omuod has avoided mixing himself up moro di- /
cctly than he help in the quarrel. lie is just
low. happily. AWAY in Lyons directing the produc-
VISIT TO MRS WELDON t
As the heroine OF this romance appeared to nc
pon her yesterday to hear her version OF the Case
10 understand what follows it must be borne II
mind that Charles Gounod. like many ANOTHER
+ speech. AZ every one in Paris knows:
hough for evident reasons we don't
item speak OF it, On The othet hand.
~ visit to Sirs. Weldon has sufficiently con-
inced me that she is wba IL called <tHt.ee. fan
astic mystical, and odd to degree almost Da*s-
~ belief Her reputation for oeauty Is nor un*
lcritetl While she was telling me- her story had
ime to toke good look ut her. Although she con-
csscs, without trace Of melancholy, 10 10. you
,ouln not think her more than ~. Her face IL
3ost attractive. The features regular, The COM
jexion fcca.e and pure. the eyes glorions.
i hat struck rue most. however. was that, with a
orm and face so beautiful, she seemed 10 ee abso-
1tely Indifferent to her appearance When en-
ered her rooms in The Rue Laflilte she was stand
IT, like auothc: Marius at Carthage, surrounded |
Y the ruins Of boxes, Trunks. ami litter OF all
prts. whuIly absorbed in that occupation dear to
hc female heart-packing. Without shadow OF
aAe came forward to meet me, |
i.payins to view we'll shaped but very Crlny
and. Her dress was OF the simplest brown
n1 gown such as servants wear. with coarse.
lus npsou tied carelessly in front. Tho misses
brown hair that crowned her head were all
.nglec and gathered up loosely anyhow nncer
ny turbau of black velvet Notwithstanding !
lis sIatlc1nly attire. the instant you approached
ou were conscious that you were IN the presence |
Iady-of gent'ewoman- to use the e1ptesa-
&c old word. This ia her story.
GEoKGISA AND GOUNoD.
Mrs Georyina Weldon is the daughter Of a |
eal,hy Eu;lisbnan. At the time Of her marriage
,e uul her husoaDd were possessed Of respecta. t
10 fortune. besmesn e. Goo and 2J. 0oo year, !