The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-09-19

Matters the young lady was asked her opin-
ion, and she gave it in becoming form, in
document which was model IN the cores
pondence of princely courtship; 81 consent
to unite my lot to that of the Comte de
Chambcrd, for feel sure this union will
make me happy. Firmly resolved to devote
my whole life to the Comte de Chambord,
shall love France as he loves her; and all my
prayers and all my VOWS will be for our
common country" Very nearly the same
thing was said to the Empire Eugenie when
she came to France; there must be some
form for such things in the archives-"No.
% in the book"
The heroic old Duchesse de Berri, at the
altar, as full of vivacity as ever, in spite of
her white hair, must have had her hopes,
put also as judge of men and women, her
Tears. Would the wife carry on her moth
er's taskP The answer was soon known;
she would not. Her notion of deyoting her,
| self to the Comte de Chambord and France
was the very wise one of keeping the two
as widely apart as possible. Though the
| ''best blood" in Europe flowed in her veins.
she was kind of democrat by a sense OF
| fatality. She thought that Legitimsm was
dead, and that it was of no use trying to re-
vlve 1t. She was the perfect opposite OF her
mother-in law-with dignity instead of spir-
| it, and without spark of enterprise. She
| had been brought up rather too well, and
| was almost as innocent of the world at fifty
| as at hve. Her simple creed of duty consis-
| ted OF only two or three articles, and one OF
| them was that she owed unhestating obedl-
| ence TO her husband--a circumstance that
| did not prevent her from unconsciously hav-
ing her own way in the most decisive action
OF his life. He would have required good
deal OF squirting to do anything, and she
| was always holding him back Her tastes
| were exactly akin to his, and so they were
| able to keep up their mock court without
| killing themselves with ennui.
| AT Frohsdorf or at Goritz they lived in a
| small way, just as they would have lived at
the Tuileries.. There were ladies and gentle
men in attendance, royal circle of courtiers
royal game of whist, royal silence and roy
al yawns. She had never known any other
kind OF life, and this seemed to her the most
natural In the world.
The third woman in the family, and the
one who finished it off, is Monseigneur lie
Comte de Chambord himself 1t is not pos
slble to imagine a more deplorabe anti-cli-
max OF son to such mother. He has
done nothing, nothing, nothing, but behave
himself. He was educated to death; he
went everywhere, saw everything and then
stood still. He tramped over all the battle
fields of Napoleon, with Marmount for his
| guide, but he never led a skirmish He
| studied every constitution, but he could not
| invent one that would work-even on paper.
de knows every question out and out. In
| his earlier days fierce Republican went to
| see him and was so charmed with the wav
| Ia which the Comte talked about the probe
| tariat, that he prophesied democrat king.
| He did not know that monseigneur talked
| In exactly the same way about the mobiles
and the clergy. He was impossible, in fact;
| 1t was mind of too perfect balance-with-
out spring for action. He was the candid
friend of France-always ready to write her
a letter, but never to do anything more.
Why should he risk his head for the Tuiler-
les? BE had the wonderful house at Cham
bord, with its four or five hundred living
| rooms. its chefs d euure of the work of the
| Renaissance, and its memories of Francis
| Henry H., and the Grand Louis, Diana de
Poitiers, de Maintonen, de Montespau, ct
| toutes ses danes; palace at Venice, with
cosier retreats at Frohsdorf and at Goritz.
He had his habits, above all; and in such
mad expedition as his mothers, what
would have become of them. He had to get
| up betimes and be bustlingly busy in moth
ings all day long, to read his letters and
| papers, and dictate to his secretaries, and
| give audience in his little court; then to
| doze, shoot or read, to kill time to the solemn
| dinner, and cards to folow-with the last
| trick taken at ten O'Clock, when it was
sights out' for the night. He loved good
eating, his story, bon soupe, bon Cite, ct le
| reste. All this was not consistent with an
| active course in politics, but it was entirely
suited to the production of manifestoes, and
| so he took to that.
+ There never was such a manifesto writer;
| you might draw up a handbook to The art
| from his performances; and probably his
| name will go down to posterity in connec-
| lion with a manual. On the fall of Louis
Philippe, when Louis Napolean came back
| to work for himself, the Comte still stayed
behind-to write letter. He showed him
self from time to time on the frontier, and
received the homage of his servants at Ems,
Cologne or Wiesbaben with a benevolence
entirely royal. They voted the empire, the
Comte de Chambord rubbed his eyes, and
wrote another letter. Sedan was fought.
aud he wrote two or three. The Prus-
SLAMS began to lombard the Boulevards,
and he assured them, through the post,
that he could not see the capital perish
which his ancestors had been accustomed to
call my good City of Paris He backed
the Papacy in the same effective way Then
troublesome people asked him to come and
| rule France, and he wrote several letters on
| the prospect OF his accession, in a fine, i'm
| personal view, just as though it had been
| the accession of somebody else When he
did aliude to himself it was with sort of
| biblical simplicity of reverence, beyond van
ity, beyond pride. 'sWho will speak to the
| world if not IT2 in my hands alone elem
ency is justice" 81 am the necessary pilot;
| have the authority and the mission
| Finally came the decisive moment for which
Legitimacy had been yearning, hoping,
scheming, for nearly fifty years. France was
uncertain, not knowing which way to GO
| republic, empire or monarchy A touch
| would have decided her, wavering regi-
| ment-above all, a mans voice. The Comte
4 do Ghar, ri at.,x& l..
| and prayer; he wrote another letter, and
| this time such letterI 1t was too much ::
it doomed Legitimacy forever; and it showed
once more the finesse of the old French say
| ing-in all cases of justification 'cherchez
dtemnle" History will say that. the last