He rea

at the Opera, indicating at the same time the domino by which
she would be distinguished. They meet, have a quarrel, M.
Philippe B is about to pluck the mask from her face,
when who should interpose, but the lady's husband.
soned with M. Philippe B on the impropriety of attacking
a lady in the open ball room, and taking her, still unknown to
him on his arm, was moving away when M. Philippe, thinking
that Madame C— would disclose every thing, and wishing
to act as a brave man, appointed to meet the husband at the
Café Anglais before five o'clock in the morning.
On going
to the Café M. Philippe found there a friend of his, M. Etienne,
whom fortune threw in his way for the occasion, and to whom
he related the whole of the previous facts. Soon after M. de
C—————, the husband, appeared in person, having descended
from his vehicle at the door of the Café on the Boulevard, and
left behind him ensconced in the corner, the real live Madame
de C herself. He advanced to the box where the two
friends were sitting, and the rest of their interview shall be
given in the author's words.

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"Can I speak before this gentleman,' said he to Philippe. This gentleman is my friend; I have confided everything to him.’— Everything?" Yes, everything.' Well, sir, this unfortunate woman has confided everything to me also. Everything?' 'Yes, everything.' 'I am at your command; what is your weapon, your time? Stop, Madame de C—— is off,' was the sudden ̧ interruption of Etienne. Madame de C- cried M. de C furi. ously, you have said Madame de C.' 'Etienne, Etienne, what have you done?' said Philippe in a sorrowful tone. Will you answer me, M. de B———,' said M. de C—, placing himself opposite Philippe, and staring at him with a cold menacing air; will you answer me; who was that woman with whom you left me at the ball of the opera ? And what right have you, sir, to ask me to render an account of my conduct? It is the second time to-night that you have interfered with me, and it has occurred twice too often.' Was that Madame de C-,' repeated M. de C, beside himself. nothing to answer.' Was that Madame de C-?' roared M. de C, more and more enraged; answer, sir, or I will Not one word, not one motion more!' interrupted Philippe ; Have I not already told you that I am at your command.' You avow it then? you are not so cowardly as I believed you to be!' At these words M. de C sat down; he no longer doubted, he reflected; he was revolving in his mind the means of carrying out the desperate duel which was in preparation.

I have

"What had passed between him and Madame de C? Doubtless this husband so tender of his honour had been guilty of the very crime which he considered deserving of death in his own wife.

Doubtless he had listened and opened his heart to the lies, seduction, and hatred of an unknown woman, whom everything ordained him to distrust. Madame de C had skilfully caught at the plank of safety offered to her. While exciting her new and strange slave against Philippe, she had provided for herself an unexpected method of flight. And above all things it was necessary to fly.. Everything else was left to chance.

Etienne and Philippe were smoking; M. de C— remained absorbed in his reflections. This silence could not be long carried on. Philippe interrupted it. Well, sir,' said he to M. de C—————, 'I await your commands, when do you wish that my witnesses should meet yours?' What is the use of witnesses ? What is the use of putting off what may be done here this moment? What do you say to it?' Waiter!'' Sir !' 'Two swords.' 'Yes, sir.' And ten lamps on the Boulevard.' Yes, sir.' The waiter went out, M. de C, Philippe and Etienne did the same thing. Swords and lamps were brought; the guests came to the windows, the drivers descended from their seats, the waiters of the Café approached, and the combat began. It was not a long one; at the second pass M. de C fell to rise no more. When the police arrived everything had returned to its usual quiet and obscurity. On the morrow Philippe received the extra bill of the Café Anglais. Between the lobster salad and the entremets of truffled partridges a curious side dish was brought in:-Duel-500 francs Philippe paid it, gave ten louis to the waiters, and ..

"

Vain efforts had been made to charm back again the voice of Mademoiselle Falcon, extraordinary means had been spoken of to effect it, and amongst the rest it was said that a glass bell had been placed over her mouth, and had succeeded in restoring it. To the great delight of her admirers she came out again in la Juive and the Huguenots, but only to disappoint them, and to burst out into convulsive sobs on the stage on the shoulder of Duprez. Madame Gras replaced her in les Martyrs of Donizetti, and Madame Stolz appeared in la Favorite and Don Sebastian by the same author. Baroilhet the famous tenor, sang in this last opera the barcarole, Pécheurs de la rive, the second trophe of which produced wild applause at the rehearsal. Madame Stolz, roused to jealousy, had the strophe suppressed; Donizetti on learning this became furious, and was struck with the first of these attacks of bewilderment, which ended by taking away his reason. In the last year of his intellectual life, he had composed twenty-two acts of operas, amongst them was Don Pasquale, and a miserere for the court of Austria. The excessive labor worked on his mind; he had already shewn various eccentricities, frequenting every evening seven or eight cafés, and always calling for rice-milk. At length

it became necessary to have him transferred to a nad-house in the Champs Elysées. Here he became resigned and silent; stretched upon a sofa in the middle of the garden, and covered almost with flowers, his head bent upon his breast, he passed whole days without a word. He could not even recognise his friend, Accursi, and the only thing that roused him, was the Cavatina de la folie in Lucia. He opened his eyes, and beat time to the music; but when this was ended, his head fell again, and he relapsed into his senseless state of existence. Such was the end of this great man.

