tion who had voted the
death of Louis XVI., and who himself fell by the hand of an
assassin. Mdlle. le Peletier Saint-Fargeau was called "La Fille
de la Nation."--EDITOR.]

I have said rival companies, but only the two permanent ones came under
that denomination; the others were what we should term "scratch
companies," got together for one or two performances of a special work,
generally a musical one, as in the case of Flotow's "Rob Roy" and
"Alice." They vied in talent with the regular troupes presided over
respectively by Madame Sophie Gay, the mother of Madame Emile de
Girardin, and the Duchesse d'Abrantes. Each confined itself to the
interpretation of the works of its manageress, who on such evening did
the honours, or of those whom the manageress favoured with her
protection. The heavens might fall rather than that an actor or actress
of Madame Gay's company should act with Madame d'Abrantes, and _vice
versa_. Seeing that neither manageress had introduced the system of
"under-studies," disappointments were frequent, for unless a member of
the Comedie-Francaise could be found to take up the part at a moment's
notice, the performance had necessarily to be postponed, the amateurs
refusing to act with any but the best. Such pretensions may at the first
blush seem exaggerated; they were justified in this instance, the
amateurs being acknowledged to be the equals of the professionals by
every unbiassed critic. In fact, several ladies among the amateurs
"took eventually to the stage," notably Mdlles. Davenay and Mdlle. de
Lagrange. The latter became a very bright star in the operatic
firmament, though she was hidden in the musical world at large by her
permanent stay in Russia. St. Petersburg has ever been a formidable
competitor of Paris for securing the best histrionic and lyrical talent.
Madame Arnould-Plessy, Bressant, Dupuis, and later on M. Worms, deserted
their native scenes for the more remunerative, though perhaps really
less artistic, triumphs of the theatre Saint-Michel; and when they
returned, the delicate bloom that had made their art so delightful was
virtually gone. "C'etait de l'art Francais a la sauce Tartare," said
some one who was no mean judge.

The Comte Jules de Castellane, though fully equal, and in many respects
superior, in birth to those who professed to sneer at the younger branch
of the Bourbons, declined to be guided by these opponents of the new
dynasty in their