And the scene of the prologue with its living background was a fortunate discovery.
What joys I promised myself in being able to work at the theater with my old friend Armand Silvestre. A year before he had written me, "Are you going to let me die without seeing Griseldis at the Opéra-Comique?" Alas, that was the case, and my dear collaborator, Eugene Morland, helped with his poetical and artistic advice.
As I was working on Griseldis, a scholar who was entirely wrapped up in the literature of the Middle Ages and was interested in a subject on that period, entrusted me with a work which he had written on that time, a very labored work of which I was not able to make much use.
I had shown it to Gérôme, whose mind was curious about everything, and as Gérôme, the author and I were together, our great painter whose remarks were always so apropos, ready and amusing said to the author who was waiting for his opinion, "How pleasantly I fell asleep reading your book yesterday."
And the author bowed entirely satisfied.
CHAPTER XXIV
FROM CHÉRUBIN TO THÉRÈSE
I happened to see played at the Théâtre-Français three entirely novel acts which interested me very much. It was Le Chérubin by Francis de Croisset. Two days later I was at the author's house and asked him for the work. His talent, which was so marked then, has never ceased highly to confirm itself.
I remember that it was a rainy day, as we were coming back by the Champs Élysées from the glorious ceremony at the unveiling of the statue of Alphonse Daudet, that we settled the terms of our agreement.
Title, subject, action, everything in that delightful Chérubin charmed me. I wrote the music at Égreville.
His Serene Highness the Prince of Monaco heard that Le Chérubin was set to music, and he remembered Le Jongleur de Notre Dame which he had welcomed so splendidly and which I had respectfully dedicated to him. He had M. Raoul Gunsbourg propose to me that the first performance be given at Monte Carlo. It is not difficult to imagine with what enthusiasm I accepted this offer. Mme. Massenet and I went again to that ideal country in that fairy-like palace of which we have retained such imperishable memories.