Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-12-26
DUMAS AND ~cAMILLE-


How This Comedy Was Written and Read
to the Elder Dumas.
Paris Correspondents Boston Herald.
N. Dumas once told me several interesting
incidents about Camille" 1t was written in
the suburb Of Neuilly, in the summer of lsae.
in barely eight days, on scraps of paper which
tho author found lying on his table. The sec
ond act was written entirely between u and
o'clock Of one afternoon. The piece was to
have been, according to the idea Of Anthony
Berand, who saw good thing in il, Q melo-
drama for the Ambigu. NJ. Dumas preferred
to extract only vaudeville, So when the piece
was written, ii was impossible to get 1t played.
The Gymnase and the Vaudeville theaters
refused it and Mile. Page, to whom Dumas took
It, would not even receive the author. Dejazet
found the piece touching, but she said that she
could only play it in the costumes Of the time
OF Louis XIV. Rachel, who made an appoint
ment with Dumas to hear him read his work,
ieft word for him that she was not at home, but
had gone to friends house to play Lotto.
Then, with o sort of Retrospective sadness
Dumas told me how, on New Year day Of 1885,
ne paid solitary visit to the tomb Of Marie
Duplessis as though to relate to her his griefs
and on returning from the cemetery of Mont
martre he took up his manuscript, reread it all,
and In the fifth act all that relates to the ironic
joys OF the LIST of January dates from that day.
Dumas fills had written his play without
having said anything about it to his father He
certainly would never have dared to show this
manuscript to the author Of Anthony" and of
"Mademoiselle do Belle Isle," but chance
willed 1t that having taken his work to a
copyist, who should come in but Dumas PEREZ
Il was caught" said Dumas fils land con-
fcssed laughingly to father that had rewritten
piece after my novel.
my father then said: Well lot us see what
1t is like. Read us the first act
I'VE went into his study and began read
ing, q prey to the most powerful emotions
have had in my life, for was in the presence
to me. of supreme judge. After the first act
he SAID In a friendly and grave manner: 1t is
very good. Continue.
Embroidered by this debut, read the second
act, and read it as well as 1 could. Ny listener
had tears in his eyes; the scene between Ar
mand and Marguerite had touched him. Go
on, he said to me. / read the third act.
There he could not contain his emotion and the
last two-thlrds OF this act made him weep like Q
child.
"'Go on, read me the rest and when he
said that he looked at me as he had never
looked at me before. There was in that long,
open look still the tenderness to which was
accustomed, but there was astonishment min
gled with it, delicate joy that was still kept
back by the fear that the end of my reading
would not be equal to its beginning.
1T was 8 O'Clock; had a rendezvous which
1t was impossible for me to miss. 4 must go
to my rendezvous, said to father. In an
hour Twill be back and will read you the rest
OF it,
"'Go and come back quickly. am anxious
to know the end he replied.
1.-The affair that called me away was quickly
dispatched and I returned to the Avenue Fro
chot on the run. When l opened the door Of
OF his study'father got up, clssped me in his
arms and said: i was table to wait; wanted
to know if you had done well to the end have
read the last two acts: it is Originate it is touch