Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-10-09

sings in the most enhancing manner.
St. Saens told her If she would go on
the operate stage she would make
fortune but, of course, she desired no
such publicity.
Gounod was a dear friend OF Madame
Dumas's, and she was pet pupil OF MS.
They used to play duets together. IL
sounds nervous work to play with SUCH
a great master, but 1 think she had
known him from a child, so L suppose
that made all the difference.
One day she showed me the rooms or
her husband, the late Alexander Dumas.
They, also, were furnished in white and
blue. There is the bedroom there, the
dressing room just as IL was at the time
of his death. The thing that went 10 my
heart was a little tea equipage-aH walt
ing 20 be used.
These rooms are Just above Madame s.,
and a little staircase leads down TO her
apartments. But at the very top or the
house is a magnificent room, the study
OF Alexandra Dumas. The windows look
over the surrounding country, and a
beautiful view It IS The walls are COW
cred with lovely paintings. and the whole
effect is rich and impressive, without
being too lavish.
A VISIT FROM ELEANORA DuSE.
think / sometimes rather vexed Ma
dame because l would not go sightseeing.
/ like people better than places, so ] was
very pleased when l beard La Duse'
was coming to dine with US. Sardou, the
great playwright. has lovely house three
minutes walk from Madame Dumas's, and
there La Duse" was 10 lunch.
1t so happened | was alone in the draw
ing-room when she was shown in. knew
no Italian, and was very shy with my
French, and so | spoke English. Madame
will be here soon" ! said, and then could
have kicked myself FOR great ass.
"Mercr' replied the actress, and sat
down Imply on a chair. | Felt so sorry
for her. Oh, such a tired face she has;
so worn and yet very sweet Elcanora
Duse is about 81 years Of rge; rather tall,
thin, but with a big frame. She has
black hair beginning TO grow gray; pale
skin, and dark eyes. She vas dressed in
black, and wore a little black silk cape
all through dinner. 1 sat on her right at
dinner and Madame on her left The rest
of the party ranged round the oval table,
Strangely enough, / undef sto0d her better
than any OF my French friends. They told
me her accent was especially good. her
enunciaton very plain, and her command
of the French language wonderful She
had an Illness some years aso, and during
her long convalescence she applied her
self to the study Of French, with this re-
suit.
A COMPARISON OF QUEENS.
Some one during dinner spoke Of the
sad life of the Queen OF Spain, beng left
a widow so early, and having such a diff
cult nation to govern. Then some one
else said well, there is the Queen OF
England; she was left a widow, too" At
this La Duse broke out with, "Cette
vielle femme. / stopped her. "Ah! ahl
ahr I cried. She turned TO me. "Ah.
Madamoiselle is right. l beg Madamoi-
selle's pardon. / cannot forgive myself.
But you see the two cases are not the
same. The Queen Of Spain was left very
young, a stranger in a strange lind. Your
Queen belongs to England She had many
happy years of married life, and when
her husband died he left behind many
children to console her. Therefore, say
the cases are not the same. l Go not
wish TO speak a word against your Queen;
she is a very good woman, and l admire
her" And so on. and so on. The whole
table roared with laughter, and all
through dinner and afterwards the Duse
kept turning to me and begging my par
don. In fact, as the train was moving
off to take her back to Paris she again
asked me to forgive her.