The Cook and the Prince.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 295, 12 December 1891, Page 4 (Supplement)

The Cook and the Prince.

The Cook Saves the Prince and o&e

Prince Enriches the Cook,

An amusing adventure, which is graphically described in Alphonse Daudet'a / novel, 'The King in Exile,' has been re* called to public mind in Paris by the suicide ab bhe Batignolle of a chief known by the name of Baptiste Harmand, whose fame was due not only to his marvellous skill as a cook, but also to hie ingenuity and resourses of mind, which led to hia figuring very prominently in the sbory above mentioned. Towards the end of tha empire he was acting as a culinary divinity of a famous restaurant ab the Quai d'Orsay, which was frequented ab the time by princes, \ diplomats, cabinet ministers, and, indeed, v by all the highest in the land.

On one occasion thelate Prince of Orange was dining iv one of bhe private rooms on the first floor with a very beautiful married woman, Madame Santerre, a granddaughter of the brewer Santerre who commanded the revolutionary troops ab the execution of King Louis XVI. Madame Santerre waa under surveillance at the bime by her husband, who, owing to her numerous moral eccentricities, was anxious to obtain a separation from her.

Having traced her to the restaurant and ascertained the location of the room where she was dining, he hurried off for the Commissary of Police and demanded his'services for tho purpose of arresting his wife and her companion, and also with a view of securing official record of her misconduct. Fortunately, the proprietors of the restaurant declined to assist in any way bbc police officials, and succeeded in delaying them and leading bhem astray until, bhe lady could effecb her escape. The latter, however, was rendered very difficult by the fact that ail the entrances to the establishment were guarded by the police. The proprietor attempted in vain to pass Mme. Santerre cut through a skylight, but her proportions were of too heroic a character to enable her' to slip through the narrow aperture. Ab length the cook, Baptiste, appeared onthe,scene and suggested that the lady should disguise herself as one of his assistants. The proposition immediately found favour in tho eyes of all concerned, and she was dressed up in the white cap, apron, coat and trousers of a marmiton, and Kith a tray of cakes on her head Mme. San'/ erra passed out of the doors of the establishment directly under the eyes of the jpoiica without attracting their attention.

When M. Santerre and the Commissary of Police finally made their way ho tha room where the dinner had been in progress, they found the Prince of Orange alone, smoking a cigar, and demanding with every appearance of indignahion tha reason of their disturbing him in so offensive a manner. Under the circumstances, bhere was nothing left for them <.o do bub to apologise and withdraw.

On the following day, the Prince handed Baptiste a cheque for 40,000 francs. This proved the ruin of the cook, for he threw up his position, and started an establishment of his own, which did nob prove a success, and in a short time he was-utterly beggared. Mme. Santerre, the famous beauty, whose adventures filled volumes of the 'Chronique Scandaleuse' of Paris, ia reported to be at present in a convent, and to have retired for ever from the world which she formerly interested," amused, and shocked.—' New York Recorder '