A LIFE DRAMA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9991, 30 November 1895, Page 2 (Supplement)

A LIFE DRAMA.

. " v• v 'V v : BOULANGER'S LOVE STORY.

Tgj sto of BiwUiingw'? taw to toW w "Lo Journal de La Belli' ftfounifcre; Lb Central Boulanger and Son Amie," just i publiahet\ in Paris. Mc. T. P. O'Connor, most inimitable of reviewers, j»ivos the story at some length in the Sunday Son. It ia so ! extraordinary a revelation that wo make pjitej^ivo' extracts from '11H O'Oouiior'A article :—\Vlifn General Bpulanger rode into Clormoiit Ferrariu on Sunday, July 10, 1887, after hi* dismissal from the Ministry of War' and his virtual oxile,' as Commander of the 13th Army Corps—then in garrison at Clermont—ollo of enthusiastic crowd who gathered to cheer linn was the proprietress of the Hotel 'd'eS'Marioniefs; iff tlio neighbouring tovyn of Roy To her, as to tniny others at that - moment, General Boiilnngecwas the symbol of all the. passions arid hopes of the French people.' Ha was, as she called himj the " Bravo' General of the Revenge," " who would set out" after his three yfiar.a of retreat in Clermont, " for the war, for tho yiqtory, for.tl.te rcconquest of tile lost provinces." The, grow,l amid which slid found herself was declared by tin old peasant to be the 'largest he had over seon since the visit Of the Third Emporor to trio district. The hero's approach is heralded by all t(ie signs that greet a coming conqueror or roller. Troop§ line the streets ; distinguished looking officers caracole on their horses ; and at' Use he comes— "only a few yards from me, sitting upright on his black horse, the' scarf of tho Legion of Honour around him, his ' breast covered with decorations, 'the two-cornered hat resplendent under tlip white plume." And this is how' ho' struck' his faithful worshipper whon sho caught'the first glimpse of Him "On tho face of this man, adored by these multitudes, at this'very moment of supreme triumph', when all Franco acclaims him, tlip" dominant expression is one of infinite sadness. I cannot be mistaken ; his eyes have for a moment tiirned in my direction; and these eyes aro Infinitely mournful — tho whole face is pule and sombre."

