The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-28

It Il very simple In the analysis The
Mdyguis. pushed to extremities. assents TO
tho marriage between his son and Lechdfs
daughter Every objection has been over
ruled. Honor has been made to assume
a fantastic appearance. wealth Is iaudeo
above blood. religion--even the church,
is depicted by the willy isidore rs sort OF
spiritual accomplice in mundane matters.
Determined to strike while the iron Is hot.
Lechat rings for his daughter and wife
They arrive Formally. and with the
accents of a tortured man. the Marquis
demands the hand OF Nile Lechdt OF her
confused mother "Plait-il?' she mumbles.
The victorious father is soon toppled from
his pround eminence.
II decline the HONOR declares the girl
arising. Why? She is crazy, Mdr1u's.
with the unexpected honor! How-declinel
Lechdt draws nearer, his fists ciencheo'
his big neck purple.
Il have a lover insists the now furious
girl. A horrible scene ensues Tho DIS
tracted man PUSHES from his wife TO ms
daughter, bullying, cursing, threatening.
but to no avail. The Marquis withdraws
in his most frozen manner. -Canahie!
yels the half-mad Lechat after him. he
returns to his daughter The mother
prevents physical violence. The girl cans
for Luc;en. and on his appearance there Is
another explosion. The clear-headed man
Of business begins to realize that there
are certain combinations he cannot UNDER
stand. He drives the man away. sWears
that he will disinherit his daughter. and
leaves the apartment. This gives the
playwright a chance to set the women
weeping. Mother and daughter part. and
did not regret the departure OF Germd'ne.
At base she is selfish. inconsiderate, for
her place is with her. wretched mother
This sounds quite anti-Ibsen l know, but
Mirbeau is to blame. Germdine Lechdf
never strikes an altogether sympathetic
chord; there is too much Of her father in
her makeup She is an exaggeration OF
the Ibsen girl
Lcchdt rushes fumingly in. reproaches
his wife for the education Of the ungrateful
daughter and. blackguard that he is. heaps
abuse upon the poor bewildered creature.
She turns on him. though briefly. 1t is
you, your accursed wealth! He shrugs
his shoulders, takes a deep breath and
grinds his teeth. So be it, II his house,
hold is against him he will still fight on.
But fate has trump card of sorrow up
her sleeve and throws it on the table at
this juncture Lechafs man Of affairs
rushes in announcing in terrified tones
the death of Xdrier who has been killed
by an accident. Thrown from his racing
machine. he was smashed against wall.
Even now they are bringing the body in.
This is an awful stroke, Lechdt reels tears
at his neck, gasps for air and falls on
couch ApopeXy nearly claims him. as
he is reviving enter the two vlltures. true
funeral buzzards Fastening to possible
feast Phinck and Gruggie have seized the
when the great man is over
come by sorrow. to force their scheme upon
him
Then the animal grandeur OF Lechdt
is seen at its top notch. Calling the pair
-brigands. he in a harsh voice commands
= Write!" All the financial details of the
are to be in the hands Of Isidore
Lechat. All. all! Not move is to be made
without him. Suppliant, scared, the stupe-
fed men do as they are bid. The colossal
will power Of Isidore Lechat has overcome
them. his cunning brain has outwitted
their plans Again the word is brought
that the remains of Xdrer Lechdt have
reached he house. Sign! Sign" bellows
Lechot they sign. He PUSHES out Of the
room. leaving them detected, annihilated.
Business is business!
No need to dwell further upon De Fer
raudy's Interpretation. 1t is the delight
of Paris and rightfully so, This actor
shares with Gemier of the Odeon the his
trionic honors OF the town His rapidty
of s,eech. clearness of enunclation. 1.-THE,
vigorous nervous movements and his per.
feet self-control fit him for the Iole. Oc-
tavc Mirbeau is lucky in possessing such
an able collaboration. Leloir eScels in the
delineation of musty ar!stocrats. His old
Marquis is an elaborate portrait; not a
detail is missing. He held his OWL in the
scene d faire. or particular interest were
TIE two spectators. impersonated by Lau-
gier and Garry, The former is, as usual,
burly: the latter is fine as scimiter He
really suggested glacial gulf1 of villainy.
AIrbeau knows Balzac thoroughly. The
lover is Raphael Dufos, comparatively
a new acquisition Of, the Francois. He
leaves one cold. Is it not a commentary
on this piece that the interesting people
in it are scoundrels and selfish: the good are
dull or mediocre? Mirbeau's literary ability
is manifest in the brilliant, polished, re-
strained style He makes rapier thrusts
at church, state and society. and being
radical at all points he does not care whom
he wounds
OF totally different genre is La Ra-
bouilleuse" at the Odeon. Made over into
a drama by NJ. Fabre from the little known
novel of Balzac-too little known am
afraid-the piece. unless enacted by artists.
might easily lapse into melodrama. All
the material is at hand especially as the
adapter has altered the finale Of the novel
to meet dramatic requirements. 1t Is
effective enough this ending. though it
gives violent twist to Balzac's tale. Again
magnificent acting redeems some weary
quarter hours Gemer as Colonel, an
old Napoleonic campaigner, is really re-
markable. His picture in the Salon is
always surrounded by admirers. Your
true Partisan dearly loves an actor
Balzac readers will recall at once the
story of the abominable Flore Brdzier who
wheedled her way into the household of
old Pere Rouget in the little town Of Issou
dun. She had been, as a girl, 'rabouil-
leuse," i. e. digger after crayfish To
"rabouiller," in the parlance of Berry, is
To aoitata a stick in the muddy water