New-York tribune., 1910-11-06

London, october IL.


she touched every note. While she
played Froufrou she 'cds Froufrou'
that pretty little Partisan soul, born IN
laughter and vanishing in tears" Every
body knows the scene between the Two
sisters at the end Of the third act l
have seen it played by Desclee and by
Sarah Bernhard 1t is one Of those
whirIwind scenes in which Sarah is sup
posed TO be at her best, and perhaps is.
She knew she had memories Of Desclee
70 contend against, and played II &C
cordingly But Desclee had played 1t
with a concentrated rage OF Jealous IN
tenslty TO which no rival ever attained
Still more marked was the difference
between them in the first scene Of the
fourth act. after Froufrou has fed with
her lover 20 Venice. They are breakfast
ing together in the hotel restaurant and
the lover is called away, as they both
know. by q message from the husband,
for the comedy has become a tragedy,
and nears its end. Sarah does not seem
20 mind very much. She looks about
her as II bored by her solitude, and the
first reflection comes from her bps IN &
tone OF intellectual detachment. as IL il
concerned some one else. Hers is. in
fact. an intellectual appreciation and
nothing else. There is no appeal TO sentl-
nlent. no sign OF deep feeling She is
cool. speculative, almost Indifferent But
Desclee sat there alone, III torment, her
head resting on her hand, detection in
every line OF her figure. and world Of
~ d of Ty-l 4
sarah made so light came from Desciee's
Iils one by one ike so many sobs:
.-Y-ne heurs de colere ct VOLTA OF jen
suis."
The smooth tones-passion laden, vi
hrating. poignant. remorseful, as If only
then had the folly Of her fight and the
wreck Of her life become visible TO her
stirred a passion OF pity, as they we're
meant TO. in all hearts. For Descl4e was
an actress who could act only what she
felt at the moment. To have felt it once
and 10 repeat the outward signs OF II
ever after was not 10 her a forcible
method OF producing an effect.
In one OF the notes-tI.ey are really es-
SAYS and generally very personal-which
Dumas appended 10 many OF his plays in
the Edition des Comediens," he tells,
or partly tells, 2 rehearsal story which
fIlumines both him and DesClee. The re-
hearssl was Of "Cne Visite de Noces," g"
which Dumas had written for her. It
vas characteristic Of him that rs ez-
pected an actress 70 rehearse her part
with the same complete surrender Of
herself as If before an audience He was
not content with what he himself calls
Descl@e-s marvellous intuition and her
profound knowledge Of her art. He
must have for the service OF his play not
only the comedienne but the woman;
and into every critical moment Of her
acting the woman must put her soul.
With the selfish coolness in which
Dumas had-n no superior, he remarks that
h knew very well what il cost her
not enly a great expenditure Of her
forces mas IN ebran5ement pbyStoIO-
giquC. But there was moment when
n wanted, and would have, Z certain
cry which meant 10 her complete ex-
haustton for the moment She shrank
from II ''Tou shall have II when I act;
don't ask for it now" He insisted. and
finally vrung II from her. and with the
last ounce Of strength she had left she
saifto him:
T4nez. le VOLTA. votre cri. 81 vous
ssvsz bien que celia me dechire les en-
trailles,'
Dumas softens the sentence little
but this IS the authentic part. He ad-
r-its that she added. You will kill me-
and that he replied.
What does that matter II the play
succeeds ."
But though these inexorable demands
may have hurried on her death, don't
suppose Dumas was primarily responsi-
be for the catastrophe. Nor IS he, viii
admit, without some sort Of pretext for
publishing the letters He tells US that
TWO or three daya before her death
Desclee sent him back ali his letters TO
her, and also the letters by her written
u "Tinconnu de Naples" saying:
Take this correspondence which was
restored to me when I asked for il II I
90 not die you viii return it TO me. if
I die. read 1t and do with it what you
think ii right TO do"
None the less is the step a long one
between Desclee's trustful appeal 10
Dumas, and the use he makes Of the
discretion left 10 him. He may well
enough have said that the letters We're
too precious 70 be burnt. You viii
search far before you find anything like
them. Desclee had the gift of express
sion by words as we'll as by acting. II
she had not much literature she had that
kind Of genius to which literature is only
the handmade. She never seems to seek
for phrase; but the phrase comes. She
is bent on nothing but the revelation TO
her lover OF her feelings, her thoughts,
herself. She writes with absolute free
dom. both to Fanfan, and TO Dumas. She
writes. at times. on subjects not usually
discussed even between lovers. But
with her freedom goes a delicacy Of nat
15re which would serve as veil for the
coarseness. Il coarseness there were.
This deIicacv she never loses, even amid
excesses which are deplorable; the over
foyv. as she calls it, Of her primitive
nature At times. her art seems to her
a mere hypocrisy; an meticr dc satt'm-
JGHgao.
with q conviction which is artificial
decIaimiug certain things Of which you
believe not q word-lying, in word; de-