nt forest, of enameled meadow, of
crystal stream, of pure sky to one who had been blind. It was another
atmosphere, another life. Brief as was her visit, it gave an impulse to
those germs which lie deep in every poetic soul. She saw there was an
illimitable world of Art, whose threshold as yet she had hardly
trodden--and she went home full of the inspiration caught at the ancient
fountains of Poetry and Art. From that time an intellectual change seems
to have passed over her. Her studies took new channels, and her
impersonations were mellowed and glorified from her personal contact with
the associations of a great past.

A visit to Stratford-on-Avon was one of the most delightful events of the
trip. It seemed to Mary Anderson the emblem of peace and contentment and
quiet; and though as a stranger she did not then enjoy so many of the
privileges which were willingly accorded her during the present visit to
this country, she still looks back to the day when she knelt by the grave
of Shakespeare as one of the most eventful and inspiring of her life.

Much of the time of Mary Anderson's European visit was spent in Paris.
Through the kindness of General Sherman she obtained introductions to
Ristori and other distinguished artists, and, to her delight, secured also
the _entree_ behind the scenes of the Theatre Francais. Its magnificent
green-room, the walls lined with portraits of departed celebrities of that
famous theater, amazed her by its splendor; and to her it was a strange
and curious sight to see the actors in "Hernani" come in and play cards in
their gorgeous stage costumes at intervals in the performance. On one of
these occasions she naively asked Sarah Bernhardt why her portrait did not
appear on the walls? The great artist replied that she hoped Mary Anderson
did not wish her dead, as only under such circumstances could an
appearance there be permitted to her. "Behind the scenes" of the Theatre
Francais was a source of never-wearying interest, and Mary Anderson
thought the effects of light attained there far surpassed anything she had
witnessed on the English or American stage.

The verdict of Ristori, before whom she recited, was highly favorable, and
the great _tragedienne_ predicted a brilliant career for the young
actress, and declared she would be a great success with an English company
in Paris, while the "divine Sarah" affirmed that she had never seen
greater originality. On the return journey from Paris