The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-12-07

have come to dine with you IN your dressing room.
Everything is prepared as You you will be free
for half an hour during the ballet We shall be very
quiet and il will be good fun
'Theo naturally FASTENED to decline this strange
invitation, not wishing to transform her ioge into
dining room. Her admirers were compelled to
abandon their project. AS to the superb dinner
which served at one of the large restaurants ON
the Boulevard it made happy host Of supernumer-
and small danseuses. These people had never
before enjoyed such a treat.
All this for a simple corbsitiei
But this is not all Whatever she may desire or
will Theo is inseparable from her corJeile. She is
daily invited go and give stances corbeie at par
ties or at the large CLUBS Oh the capital. !. Is ver
the name OF corbeiiiomaaie In short more fuss is
made about the cortee of the Porte ST. Martin than
recently made about the c0rteiUe OF the Bourse
the occasion of the failure OF the fnancier Phil
ippart.
From all this Theo derives fresh celebrity 1t has
enabled her again to rally round her that court of
platonic adorers which tor time past had been
on the point of deserving her. Her whole personnel
of courters again complete ut the Porte st. Mar
tin. and is daily on the increase Among them are
bearers of great Names and who for the last six
years have had but one dea object in life-that
OF devoting themselves to Theo from morning till
night 1t is devotion all the more inexplicable
the fact that they derive bnt little satisfaction
from it. The Diva of their affections is faithful to
her husband, a working tailor. and she will not
permit any one to make love TO her: Notwith-
standing that the fact is indisputable her signing
SWANS persist in their attentions Do they each
entertain tho secret hope that some day or other
Theo will be less cruel to them? 1t is probable. No
matter how great may be their illusions this
stancy is really touching. They continue. de-
spite all encouragement. to send her flowers and
presents. She deigns to accept them, and they
mence over again the same game without ever
firing uttering the least complaint As they have
become numerous and all stand ON the same 70 oting
it follows that the virtue of Theo has been produc
tive to her of u much larger number OF costly pres
ents than misconduct the most notorious and the
best remunerated would have brought her. 1t is
therefore to her interest that she should remain
vrtuous in the pasta fact which will insure her
in Paris unmistakable originality.
What would she gain by losing her reputation of
dramatic Lucretia? There is not in the world posi-
ton agreeable than hers Never since the time
OF Louis XIV has there been power as absolute.
She has organized and regulated the whole OF her
little court. establishing and defining clearly the
duties and rights of each of its members The visits
which she receives at the theatre divided into
series. Certain admirers can come to her dressing
room ON the Mondays, others on the Tuesdays and
so on during the week These visits more less
long, according the degree of consideration in
which the visitors are held. And she presides over
their receptions with the perfect tact taking
always to mark the rights Of d,aeienee and to avoid
bringing together people who detest each other or
All these courters-rich, worldly and aristocratc-
obey Theo conscripts obey their instructng cap
herself in the midst of the dazzled faithful she
places them all under contribution and is careful
not to be ceremonious with any OF them knowing
well that this of-hand mode of proce edng renders
her still seductive and charming in their eyes.
One holds a looking glass before her. another
searches tor something she has lost on the carpet.
She asks for information OF this gentleman and for
powder box of that, and orders them all to close
their eyes while she changes her costume.
There is court curt d'amonr, without
certain degree of discipline. Theo frequently
hibits great severity for the slightest infracton of
her rules The NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. who in despite of
their pledges try to make love to her kiss the
tips of her fngers-are Immediately punished with
suspension of their privilege of visiting her.
less prolonged in proportion to the gravity Of the
offence. Those who repeat 1t are liable to be SEN
fenced to perpetual exclusion
II TRIBULATIoNs OF A COUNT.
Every is familiar with the celebrated in
the Dame aux Camelias' OF Dumas. Armand Du-
val is madly III love with courtesan. To the de-
spair of his family he retires with her to retreat
which their passion renders delightful. The father
of Armand adopts a sudden resolution aud makes
serious and dangerous effort to tear from the arms
OF Marguerite Gautier his son. for whom he is ar
ranging u wealthy marriage. The poor courtesan
pushes her devotion to the point of martyrdom and
quits the lover claimed by an inhexbe father. This
episode is by no means an infrequent one in pr-
lie, and the conduct OF Nj. Duval Is that