The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-10-14
Matrimonial Agencies in Paris.

Under an assumed name my friend
went to the Paris residence Of M. de F.,
the celebrated marriage broker, and
having paid the preliminary fee of f4O,
explained that he came on behalf of a
cousin who, although possessed of a
handsome fortune and good title, was
anxious to increase his worldly goods
by contracting wealthy marriage. My
friend further asserted that he acted in
his own name and without the authority
of his cousin, but that the consent of
the latter, should anything acceptable
be proposed, he could answer for. M.
de F. at first demurred, and asserted
that he was not in the habit of dealing
with less than at least one person di-
rectly interested in a matrimonial pro-
ject; but my friends eloquence, not to-
speak of the thousand-franc note, at
length prevailed and the great matri-
monial agent unbosomed himself.
His terms were eight per centum on
the dot, and this to be paid within the
first year after the celebration of the
marriage. Of course my friend con-
sented. Then M. de F. explained that,
should nothing be definitely decided on
and the attempt fail, no further expenses
would be incurred, the f40 covering all.
This pleased my friend still more, for
he confessed to me that he had feared
he should not be allowed to leave the
sanctum of the magician without part
ing with at least another fifty louis.
These preliminaries having passed off
to the satisfaction of both parties, M de
I. opened an immense desk and took
out from it bulky notebook, in which
my friend solemnly alleges were in
scribed the name, age, fortune, dispo-
sition and social status of every heiress
not only in France. but in Belgium,
Austria, Holland, Italy, England and
every other country in Europe. M.
de +. airily explained that he de-
spised American heiresses, as their for
tunes could never be relied upon. M.
de T. read out his list, somewhat as fol-
lows: -Four millions, orphan, red
hair, two-and twenty, subject to cpl
lepsy. clever, but strongminded prop
erty all real estate noble family, Bel
gian." "Five millions, widow, very
susceptible, dark, may or may not have
had lovers. but there is no scandal at
taching to her name French, good
bourgeois family very fond of titles,
but prefers men in the army will not
marry man under forty is herself
five-and-thirty property partly in rail-
way shares and partly in French Gov
ernmen. stock > and so ON ad infntta1ns
My friend was thunderstruck, and at
first half believed that the list was
purely an imaginary one and merely
bait thrown out to attract hungry fish
This doubt was, however, soon dis
PEELED when he selected one out of the
many heiresses offered to him, and
when M. de F., looking upon the mat
ter as settled, calmly stated the name
of the young lady, my friend discover.
ing to his establishment that he knew
the family intimately, and that NJ. de
F.'s intelligence and details were abso-
lutely correct in every particular
He then explained his system. "Of
course, Monsieur lie Comte," he said,
sit is needless to tell you that these
ladies do not come to me themselves
and seek for husbands. When a lady
has large fortune and is anxious to
get married she has no need of a matri-
monial agent. 1t is her friends, parents
or guardians who come to me-in nine
cases out OF ten without her knowledge
and, possessing influence over her,
offer the heiress to me, in consideration
OF fee arranged between us, of course
provided can, among my clients, find
a suitable partner. The whole thing is
perfectly simple, and the wife need
never suspect anything. From the
names / have just mentioned Won can
see for yourself that many of my clients,
both male and female, belong to the
best nobility of Europe, ard in fact I
think l can say without vanity that I
have had something directly or indi-
rectly to do with most of the leading
matrlmanial alliances which have taken
place in France in the last thirty years,
although since the fall of the second
empire business has become rather
slack"
What can be more terrible than thisp
Little does the Duchesse Fouille de
Persil dream as she dashes out to the
Bots de Boulogne that her only and
daughter is being bought
and sold in dingy little room near the
Boulevard Poissouniere by her dear and
Intimate, though INSCRIPTIONS and im-
pecunious friend. the Marquise Huppe
de la Deche. The Duchesse has I'M
bounded confidence in the Marouise.
and has given her carte blanche to bring
any OF his friends to her house, and
when the young Vicomte de la Poisse is
charming man, and one
whose birth and title are above suspic-
on-he meets with most cordial re-
,eption.
The rest is aeon done; the Vicomte is
represented to the mother as being the
very model of young men, Madame La
Marquise uses her influence in every
conceivable and uncomfortable way, and
n nine cases out of ten the marriage
zones off. Madame la Marquise, M. Ia
Ficomte and the matrimonial agent all
having a large plum out of the pie, the
mother and daughter never suspecting
my thing. More than three-quarters Of
he marriages in France-and in the
mind you-are brought
bout in this way; for, apart from the
professional matrimonial agents, most
II the abbes and cures add to their in
ome by mixing in matrimonial intrigues
n