Evening star., 1901-06-29
TFStIlS lt, Whatever InHy De IHt IttIIllg Ul
the timid and gentle-mannered queen.
Like n Furnished Room House.

| l1Shmept, declares Sne, "a narrow, low
ceilinged entresol of six rooms. with the
| furniture of second-class hotel There is
not picture on the walls. No. 1 am
wrong. In the vestibule 1 observed an ex-
| traordinary composition of a faded yellow
| tint. whether a waterfall or a sunset or
| cheese l could not make out. 1t isn't
| much, is it" remarked my guide; but you
| know what secondhand pictures are.
| In the salon. which is vaguely Louis
| XIV, the furniture is vaguely Louis XVI.
| with piano that needs tuning. When the
| tuner comes remarked Aunt Raznazindra-
zana. 1 am going to ask him to take away
| with him those frightful plaster of paris
| busts and statuettes. painted to look like
| bronzes.' In the dining room, whose walls
| are covered with red andrinOple, there is
| carved wood sideboard, table and six chairs
| of the kind you buy the installment
! plan. | confess that the salon and dining
| room would be passable, but the bed rooms
| they are really too bad. The queens bed
| room contains such obviously second
| hand bed that you wonder in how many
| families it got all it's knocks and scars. A
! shaky wardrobe, a lavabo, night table
| and two wood chairs complete the boudoir.
| 1t is a room for a Latin Quarter student.
| The three other bed rooms are in the same
style. and they have foisted on poor little
| Marie Louise as mean little iron cot as
! ever royal child kicked and scratched in.
| 1t in vain that Madame Lemair. who
| has a heart. tried the first day to hide the
! furnished rooms look of the apartment un-
| der a gay decoration of flowers She also
| hoped that the electricity-still a novelty
| to Ranavalo-would cast a glamour over
| the ensemble Helas, it only lit up the
| faded carpets to show them off for what
| they were.
NJ. Lemaire Ever Present.
| During these first days at least there is
| certainly good deal of suspicion and re-
| serve surrounding poor Ranavalo.
| II was refused my first visit" says
| this caller and in such way as to make
| me think the household was not as united
| as it might be. The aunt-a noble old ruin
| openly resents the continual presence of
| NJ. Lemaire. the ministerial delegate, who,
| poor man, has no choice In the matter. He
| has his instructions. We go out walking
| to the theater, to the circus, to the shops,
/ always accompanied by NJ. Lemaire,' she
grumbled. And look how we are installed.
| There is not room to open the trunks.
| The next day returned and the janttor
| stopped me. Do you come from the Mai
| son Collin for the hats?' she asked. l
| thought 1t best to reply yes. It's all right,
| then; you can go up she said. In the sa-
| lon. where l was allowed to sit alone for
ten minutes, 1 could hear voices coming
| from the next room. Let the queen keep
| on that gown to go to the circus tonight.
The princess will keep hers also; it is good
! enough for the circus. 1 will come for
you at 8 o'clock 1t was a mans voice.
When the queen saw me at last she
| seemed glad and yet constrained. The old
aunt looked gum and continued saying
| things to her in the language of the
| Hovas All the dressmaking houses and
milliners are sending me things to choose
! FROM, said Ranavalo. i must have tried
| on hundred hats already. But I send
back everything. 1 am not to make my
| purchases until just before going She
sighed as she said 1t. The old aunt, dressed
| In an English tailor-made gown, sat stiff
and glum. Had 1 Interrupted domestic
| squabble. or had 1 fallen on fresh inter-
national griefs? 1 did not stay long"
The Queens Rulers.
Whether justly or unjustly, Aunt Raj
| nazindrazana-whom they call aunt Raj
naz"-has acquired with the Parisians a
curious reputation, in which high appre-
citation for alcoholic stimulants figures as
an element of Importance. She Is a severe
figure. Certainly she rules it over the
gentle queen. Then that the queen should
not lack rulers, there is the governess of
little Marie Louise. who puts in her ad-
vice every now and then. On the Monday
morning after her arrival In Paris, Rama
valO got up early, dressed for the street.
all ready to go shopping at 10 o'clock.
Cnluckily, she had not informed NJ. Le-
| maire in time, so that the arrangements
could not be made She therefore stayed
| indoors and received the visit of NJ. and
Madame Laroche, old acquaintances, the
| first French resident general after the
| cupattOn. At 4 o'clock In the afternoon
however. NJ Lemaire came for her in a
! landau for ride in the Bois de Boulogne.
Accompanied by the aunt and the inter
prefer. Ranavalo made her first acquaint-
ance with the Paris streets and avenues
| she so desired to tread unaccompanied,
! like other women" The doings of Rama
| valo interest the Paris public enormously.
| The papers, therefore, follow her slightest
| movements In this way 1t is known that
shortly after leaving the sylvan restaurant
| of the Cascade in the Bois, Aunt Raj
naz found herself indisposed and insisted
on the whole party returning to the apart
ment. Thus ended the first Paris after
| noon of queen in exile. If Aunt Raz-
| naZindraZana does not look out she will get
| herself dislked
| That evening they had been invited to the
| Nouveau Cirque by the enterprsing man
| agement: and their royal pride was touched
not a little to find that things had been
| done handsomely, their box being deco
| rated with flowers and flags 1t was the
| first ovation the poor wanderers had
| known. The little Marie Louise Is a lively,
| healthy. rOmping child of five years. Petri-
| fled with admiration she sat gazing at the
| clowns and tumblers. Ranavalo also show
ed interest. The old aunt sat stiff and
was heard to sniff dsdainfully.
Among the Shops.
! The next day had been set apart for the
queens first trip among the shops of Paris,
big and little. At the Bon Marche the d.
rector himself was waiting to Show her
| about. But she said, II don't want to
go in party and have people looking at
/
! took her from departne to department
| She saw silk underskirtS at So each. She
/ saw kid gloves at francs So centimes a
! pair. She saw ready-made ball dresses as
| low as $50. She silk stockings at
! francs pair. She picture hats as low
| as $50. The Rue de la Paix houses have
| already been sending her things to try on
! As matter of fact. Ranavalo bought moth
/ ing on this trip. Later. however, when she
| had returned to the Rue Pauquet. a pretty
anu stylishly dressed girl was seen to drive
| up in a cab loaded down with bandboxes
| Two hours later she came out and drove
| away, visibly less charged with merchan-
| disc. Has the queen begun to buy on the
! dead quiet, without the sanction of the
ministerial delegate?
OfiiciaI Rounds
| A little later came the official visit to the
minister of colonies. The queen, in a
| cream-colored toilet that looked suspicIous
iy new. drove up to the palace of the DUAL
| d'Orsay to have her first interview with a
| Decrafs, on whose discretion so much NJ
her future comfort depends 1t was a SOL
| emn reception. They were all there chefs
a.