Year: 1877

From the Loudea Tatt.er.l


The sister Of the great Berryer,


a widow well stricken in years,


married the duke Of Riario-sforza.


The duke was an old man and


very poor, though the bearer Of


one Of the most noted name Of his


tory. II was rnmored that he had


given lessons on the fiddle. His


future wife had come in for an i'm


mense fortune on the death OF her


first husband, provincial notary,


who had earned 1t. The Duke


wanted good board and lodging.


Madame, tho widow OF the notary,


wanted fine name. II was . bar


gain. They were married; and to tho


day oftheir deaths their intimacy


never passed the bonds Of friend


illness, though, on the other hand


itnever came short Of them. They


lived on the best Of terms. Madame


Ia Duehesse took a splendid hotel


in the Avenue du Trocadero, about


half way between the hill and the


Bois and the feet that its furni


turc was the other day sold under


the hammer has served to remind
Parisians Of her curious history.


Monsieur 10 Due continued after
the marriage Of live apart from her,


but, according to their agreement,
he received so many thousand
frans . year for the use ofhis name
and for the loan Of presence at
feasts, receptions, etc, when mad
anne was pleased to require 1t. He
performed function in the house
akin to that Of the professional
dinners out Of the French capital,
who may be hired on an emergency
to prevent 0 party from forming
the unlucky number Of thirteen.
1t was one Of those rare contracts,
OF this or any other kind, IN which
each party gets exactly what was
bargained for. The duke was a
gentleman aud wanted to live like
one; the duchess was a wealthy
nobody who hungcred for a fine
namc. Probably no one ever bad
more enjoyment OF the most inno-
cent kind, out ofsuch possession.
On stated days the old lady was at
home, to enable her friends TO SEQ
these wonders; and that tho once
penniless inhcrltor of titular great
ness, whose alliance enabled her to
to display them, was always by
her side. lie was the quictest Of
men; and Ii he had not long before
made up his mind that life was a
comedy to DO enjoyed, the mar
riago must have convinced Of 1t.
lie went away on the heels Of the
not 10 return until he was
to the next fcte. lie
may be said, In fact, TO have stood
IN precisely tho same relation to
the permanent decorations of the
establishment Us the ex0tics hired
by the day for n garden party. lie
liked II, or at any rate il was what
he disliked the least. He had his
long intervals of glorious liberty,
his spouse, TO do her justice, being
a considcrate employer and never
requiring his attendance for mere
tete-a-tetc. His allowance allowed
him to figure In his own world
with becoming distinction, or at
least without the shifts and en-
barrassments that were offensive
to his soul. lie could pay his sub.
scription to the club, he could dine
q friend, he could loose a trinc al
baccarat without having also to
lose a meal. There was never a
world of difference between them,
and those who did not know the
secret Of the arrangement that Sc
cured their harmony, thought them
an ideally happy pair. So they
lived, during the comparatively
brief period of their union, and SO,
at length, they died, Duke went
first, and his bereavcd partner did
as much Justice to the character of
the noble widow as she had done
to that of the noble wife.