After the wedding and her family's departure for Mexico, the unhappy Maria discovered that her husband's affairs had for some time past been in a very bad state, and that he had really been counting on the income which would accrue from her talents. Matters grew rapidly worse, and within a year of the marriage he was declared bankrupt and thrown into prison. Under these circumstances Maria at once, of her own accord, determined to resign, for the benefit of her husband's creditors, the whole of the provision which had been made for her by the marriage settlements. It was a noble act, which gave rise to strong manifestations of favour and approbation on the part of the American public.
For some months after this she remained in New York, singing on Sundays at Grace Church, and occasionally appearing at the Bowery Theatre in English operettas, such as "The Devil's Bridge" and "Love in a Village."
By this time, however, the youthful contralto had had her eyes thoroughly opened as to the character of the man to whom she had given herself, and at last she bravely decided to cut the Gordian knot by leaving her husband and returning to Europe.
Accordingly her final appearance on the American stage was announced for September 28, 1827, and on this night she took her farewell benefit at the Bowery Theatre, in Boieldieu's "Jean de Paris." Of the closing scene of that evening we read—
"When the programme had been completed, the Signorina came forward and seated herself at her harp, but seemingly overcome with emotion again rose. Mr Etienne, the pianist, thereupon took up the prelude to a farewell song, specially written for the occasion, and this, on regaining her composure, she sang in a most touching and effective manner."
Within a few days of this performance Maria set out for Paris, where, as we shall see, she was to be joined almost immediately by her brother.
And now we will turn to the fortunes of the rest of the Garcia family, who had left New York to inaugurate a season of opera in Mexico.
Upon arriving at the end of the journey, the elder Garcia soon found that the duties of impresario, composer, conductor, chorus master, and even machinist and scene-painter, must all centre in himself.
But this was not the worst, for at the very outset a calamity fell upon the company which with any one else would have been sufficient to bring the season to a close before it had opened, as an Irishman might have put it.
On reaching the Opera House in Mexico city, they at once began to prepare for their forthcoming season. Everything was unpacked, and they commenced going through scenery, dresses, properties, and the rest. All these they found in order. When, however, they began to look for the music score and orchestral parts, they found, to their horror, that nearly the whole of the music had been left behind or lost en route.