SARAH BERNHARDT'S STUDY OF L'AIGLON.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 9098, 16 March 1901, Page 6 (Supplement)

SARAH BERNHARDT'S STUDY OF L'AIGLON.

The old definition of genius ao "aii infinite capacity for taking pains" finds further corroboration m Alme. Benihardt's account of her study of the character of the Duke of Reichstadt m Rostand's play., Shejspeaks of her methods of study to Air Vance Thompson, who reports his interview iff The Saturday Evening Post (Philadelphia). She visited, of course, the castle of Schoenbrunn, and, at night; the battle-field pf Wagram. . Then, after the study of the historical character, came the more difficult part of -ber task, of which she speaks as follows: — : "Then the thing was to. express it, (the character) — to make myself, m walk j and gesture and Word, not Sarah Bera-j hardt, but the Duke of Reichstadt, son of the Eagle. {' "I had all his costumes here m the house. For three months I wore themj. every moment when I Was not on the stage or m the street. And think, then — my secretary, my friends, , myi maids, aU my servants had instructions to treat me as though I were really the Duke of* Reichstadt. I went to, breakfast with cloak and sword, and the butler would say, 'Your Highness is served.' And so for three/months. When I woke ih the morning I saw this white costume of the young prince, his sword, and boots. At once I was not Sarah Bernhardt; I was back m that gloomy chamber m Schoenbrunn. For those three months,, before the first night of 'L'Aiglon^J>lfved more the life of M. Rostarfd^-<bero than I did my own. One nigjj^ffiis was m Versailles — I rode^cut booted and spurrSd, cloaked arid armed mth a sword; that night I felt as he v must haye felt the j night . of the flight. It was a .trifle awkward at first, for the sword frightened my horse, but we had a wild ride, mile after mLle^ -through the night — I say we, because that night Napoleon's son and I Tode together. "I had learned to" walk and talk as he must bave done: I thought as he must have thought. ' Realty, during those three months I could not attend to my business affairs. I am quite sure I was not myself — I was that poor boy, ■. dying, an enle, m far-away Austria. ** ', And, Alme. Bernhardt adds: "I think, too, my face had grown a little like his !"