Produced by David WidgerZIBELINEBy Philippe De MassaTranslated By D Knowlton RanousALEXANDREPHILIPPEREGNIER DE MASSAMARQUIS DE MASSA soldier composer and French dramatist was born inParis December 5 1831 He selected the military career and received acommission in the cavalry after leaving the school of St Cyr He servedin the Imperial Guards took part in the Italian and FrancoGerman Warsand was promoted Chief of Squadron Fifth Regiment Chasseurs a ChevalSeptember 10 1871 Having tendered his resignation from active servicehe was appointed a lieutenantcolonel in the territorial army February3 1880 He has been decorated with the Legion of HonorThe Marquis de Massa is known as a composer of music and as a dramaticauthor and novelist At the Opera Comique there was represented in1861 RoyalCravate written by him Fragments of two operas by him wereperformed at the Paris Conservatory of Music in 1865 and in 1868 Thelist of his principal plays follows Le Service en campagne comedy1882 La Cicatrice comedy 1885 Au Mont Ida Fronsac a La Bastilleand La Coeur de Paris all in 1887 La Czarine and Brouille depuisMagenta 1888 and La Bonne Aventureall comedies1889 Together withPetipa he also wrote a ballet Le Roi dYvetot 1866 music by CharlesLabarre He further wrote Zibeline a most brilliant romance 1892 withan Introduction by Jules Claretie crowned by the Academie FrancaiseThis odd and dainty little story has a heroine of striking originalityin character and exploits Her real name is Valentine de Vermont andshe is the daughter of a fabulously wealthy FrenchAmerican dealer infurs and when after his death she goes to Paris to spend her colossalfortune and to make restitution to the man from whom her father wonat play the large sum that became the foundation of his wealth certainlively Parisian ladies envying her her rich furs gave her the name ofZibeline that of a very rare almost extinct wild animal ZibelinesAmerican unconventionality her audacity her wealth and generosityset all Paris by the ears There are fascinating glimpses into thedrawingrooms of the most exclusive Parisian society and also intothe historic greenroom of the Comedie Francaise on a brilliant firstnight The man to whom she makes graceful restitution of his fortuneis a hero of the FrancoMexican and FrancoPrussian wars and when shegives him back his property she throws her heart in with the gift Thestory is an interesting study of a brilliant and unconventional Americangirl as seen by the eyes of a clever FrenchmanLater came La Revue quand meme comedy 1894 Souvenirs etImpressions 1897 La Revue retrospective comedy 1899 and Sonnetsthe same year               PAUL HERVIEU             de lAcademe FrancaiseLETTER FROM JULES CLARETIE TO THE AUTHORMY DEAR FRIENDI have often declared that I never would write prefaces But how canone resist a fine fellow who brings one an attractive manuscript signedwith a name popular among all his friends who asks of one in the mostengaging way an opinion on the samethen a word a simple word ofintroduction like a signal to saddleI have read your Zibeline my dear friend and this romanceyourfirsthas given me a very keen pleasure You told me once that you felta certain timidity in publishing it Reassure yourself immediately Aman can not be regarded as a novice when he has known as you haveall the Parisian literary world so long or rather perhaps I may moreaccurately say he is always a novice when he tastes for the first timethe intoxication of printers inkYou have the quickest of wits and the least possible affectation ofgravity and you have made as well known in Mexico as in Paris yourcouplets on the end of the Mexican conflict with France Tout Mexico ypassera Where are they the tolderols of autumnYesterday I found in a volume of dramatic criticism by that terribleand charming Jules Barbey dAurevilly an appreciation of one of yourcomedies which bears a title very appropriate to yourself HonorAnd this play does him honor said Barbey dAurevilly because it ischarming light and supple written in flowing verse the correctnessof which does not rob it of its graceThat which the critic said of your comedy I will say of your romanceIt is a pretty fairystoryall about Parisian fairies for a great manyfairies live in Paris In fact more are to be found there than anywhereelse There are good fairies and bad fairies among them Your ownparticular fairy is good and she is charming I am tempted to askwhether you have drawn your characters from life That is a questionwhich was frequently put to me recently after I had publishedLAmericaine The public longs to possess keys to our books It is notsufficient for them that a romance is interesting it must possess alsoa spice of scandalPortraits You have not drawn anyneither in the drawingrooms whereZibeline scintillates nor in the foyer of the Comedie Francaisewhere for so long a time you have felt yourself at home Your women arevisions and not studies from lifeand I do not believe that you willobject to my saying thisYou should not dislike the romantic romance which every one in thesedays advises us to writeas if that style did not begin as far backas the birth of romance itself as if the Princess of Cleves had notwritten and as if Balzac himself the great realist had not inventedthe finest romantic romances that can be foundfor example theamorous adventure of General de Montriveau and the Duchesse de LanglaisApropos in your charming story there is a General who pleases me verymuch How was it that you did not take after the fashion of Paul deMolenes a dashing cavalry officer for your heroyou for whom theliterary cavalier has all the attractions of a gentleman and a soldierNothing could be more piquant alert chivalrousin short worthy ofa Frenchmanthan the departure of your hero for the war after thatdramatic cardparty which was also a battleand what a battlewhereat the end of the conflict he left his all upon the green cloth Thatis an attractive sketch of