LV Belle MeunjiVe, a} the landlady of the Ifdtol dos Marrohicrs'is called, is a rabid ' Boulan'gist—to "her' ho is the hope, tlio sword, tho'Btroiigtlr of' France. Slit) prays to tho Bles«<jd Virgin every night to protect him in whom many people have placed their hopes, 11 to preserve' him from ivory weakness, to render him' strong for the sako his country." Li Bsllo Mennitico is approached towards the end of the following October by some intermediaries, who desire her to prepare rooms for a lady and a gentleman. There is it tremendous amount of mystery ; men appear oho day cloan-shavo", the next with a false beard; the' precautions are as complex and abundant as if a great transaction of State was being negotiated; all of which suggest!) to I,a Belle Meuniero somehow or other that General Boiilangei' is mixed up in' the affair. But nobody in Clermont or Koy.it knows anything of a love affair of the General which had any seriousness. Peoplodonot think him a saint; on tho contrary, ha is supposed to be of the type.of soldier who range* rapidly ' over a largo variety of amours—without secrecy', without, dignity, and also without danger ; atid ft pretty actress of the CoincJiq Franchise lias'the reputation of being at this moment the temporary Sultana. At last, with every assistance of mystery, a lady arrives. La Belle Meuniure is captured at pneo by the beautiful stranger; and tho conquest is complete when, after the trunks had been unpacked, the lady tells her that sho and the companion whom she expects have come to this hold because they know they Can trust, its honest and humble proprietress. The great lady stretches out her hand. " Will you b» my friend?' sho asks, lookin? at La Bel' o Meunioro with her beautiful limpid brown eyes; and Belle ' Mounicrc,' infinitely touched, kisses the great lady's hand. " I went below, and as I did my work I kept repeating to myself, 'What a delightful woman.' Then a new ring at f.he bell summoned mo onco more to her room. When I oponcd the door i was almost dazzled by tho sight which met my eyes, She stood orect in the middle of her room, dressed in ah evoning dress of lilac satin, trimmed wit.li black lace. Tho bodice, which was cut Tory low, exposed her neck, her shoulders, her arms. Slio was covored with beautiful diamonds. A diamoud aigrette shone in her golden hair. She looked almost divine! Iliivo never before seen a picture so "perfectly harmonious. The shades of the materials in the dress, and the brilliancy of the jewels, agreed wonderfully with the dead white of tho skin. A tea rose was placed in her bosom, and a red carnation in her hair. Sho smiled at my mute admiration. I ended by exclaiming, 1 Alon Djeu, madam?, how bqanfiful you are i' 'One ijhopld bo beautiful for him you lovo,' she replied." Meantime, the evening passed on. Outside a storm was raging; a dog kept hording piteously. When ninp o'clock'sounded tho door bur.st qpen; two men enter; and one leayes immediately. I descend to him. Hp see; me us I approach; 1 take the bag he hands to mc. 1 go upstairs again; he follows ine. I knock ati tho dour; the silvery voice answers -, I open. At the samo momoiio the man who follows me precipitates himself into the room, aim two cries—cries that can never be forgotten— .simultaneously from their lips: "Marguerite!" "George!" And then, La Bplle Mpunirre has the lirst evidence of how overmastering and delirious was tho passion whjch bound this man to this woman. "Sip threw herself into his arm', he embrappd her almost till he suffocated her; he covered her with kisses with indescribable impetuosity. He kissed her vehemently on the hair, the forehead, the eyes, the neck, the shoulders, the arms, the hands—everywhere his mouth could touch the fiefh he adored. It was an indescribable scene of happipese. delirium, superhuman joy. I withdraw, completely overwhelmed by what I have just seen. The violence of this love surpasses all that I could iiavo imagined possible. And tho man who loves with all this vehemence i$ he— idol of the masses— is General Boulanger." La Belle AJennirre has time to study him close at liana—the idol of her imagination and of that of so many others, Whilo they were waiting for their supper La Belle Meunit'u'Q has a further opportunity at observing them and of appreciating tho violence of the man's passion, and it has its effect on even tl|s enthusiastic, devotee who beholds it. The process of disillusion has already begun in tho.mipd of Lit Belle Maunierc. As qho Bits in her room above I theirs, sho reflects. ''I had never imagined I that people could lovo to the extent to which ho loves her," sho says; 11 the nameless violence of his lovo makes one tremble. Ho loves her too much, I fear." ' The process of disillusion went on pretty rapidly, and the worst fears of La Belle Meuniure began to ho confirmed. Whenever she entered the rqom in )vhich were General Boulanger and Mme. do Bonno-main-tho name is now historic—La Belle Mcunjero found the same sceno of delirious worship—the lady drcSspd with all the luxuriouspcas and taste of a Frenchwoman, tho man her willing slave. " This man a Crew!" exclaims Lit Belle Mpjiniure. " You could not imagine a human being so thoroughly free from any serious thought, so exuberant,' so caressing, so like 'a child as ho was during all this lunch—forgetting to eat in his desire to feed on hor looks, new ceasing to gaze at her, seizing every excuse to cover her hand* and tier arms with mad kjsjo;."

And the General himself is candid enough to reveal tho depths of his weakness. During the first visit La Belle Mouiiiero kept up the convention that she did not recognise the identity of her guests ; and so this conversation took plana bo(;weeii her and them Do you believe that the General will succeed in the object" he seeks ?" "Ves, I am ?iure lie will, and I am not the only one of that opinion." "You are certain of it. Why?'' "Because I am sure that lie loves, and will always love, his object beyond everything olse in the world."

The lie to this statement comos soon. "At these words she began to smile curiously. Ho turned hi* ayes towards her, mid those eyes sparkled. 1 felt that 1 ought to retire.' Scarcely had I closed the door when I lieartl him throw himself violently her feet, and cry out; in accents of delirium, ' It is yAu, Marguerite, it is you I love beyond everything olse in the world.'" La Hello Mouniero at once grasps the meaning of such language from the lips of audi a man. '1A shiver went through mo. • I must lmve gone dreadfully pale'/ . . My opinion is now cloar. This man loves this woman as much as ib is possible for a man

