Madame Sarah.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 75, 21 December 1907, Page 22

Madame Sarah.

AN AUDIENCE OF THE POPE EASIER TO OBTAIN. II doesn't matter how well you may know hor. You don't call oil Mmo. Sarah Bernhardt as you would call on any other of your frieuds. You ask for an nudienco. You ask for an audionco as you would ask leave to pay your respects to a King or a Queen, or to tho Pope. Tho audionco is always granted. But tho granting of the audionco and tho seeing of Mmo. Sarah Bernhardt are two very different mattors. I liavo been told that tho journey from the entrance of the Vatican into .tho presonco of tho Pope is difficult and complicated. It cannot bo more complicatod or more difficult than is the journey from tho stago door of tho Theatre Sarah Bernhardt into Mmo. Sarah's presenco. As for a visit to her at her house in the Boulovard PoroLrc, that is a good deal sitnplor. You aro received by a man-servant, j who hands you over to another man-servant,-| tlion a maid takes your name, and finally one of Mme, Sarah's intimates comes and tolls you that Mmo. Sarah really can't see you to-day, and will you teloplionc. Wriggling Towards an Audience. At tho theatre it is, different. The conciorge downstairs doesn't think that Mme.; Sarah is in tho theatre. By the way, every-' body calk her Mmo. Sarah. If you ask for ilrao. Bernhardt you are- laughed at. And if you say "Madame" you" aro known to be an intimate or else one of her servants.. In that case you don't see her at all, but aro handed over to Antonio. ' Antonio is a polyglot Italian with white hair, and a fund of stories of the hard work ho has,to do. When ho is not turning out visitors he sleeps in a chair in tho outer ante-chamber (there are two ante-chamjiers .to Mme. Sarah's dressing-room in tho theatre), and oxplains between snores that t is a dog's life, and that ho has been up all' light and the night before. This is usually irue, for Mmo. Sarah spares neither herself aor her fellow-workers. On Friday ovoning, my audionco having 'it'en granted, I had wriggled past tho con•iorgo, waked up.Antonio, and battled with, ,'itou. Pitou is Mme. Sarah's privato secretary. Ho goes into tho sanctuary of janctuaries, and tells Madame that you aro shore. You hear the well-known golden voice say, " Mais jo no peux pas, je ne peux pas! Faites le entrer tout de memo." You shake off seventeen intimato friends who have been waiting in tho second room for 'lours, you take Mme. Louise Abbema, tho winter,, with you, and you go into tho Pre;enco. . ' . . ..: In the Presence, Mme. Sarah shakes' her .finger at; -you. 1 Oil, you journalists," she says. " I air load—l—and you como to gloat over my remains. You will not remember that I an) an old woman:" If you aro a wise man you won't, and you will say so as prettily as you'can. _ ... lime. Sarah fires a little compliment ,at every dross, kisses the chief 'assistant,'' ahd ' pinches the two youngest apprentices', chins, 'fou have a feeling that tho.two apprentices, will keep'those- chins unwashed for icroral days, and will preserve; the'memory ;>f the pinch, to tell of it to t)Vbir. -"grands ■hildron. I Then Mme. Sarah proceeds out through ':he . two ante-chambers .to . tho staircase: "ivcrybody has formed up in lino, and her (Progress reminds ono of tho Tuilcrics scene in a Napoleonic play. . Tho carriago drives off. "Wo liavo been hard at it all day," says ) Pitou. "I am going. homo to- get something tb eat now, ind 'she wants mo at tho Boulovard Percire for more work at nine. She will go to bed at half-past ono, and get up at eight. Quelle fommel Oh, moil -Dieti, .quelle, fommel" says Pitou. But Pitou is .quito; wrong. Mme/ Sarah is art's msarn&ioh; : not a woman—John N. Raphael, in tho "Evening Standard."