romains, si salement reproduits sur le triste toile de nos coulisses, j'y pense sans cesse et je demande en vain à mes chanteurs d'Ionie de calmer l'impatience que j'ai de rentrer brillante et riche des amours d'Antoine et de Xipharès.
She goes on to express with what joy she has heard of the possible appointment of Merle, husband of Madame Dorval, to the Directorate:—
I would re-enter the Comédie Française willingly then, for now I feel like an exile, banished from all the applause and brightness of life. I implore you, Madame, to use your influence for M. Merle. I will work very hard to make his winter a success. I am going over my repertory now, and am studying Marion Delorme, Alfred de Vigney's Desdemona, and Mademoiselle de Belle Isle.
Arsène Houssaye and not Merle was nominated by the Ministry. As soon as Rachel heard of it, she wrote the following letter to the new Director:—"Come at once and dine with me; I have a piece of bad news for you. I did my best—or, rather, my worst. You are appointed, in spite of me."
It was said that Josephine in the heyday of her youth and beauty ruled Europe: for there was little doubt Napoleon ruled Europe, and she ruled Napoleon. Lockroy, Buloz, Arsène Houssaye, were all supposed to direct the Théâtre Français; but each in turn fell beneath the sway of the syren, so that, in reality, its affairs were in the hands of "the first lady." By the actress's indignant protest, in her letter to Madame de Girardin, we see that the Ministry had come to this conclusion in the case of citizen Lockroy. It was of little avail protesting, however; for soon it began to be whispered that, not only were the Directors, each in succession, subject to her influence, but that the Prince President himself bowed beneath her power, and accepted what terms she chose to
