Year: 1873




RecoIlections of the Countess Guic.


cioli.


I was living In Paris in 1874 or As, at
all events about the time that Eugene's
Sues novel of the 3" Juif Errant ap-
peared. The glowing description of his
heroine, Adrienne de CardouYille's gol-
den hair, not only made auburn popu-
lar, which had hitherto been rather at a
discount because other women would
unpleasantly suggest its being red, but
| brought out with successful self-asser-
tion, even the carroty locks which up to
this time had been kept IN the back
ground or had sought concealment of
hair dye. was walking Just about the
beginning of the twilight hour, with q
lady on my arm, when a young damsel,
as I thought, passed US, accompanied
by her cavalier. Her profuse reddish
| golden hair hung down below her we'll
| developed bosom. Notwithstanding
her embonpoint should have judged
her to be between eighteen and two-aud-
4
panion, 'fThere goes a CardouviIle girl
who ought to be the height of the fash
ion" "Girl, indeed, said she, with
toss Of her head g don't you know who
that is {? That is the Guiccioli. She is
45 years old if she is a day" Shortly
| after I met her at the house of Monsieur
and Madame Sierra. On closer inspec-
ton she looked much older than [ had
taken her to be, and though she must
have been nearer 45 than 40, did not
look 30 years of age. Byron in one of
his letters, writes, in reference to her ::
{" have fallen in love with a red-headed
woman > but her glorious, indescrib-
able hair was really of that hue never
found but IN the south of Europe, rare
ly there, and most frequently IN the
north of Italy, where it is derived from
the Lombard blood, and which is truly
designated as gClden-the hair which
the ancient Greeks ascribed to Apollo
and Homer to his Achilles. Though
far from being brilliant, though in fact
intellectually ather below than above
the average of women, there was an un-
accountable fascination about her. Some
one attributed this to her being q in
tensely feminine, and said of her that
though what she did might be uncon-
ventional and improper, and though
what she said might not be sensible, yet
that she could not do or say anything
that was not graceful even if she tried.
Her liRison with Byron was the glory
of her life, and she was never weary of
talking of it. Though she never cared
absut or understood his poetry, she was
in love with his memory, and glorisd IN
his glory because it was his. Though,
like every italian woman, she had her
fits of religious devotion-superstitio
still lingering where faith is dead-nev-
er could she be persuaded that there
was anything wrong about their inter
course, and when an eminent French
divine once spoke to her on the subject,
she told him, with flashing eyes, that
% she had enjoyed her heaven already,
and never wo1ld she give up her recol-
lection of it for another, even though
everlasting" Subsequently she visited
England, where her reception as By
ron's mistress was the greatest tribute
ever paid to genius. All the proprieties
or pruderies of conventionality fell be-
fore that name. The highest and most
virtuous ladies In the land threw open
their doors to her but, strangest of all
Lady Byron herself invited her TO visit
her, which she did. Some years after,
the fashionable world of Paris was
astounded by an astonishing event
There was certain marquis de Boissy,
of illustrious lineage, large hereditary
wealth, and unsullied reputation He
was considered the highest referee in all
matters Of honor his appreciation of
statue or a picture, his applause of an
opera, an actor, or a singer insured its
success. In the Chamber of Peers he
was an eccentric Ieeitimatist orator,
permitted to say what no one else
would have been. For years all the
matchmaking mothers IN the faubourg
had been trying in vain TO capture him
as the most eligible parti in France.
AS he was now a good deal past middle
age, all hope Of trapping him was given
up, when 10 came the announcement
that he had married the Guiccioli He
was accustomed always TO introduce her
with pride as 50 my wife, the Guiccioli
Lord Byron's mistress" They lived
happily together for many years, and
until he died, IN 1866.