MADAME MELBA.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 307, 29 December 1891, Page 5

MADAME MELBA.

REMARKABLE DIVORCE SUIT.

DUKE OF ORLEANS CO-RESPONDENT

(FKOai etTR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.)

Los doit, November 6. A great deal of sensational nonsense has, ao doubt, been cabled to Australia during this last week concerning the Armstrong divorce suit. The plain truth is said to be as follows : — When Mr Armstrong came from Australia Madam Melba made a desperate attempt to live with him. His tastes and habits were entirely antipathetic to hers. Still she tried, as she explains, to be nice, and for a short time life ran fairly, smoothly with there-united couple. When, however, the novelty .of being a great prima donna's husband wore off, relations again became strained, and seven or eighb weeks ago thinge came to a crisis, and Mrs Armstrong instructed Malleson and Malleson (her solicitors) to file a petition for judicialseparation on thegroundsof cruelty. Armstrong has retaliated with a petition lor divorce, making the Duke of Orleans co-respondent. This is really, Melba's friends aver, a pieoe of the merest brag. All Melba's friends know the truth about the Duke. In pure, selfish thoughtlessness he compromised her abominably in. public. There, however, the matter ended. Melba is a passionless woman, wriipb up in her art, all her life, all her energy,all her al'lareintl. Tho young Duke'e adoring admiration tickled her vanity ar. first. He followed her about everywhere, listening to.her lovely voice with hungry ears, and snapping up greedily any kindly word she threw at him. Most prima donnas are troubled with a follower or followers of j this description. If the young idiot hadn't been the Duke of Orleans no one would j have noticed him. At Vionna, Madam received the Duke at her hotel occasionally, and let him escort her once to the opera when she-wasn't playing. This evening's entertainment was a serious indiscretion (from an Austrian point of view), and led to scandal. The Imperial family formed the worst conclusions on seeing tho pair together in puolic, and 'tis alleged that when they came to the front of the Duke's box the ladies of the court circle with-, drew. When Melba learnt the significance placed on this incident she was greatly annoyed, and upon the Duke following her to" St. Petersburg, she got the Czar to interview and order him off. The young man soemed bent, however, on playing the fool, and presently actually ventured to Paris to see and hear j the prima donna. The absurdest stories' were current at this time. One paper declared the Duke wae in Melba's house disguised as butler. Another, that she had concealed him in her boudoir. When, however, the police actually did pay Madam a domiciliary visit they found not an indication of H.R.H. having been there. The sole suspicious fact waa that Melba declined to say whether she had or had not seen her friend in Paris. Armstrong has had two detectives and a solicitor rummaging in Vienna for tho last fortnight, but without much result. The allegation in the petition is that Melba committed adultery with the Duke of Orleans in Sachzor'e Hotel, Vienna, on February 20th, the latter figuring as M. De Villiers. The proprietor (according to Armstrong) admits Melba came there, but blandly denies ahe wab accompanied by the Orleaniat prince.

. The Duke of Orleans was warned ten days or more ngo that an attempt was about to be made to serve hiai with a citation as corespondent in the divorce suit, and his servants have been on the alert for su3picious strangers. At St. Johann, in' Moravia, where tho Prince waa staying with Baron Hirsoh, several stratagems were, tried fruitlessly. On Wednesday morning, however, as he arrived at Vienna, H.R.H. gob Dearly caught. Two gentlemen in evening dress asked leave to present a bouqueb and a petition as the Duke stepped from the railway carriage. He handed the flowers to a secretary, and opened the petition, which was neatly tied with ribbon. No eooner, howevar, did "Victoria by the Grace of Cod " reach his eye than he realised what had happened, and flinging the papers from him, cursed the rapidly retreating form of the process server with fluency. It subsequently transpired Armstrong claims £20,000 damages. Melba's fate now to a great extent depends on the reality of her royal friend's friendship. If he submits himself to the ordeal of the witness box, all will be well. If, however, H.R.H. is too lazy or too proud to do so, the jury will almost certainly charitably assume the worst.. A gossip reminds me that it was in consequence of a breach of etiquette at a State concert that the Duke was obliged to leave St. Petersburg. • After, Melba sang the Prince was so enraptured he led the applause, instead of waiting for the Czar to do so. His Majesty ordered him out of tho room forthwith, buthe ignored the Imperial message till one of the Grand Duchesses came and implored him not to make a scandal. Next day he was requested to leave Russia.

In the Itulian Opera Company at present in London are many artistes who know Melba and sympathise with her in her present trouble. None of them for a moment believe her to have been guilty of anything more than indiscretion iv her friendship for Prince Louis. An absurd story appeared in some of last evening's papers to the elfect that the trial would take place in Melbourne. Needless to say as proceedings have been commenced in the English Courts, in the English Courts the case svill be tried.

On (lit in Vienna that the Duke of Orleans is intensely chagrined at having been successfully served with a citation. JJis schorao was to avoid service indefinitely, and thus render Armstrong's action abortive. Now he is on the horns of a dilemma, and either horn means scandal.