—7. ■ r ■ .'.v.- \ .7 . , ... ■ to love., He bolongs to h?r. entirely. 1 ; She will do with him what, she wills! I( she lore him himself morO tlmri for herself she will' make him great; if not, lie is'a lp*ii iml., gpfl'i La Ma,W«iiu^w gets an' answer to this" question.' SIIO looks at n newspaper, for th?'first'titno for some days: ''and then she' makes the hideous discovery that General Bonlwitrer has coma to (riegt this W.otnaq'in (Jqfiane? imli|s_ry ; dispipline. He' liad b'een. told to yoihain'iri his quarters us a aiscipuoary measure! " As is t|!»ui\Vhf lmjl' bijeii j.'r»isfed 1 lo his (tyrole to obey tjiis 'ordqr. Disobedience involved imprisonment in a fortress—per|mps cashiering. All tills lio'Wf \'iskocl in order |o.lceep an appoiiitmontwith'Madaiiießdiihemain. Ho— who sought to lie tliopxemplarof discipline— he lias violated discipline. ' Worse kfiU—-lio, military'liohour personified, jie fias done an act which is almoso'eijuivalont to a broach' of parole. 'And slip b'aij permitted ' him to do this! At last the visit comes to an* end; arid thon, a? 'she is' Racking' tjieir things, La Belle Meiijiiist;e*' hears Boulah«er'inakb his profession of faith. ',1 believe," he said to the woman, that I had reached to the summit of human joy when I tasted lionoura,' flattery, the acclamations cf tlio 'people, renown. But you cairio and you revealed to mo that all this is nothing' in comparison with'tho joy of loving! '.' ! , 1' began to live on the day I know you." ' At last General Boulanger is loft alone; Mow. do Bonnemain has to return to Pari?. Ho is overwhelmed with grief even by ibis short absence.'" La'Belle'Mounii're'finds him in an armchair, " his eye? sunken, his look livid. I tell him lunch is ready. He does not hear mo. He is in a stato of lot|iargy'.", La Belle Meunifcro'is slioc|ved— reasonably enough. "What!" sho kiys to him, "is this all that is left of the man of energy in whom France places all her hopes? What am Ito think—l, tho most devoted 'of Boulangists, if my idol allows himself'to be so uasily cast in the dust?" The unhappy man makes an effort to rouse himself; but the effort is vain. He cannot eat; lie pan only speak of his love. And then, wifli the second sight by which occasionally men are able to see, even through passion-dimmed eyes, the abysses to' which they aro going, Genpral Boulahger draws for La' Belle MeuniiNre a forecast that is startlingly like wliat 'afterwards ime.' '" I love her madly, I live now only for her. I only wish what she wishes. *. . . Where will this lovo lead mo to? I do not even carp to speculate. I let myself go with inlinito delight and with' eyes closed." Ho rose, his' face distorted, his oyes shining feverishly, and placing 0119 hand upon his heart, and stretching out the other as if he we're taking an oath, lie spoke words which I shall never forgot. I'Would you know to what a degreo I love this woman, and to what a degree I have become her slave ? Well, suppose at this instant sho entered, gave me a loaded pistol, and nsked me to put ib to my tomplo and fire, I would obey 011 tho spot as a soldier, without listing for any reason." This sounds theatrical, and oven mockheroic, and, like much of the story, inspires a sense of almost fierce, shame-faced, and eren disgusted repulsion; but it is a story of real life, and let us learn and note it as such. What this poor, weak wretch said, with all those theatrical accessories, lie actually did by and-by. The tragedy is not tlie less real because it is carried out with the exaggeration, tho excessive emphasis, and the almost blatant rhetoric of the mimic passions of the stage. A little later, La Belle Meuniore is still further shocked when she finds General Boulanger lying on tho floor, in a state of frenzy, and uttering hoarse cries of rago and despair because Mdme. de Bonneinain has telegraphed that she is coming by a late instead of an earlier train. Ho refuses to eat anything, and insists on rising at four o'clock in the morning so as to meet her when she arrives at tho station at five. This finishes La Belle McunltVe. She has now become hopeless. "It is astonishing in how short a time I have learned to understand this man, and to what a degreo my preconceived ideas of hiin have been transformed. Boulangist ! Heaven be merciful to me—l am no longer one. I believe no longer in the Cause, sinCo itis all summed up in its loader, and that leader cares loss for it than any other person in'tiie world. I 110 longer seo in 1 him tho political geniu«, nor oven the supreme patriot. Brave General of the Revenge, thou hast disappeared from my gaze into space!" When Bonlanger's star was in the ascendant, when tho whole world devoured rumours of his glory, mid waited breathlessly for the hour when ho would declare himself, ho was distracted, not by ambition or greed of power, but by his love for the woman by whoso graveside ho ultimately shot himself. Happy for France that Madame do'Bonuomain came first in his thought's and his desires !