New-York tribune., 1907-11-09
Literary Wesa's and Criticism

II not quite as we'll written Indeed
spar Ailhs Frenchwoman rarely mods. On
- any theme she writes with her inimita BILE
'Ndcl'y- We must quote one more of her Iet
' lie one in which she celebrates the most
1-0'0 Vi aI kitchen tragedies. Every one knows
ho"' on visit of the Kings To ChantiIIv the
renowned maitre d'h0teI VateI ran bir,sa1P
toueh with his sword over a delay in the
-"a''eE OF the fish. Thus Madame de S6vigne
tells the story:
himself 20 10 you last Friday that he had stabbed
Inc King arrived there on TbnreSa ot 1'T aiaI d
promenade 'i5 ne IhLuIninations, the moonlight, the
vas e We're al that could be desired supper
there was no mere We're some tables at which
provide seyerI @ odst meat because Vate had had
This greatly Glnners that had not been expected
endure this disgraoa3 nave lost my honor; cannot
vnn vt,te o haEe not slept for twelve nights wish
Gouyc did ali lie that 5a sse Re oond 80 assist and
Solt it AiIl but the failure of the roast meat
but at OF the other fe aaTs VANS
Who 1iS wcn hq o. GouTyiile mentioned it to the Prince
ing Hoad b bdft is admpraby managed Va moth
roi,o mXogr goodness overwhems me. m6hseignieur'
eeea meat Al Tatel two bEt know there roast
yoGTS6 st d az 81 said aid the Prince do not distress
At o'clock % 4ih the VIII naxf 9e Welt, vel ,+
undeT-purveyors. who had just brought in load
rs this alp asked vatel. Yes. sir" said the
man, who did not know that Vatel had ordered fish
from all the seaports round
os did WaeG n6t I0p some m time but the other
lleved there was no more FISH be had. He then
Sir I cannot outve this disgrace: shall lose
my honor and reputation; but Gourvlle laughed
-. VateI, however. went to his room and, placing
neffectuai attemps sneceeed T the third ' time in
forcing the sword through his heart, and he fell
At that instant the purveyors arrived with the
anu S'tLcH was MADE Tor Natel 10 IL
ing no answer they broke open the door. and dis
covered him lying in pool OF blood
Fragments of court gossip like this are fre-
quently introduced into her narrative by Miss
Adds, but she does not neglect the more init
mate phases of Madame de sevignes life
There is much here relating to her family af-
fairs and especially. of course. to the beloved
daughter without whom would never have
had the letters The history OF Madame de
GrIgnan is very defty woven into the book
We see the rather cold and naughty young
beauty the threshold of a great career at
court. and then we see her by her husbands
side in Provence playing well enough the part
assigned TO her in high provincial society, but
somehow never quite explaining why she meant
so much to a woman as intellectual as her
mother. Miss Adds says the best she can for
her and she brings out, too, the deep fund of
affection in Madame de Sevigngs heart. which
would have made her devoted to her daughter
even if the latter had been still less of a per-
sonage. Nevertheless readers of the letters
will always feel that Madame de Grignan. with
all her merits, was hardly worthy of her in
comparable correspondent.
Miss Adds has embellished her pages with
numerous portraits and other excellent nlustra-
tions. including picturesque views of the Abbaye
de Livry, Les Rochers. and the Hotel de Carna-
valet. There is also index. Among the
popular memoirs of historical personages which
are nowadays put forth so constantly. this
modest volume deserves honorable place.