The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1884-09-13
WHOLE No. 1859.


This is no bombast try me. | will go to-
morrow, without pain, sadness or regret.
This was the last letter that passed be-
tween the actress and author.
Ga tie night of the 18th of October.
1871, the first night of the "Eisite de
NoccS, she gave forth to the public a
Cry wrung from the memories of her past
life, its sorrow and bitterness, in char
acter which brought back to her the only
love she had ever felt. NJ. Alexandra
Dumas publishes two letters from the
correspondence she left to him, written
to person at Naples, the man she loved,
whose name is noC given. One of these
letters shows the depth of purity. if one
may say so, Of this love, and the other
the dcHouemcnt. Here is the first
One night I was near you, very near,
ard know not what idea, what past oc-
currence, brought to my lips some
bitter thoughts | had in my heart. In
stead of consoling me, or trying to I'M
derStand what was passing in my mind,
you made me feel that should irritate
you if | went on. All, what horrid
creature l., man ], who used to hate
them all, hate you, too. Do you believe
it? No. Well, you are wrong it is
quite true. You do not give me back
the miiiionth part Of what ! give you.
For you, | would do anything-to please
me would you cross the street with
parcel under your arm? No; You
would be afraid Of being laughed at. |
am full of bitterness to night; my poor
friend, you must forgive me. Let me
pour ont to you the OVERLOOKING of my
heart, and let me tell you why this even
ing is SO terrible to me. G-took me
to the opera-they were playing ''Lu.
cia." At first | suffered dreadfully
when heard those charming airs, those
walls Of love which heard with you on
ly fortnight ago. went back To-.
D--sat next to me. had blue daisies
in my hair. For moment the illusion
was perfect When | came back to re-
ality, my heart felt contracted. |
wanted air. | was choking, and would
willingly have give ten years of my life
to be by your side again. We We're close
to all the lions o! the town, who came
up one after the other. We were intro
duced, and then they sprawled on tn c
stalls AMI In ghel at all the poor ar
lists. They We're course, i'll bred, indie
cent and obscene, trying to see my fig
ure, my feet, as if | were horse for
sale. | suffered martyrdom, shame and
disgust. Your little woman whom you
had purified with your love, soilcd, hu-
Initiated. Insulted But now am alone,
my nerves are let loose, can weep, and
profit by the OCCASION
Here is the second letter:
Il have just heard, my dear boy, that
you are going 10 be married. The older
| get the more | see that one ought to
have a companion life is too great
burden to bear alone. hope you will
be happy, dear friend This will be the
most sincere hope | ever expressed. You
are sure to be. for you are good, and she
must be intelligent. 1t will be a new
life-you must forget all the past. You
cannot keep our correspondence. 1t
would be a crime to read it alone YOU
cannot read it to her. What can you do
with it? VIII you send me back all
those things which belong to the past,
and which will ever be sacred to me ?
You will have beautiful children, whom
yon will adore; home, all sorts Of affect
ions ; the little romance OF our past life
together will be quickly forgotten. I,
poor old creature, poor mountebank,
obliged TO make others laugh, will find
an infinite pleasure in icreading all
about it. must beg of you to send me
back all those letters Do not open
them again, you might hesitate while 50
doing, aud it would be wrong. If you
don't object we will not forget each
other; we will fancy that we have been
companions in war, and now and then
chums. Is that settled? | shake You
heartily by both hands, as from man to
man. AIMEE"
These notes are interesting in spite Of
their impcrfecJion. They give rs just
50 much that we desire to know more of
the inner iiie-the troubles, the mental
torture, and the daily unrest Of an ARTIST
who, l take it, is the greatest who las
eyerbe2n even impcriectly studie1by low
ers of the stage who have arrived at mid
die age. She has been called the soul
actress, aud the expression isnot wholly
inapplicablc. Her realism was some
times painful in its intensity. She I'M
derstood the human heart 50 well that
she occasionally sacrificed it in public.
Not cry, not note, not a reproach,
not a sarcasm that she uttered on the
stage was ever out of tnue.