New-York tribune., 1901-04-28
HME. DE GILLIFFET.
ONE OF EUGENIE'S BATTALION OF BEAU
TIES AND HER TROUBLE WITH
HER HUSBAND.
HER HUSBAND.
From The London Telegraph.

From The London Telegraph.
More than three decades have gone by since
the most brilliant court of the nineteenth cen
tury dispersed. never TO foregather again,
either amidst familiar or unfamiliar surround
ings; for if the Empire had been restored it
would have had to find new habitat. Nine
months after Eugene. Empress of the French.
/ issued for the last time from its portals, the
Iulerles was mass of blackened. charred
ruins. for which the incriminated Napole
onic regime, but an offshoot of the then newly
established republic namely, the Commune.
was TO blame. In the years that followed the
women of the Second Empire. who had made
the palace built by Catherine de Medici the
centre Of attraction Of the whole pleasure low
ing and fashionable world. bore their misfort-
ures with dignity and courage.
These women formed coterie apart, in no
way asSociating with the spouSeS, the mothers,
the sisters and the cousins and the aunts Of the
biSwigs OF the Third Republic; while, on the
Other hand, they were looked at somewhat
aslzance by the more antiquated Of the dowagers
of the FaubouTG st. Germain. albeit that in
the matter Of pedigree there often not pin
to choose between them. The court beauties of
the eTstwhi.e Second Empire never troubled
themselves To institute or to invite comparisons
They took up the thread of their amusementS
where September I. 1870, had left them. and
unqUestiouably whatever delightful entertain
menJs The Third Republic has had to offer III tn
way Of elegant race meetings. charity haZaarS'
garden f5t7s in Paris and kindred functions at
TrouVille in the autumn, and On the RIVERA n
the winter. were and are still due To the ini-
1iatiye e the Empress Eugenies "battallon oI
court beauties.
Gradually they dwindIed to 4 mere handful
Only couple Of months ago the iarqGise de
I-atoEr- -MauboUrG went the way OF all nesn
and on Thursday the small knot OF SURVIVORS
was slilI further decreased ~ ne dFath ol IN M
Aiarauise de Callifet the wife of the still hrlt!-
liant. though septua@enarian. cavalry ietatt Wii'
was recently Minister for war ana "ilo.l "a
RepubltcauS failed t. keep in position WhIeh
would nave conferred much prestige on thelr
administration. 49, .
II i. saii that General th- Marquis J. Ciallifet
! a difficult man t. manage. and there IS Htut
or no reason to doubt the truth Of the state
rlent. That was probably me Saust " ny ~
and his charming spouse eie'''I HlIHH -
ago to be friends and 20 I've apart B"th "tte
TO proud and too sensitive II their own di2tl'9
t. VOGchSafe explanations for TINS separation
T. the outer world If which. after all. u was no
concern II may safely BE- asserted. lh"tSIl.
that the modern Rayard-and the term applied
10 the Marquis de GalHfet j. no great eXaSecTa-
tion-is less docile and amenable than the Ies-
,ndary one would have been mad he cSpooSrd
her who became the wife # SeieneCr DE- fiuNdS.
Equally certain i il that Mme DC luNaS iIid'
was 70 be mbihed lessons with regard To "HeiE
obedience differing from those prevalent II ihe
circles of the French haut- bourgeclsIe, whence
Nine de Galliffet sprang She was a relation by
marriage Of Lafftte. the famous banker Milr
de Cialliffct. in common fairness he IL sdIu
never pretended 10 disguise the Ieal sit daIinil.
Both her husband and Sh- We're great FAVOR lteS
with the Emperor and the Empress who aiter
trying once or twice TO bring about a better
understanding betWeeD the young couple, HnalI!
abandoned the scheme in despair. the last at
tempt on the rart Of Napoleon III was original
enough to be deserving of mention II was
when Galllfet was tefflbIF Wouilueu i! -h'Ni''-
1t would have been shocking, SAID the mon
arch TO the marquise. If he had died with TINS
misunderstanding still between you There is
TO misunderstanding, sire, was the answer
There would be a misunderstanding If we pre-
tended not 10 have irremoVabIe one
The Marquis de Galitfet was exceedingly
punctilious with re"ard 10 the faIntest mention
Of his wife by strangers; and on one occasion a
bore" found this out to his cost He had seV-
eral times inquired about madame's health
Her health is fairly good, monsieur, was the
final answer but I only allow her friends to
inquire so pertinaciously; and to Judge from ap-
| pearances / doubt whether you are numbered
among them"