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"This," said Bixiou, imitating Odry in "Les Funambules," "is high comedy, for we will make the first orator we meet pose for us, and you shall see that in those halls of legislation, as elsewhere, the Parisian language has but two tones, Self-interest, Vanity." As they got into their citadine, Leon saw in a rapidly driven cabriolet a man to whom he made a sign that he had something to say to him.
"Well, the tragic is not lacking in your play," said Gazonal. "It is six o'clock. Before we take you to see Odry in 'Les Saltimbauques' to-night," said Leon to Gazonal, "we must go and pay a visit to Madame Cadine, an actress whom your committee-man Massol cultivates, and to whom you must therefore pay the most assiduous court."
Odry is a connoisseur of chinaware. The elephantine Lepeintre junior runs into debt and lives the life of a coquin de neuveu. Alcide Tousez, Sainville and Ravel carry on in the green room just as they do on the stage, inventing cock-and-bull yarns and cracking jokes. Arnal composes classic verse, admires Samson, waxes wrath because the cross has not been conferred upon him.
She went into raptures about Italian music, and laughed over the ruins of Odry, yawned in a becoming manner at the legitimate drama, and cried at the sight of Madame Dorval's acting in some ultra-melodramatic piece. Above all, Liszt played at her house twice, and was so gracious, so unaffected! It was charming!
Pleased with Bouffé to our heart's full content, we look around amongst all the range of actors to find some approach to his inimitable talent, not being so unreasonable as to hope to discover his equal, but our search ends in disappointment, we seek in vain for the representatives of Perlet, Odry, Laporte, and Potier, to whose comic powers we are indebted for many a laughing hour, but they are now replaced, as well as many other of our old acquaintances, by substitutes who are but sorry apologies for those we have lost; however, although the French theatre has certainly retrograded in respect to its dramatics personæ, it has gained surprisingly with regard to scenery, decorations, and costumes, which very considerably enhance the interest of a theatrical performance, particularly when it is historical, and it is a satisfaction to know that no pains are spared to render the drapery as exact as possible to that worn at the period the piece is intended to represent; thus you have the most accurate peep into olden times that can possibly be afforded, and Paris offers such extreme facilities for ascertaining what description of dress was adopted at any particular age, by means of their immense collection of engravings, and written descriptions, contained in their old books, and manuscripts, which are freely produced to any individual on making the proper application.
The French army was dressed in white, after the mode of the Austrian; the regiments were called legions; instead of numbers they bore the names of departments; Napoleon was at St. Helena; and since England refused him green cloth, he was having his old coats turned. In 1817 Pelligrini sang; Mademoiselle Bigottini danced; Potier reigned; Odry did not yet exist.
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