In the middle of April, 1840, two of the best dancers quit. ted the theatre; Mademoiselle Essler went off to America, where she picked up more dollars than she could gather francs at Paris; and Mademoiselle Albertine departed on a visit of three months to London. This was a great loss to the stage. Meanwhile, a change had taken place in the management, M. Léon Pillet, from being a royal commissioner, was joined with M. Duponchel, and M. Edouard Monnais took the place of the first. M. Pillet was a simple man, without vanity, and not dreaming of the fortune which his friends thought he should make at the opera, but he lost it. He was not sufficiently strong minded to resist noxious influences; he idolised Madame Stolz, and was led by the nose by his friend le père Gentil, both of whom ruined his prospects. From the 10th to the 20th of August the theatre was shut, and when it re-opened, it was without any effect. Mario had been dismissed and gone over to the Italians, and his place supplied by Marié, who deceived all expectations. Baroilhet was the only person who supported the end of the season of 1840, in la Favorite. Such was the result of abandoning all the arrangements of M. Duponchel.

A discovery had been made in the person of Mademoiselle Catinka Heinefetter, sister to the celebrated Sabina Heinefetter, a young lady, handsome and capable of improving her talent, but, unfortunately for herself, she was placed between the ill-will of M. Pillet, and the jealousy of Madame Stolz. Her singing, which was very respectable, was favorably received by the public, the management was against her, and she was obliged to yield. She went off to Bruxelles, leaving behind her at Paris a M. Caumartin, an admirer, for whom she professed the most extreme affection, and to whom she wrote periodical effusions in Germanised French. The Grand Theatre at

Bruxelles received her with open arms, she played with success the characters of Rachel in la Juive, and Valentine in les Huguenots, and found in the person of a M. Sirey, a new lover, while she was still corresponding with the old one at Paris. On the evening of the 9th November, 1842, on returning to her apartments from the play, she found M. Caumartin already there, having just arrived across the frontier. A supper for six persons was prepared, three young ladies of her acquaintance, M. Sirey, M. Milord, and herself. She invited M. Caumartin to join them, he appeared somewhat out of humour, but subsequently did sup. A quarrel arose between the two gentlemen, and the ladies, in order to appease it, left the room to go to rest. On their departure the fight began again, some abusive expressions were interchanged with blows of their fists, and strokes of their canes. At length M. Sirey fell to the ground, pierced by a cane sword, and crying out, "He has killed me." M. Caumartin cried out in reply," He threw himself on me!" and then ran out to look for a doctor. When the medical man came he found M. Sirey dead, with nine inches of the sword in his body. M. Caumartin fled first to Paris, but afterwards gave himself up to the Belgian authorities, and was tried on the 19th of April, 1843, at the sittings of the criminal court in the free University. His advocate, M. Chaix, attacked the conduct of M. Sirey and Mademoiselle Heinefetter, shewed how the latter had played his client false, had roused him to the quarrel, and how both had done their utmost to irritate him. There was one bad circumstance against the prisoner, namely, the possession of the cane sword, from which it might be thought he had crossed the frontier with a premeditation to attack his rival. He replied on his examination, that he had got the cane made at Paris preparatory to a journey to Italy, and that he had come to Bruxelles for the sole purpose of returning to Mademoiselle Heinefetter the key of her room, which he held, as he intended. giving up her society, and was about to get married. The jury acquitted M. Caumartin, but Mademoiselle Heiac fetter was for ever ruined and dishonored. Her career was suddenly checked, the entrances of all the great theatres of Paris. London, Vienna, and Naples were shut against her. Such a costly luxury was it to have M. Caumartin for her admirer.

It is a curious thing to read an account the number of appliances necessary to bring out an opera, the different description of

scenes, traps, lighting apparatus, dresses, &c., but it would be wearisome to give even a sketch of them here. It may be mentioned that the expenses for bringing out a first-class piece vary from 100,000 to 120,000 francs, an enormous sum, requiring very large receipts to repay the management. To give an item, there are three sorts of slippers provided for the danseuses, drab, white, and flesh-colored. The first-class ladies are entitled to have their drab slippers renewed after every third performance, and their white or flesh-colored after every second. The second class, or the figurantes, receive a new pair of drab after eight, and the white or flesh-colored after six performances. It was found, however, that the latter young ladies had a strong eye to economy, and used to continue using the old, while they exchanged the new slippers for ordinary walking shoes. To remedy this evil, and compel them to wear what was provided for them, they now can only receive a new pair on delivering up the old, and this is done by consecutive numbers; number eleven being handed out of the stock, when number ten is given up.

There is a secret part of the Theatre, the adyta of this temple of the muses, of which it may be well to say a few words. The dressing room of the dancers is considered the most private and secret recess of the shrine, and it is generally considered that in it are carried on many of these intrigues behind the scenes so often spoken of. It is also usually thought to be adorned and furnished with the most expensive luxury; such is not the real fact. Except perhaps the dressing-rooms of Miles. Nau, Falcon and Essler, the rest are closets of six or seven feet square, somewhat resembling a perfumer's shop turned topsy-turvy. The entrance to them can only be effected through the scenes, and subject to a rigorous examination. In fact the only men permitted to enter them are the husbands, hair-dressers, and other indispensable nothings. Each first class danseuse, called premier sujet, has a closet to herself, the second, or coryphées, have one for two or three persons, and the third rank of figurantes must accommodate themselves ten or twelve together. One of these closets has got the name of la loge des Minerves, because it was for a long time frequented by six or seven of the most proper ladies of the corps de ballet. Even they, however, were obliged to admit a man amongst them, M. Pointe their hairdresser, confident, friend, daily journal and pantalonneur, that is stretcher of tights. He provided

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