[Illustration: Mme. Sadi Carnot. From a drawing by Mlle. Amelie
Beaury-Saurel.]
One day Madame Sadi Carnot sat a long time with me. Her husband had been named undersecretary at the Ministry of Public Works in the new cabinet, and she was very pleased. She was a very charming, intelligent, cultivated woman—read a great deal, was very keen about politics and very ambitious (as every clever woman should be) for her husband and sons. I think she was a great help socially to her husband when he became President of the Republic. He was a grave, reserved man, didn't care very much for society. I saw her very often and always found her most attractive. At the Elysée she was amiable and courteous to everybody and her slight deafness didn't seem to worry her nor make conversation difficult. She did such a charming womanly thing just after her husband's assassination. He lay in state for some days at the Elysée, and M. Casimir Périer, his successor, went to make her a visit. As he was leaving he said his wife would come the next day to see Madame Carnot. She instantly answered, "Pray do not let her come; she is young, beginning her life here at the Elysée. I wouldn't for worlds that she should have the impression of sadness and gloom that must hang over the palace as long as the President is lying there. I should like her to come to the Elysée only when all traces of this tragedy have gone—and to have no sad associations—on the contrary, with the prospect of a long happy future before her."
[Illustration: Photograph, copyright by Pierre Petit, Paris.
President Sadi Carnot.]
W. went the two or three Fridays we were in Paris to the Institute, where he was most warmly received by his colleagues, who had much regretted his enforced absences the years he was at the Foreign Office. He told them he was going to Rome, where he hoped still to find some treasures in the shape of inscriptions inédites, with the help of his friend Lanciani. The days passed quickly enough until we started. It was not altogether a rest, as there were always so many people at the house, and W. wanted to put order into his papers before he left. Freycinet made various changes at the Quai d'Orsay. M. Desprey, Directeur de la Politique (a post he had occupied for years) was named ambassador to Rome in the place of the Marquis de Gabriac. I don't think he was very anxious to go. His career had been made almost entirely at the Foreign Office, and he was much more at home in his cabinet, with all his papers and books about him, than he would be abroad among strangers. He came to dinner one night, and we talked the thing over. W. thought the rest and change would do him good. He was named to the Vatican, where necessarily there was much less to do in the way of social life than at the Quirinal. He was perfectly au courant of all the questions between the Vatican and the French clergy—his son, secretary of embassy, would go with him. It seemed rather a pleasant prospect.
W. went once or twice to the Senate, as the houses met on the 12th or 14th of January, but there was nothing very interesting those first days. The Chamber was taking breath after the holidays and the last ministerial crisis, and giving the new ministry a chance. I think Freycinet had his hands full, but he was quite equal to the task. I went late one afternoon to the Elysée. I had written to Madame Grévy to ask if she would receive me before I left for Italy. When I arrived, the one footman at the door told me Madame Grévy was un peu souffrante, would see me up-stairs. I went up a side staircase, rather dark, preceded by the footman, who ushered me into Madame Grévy's bedroom. It looked perfectly uncomfortable—was large, with very high ceilings, stiff gilt furniture standing against the wall, and the heat something awful,—a blazing fire in the chimney. Madame Grévy was sitting in an armchair, near the fire, a grey shawl on her shoulders and a lace fichu on her head. It was curiously unlike the bedroom I had just left. I had been to see a friend, who was also souffrante. She was lying under a lace coverlet lined with pink silk, lace, and embroidered cushions all around her, flowers, pink lamp-shades, silver flacons, everything most luxurious and modern. The contrast was striking. Madame Grévy was very civil, and talkative,—said she was very tired. The big dinners and late hours she found very fatiguing. She quite understood that I was glad to get away, but didn't think it was very prudent to travel in such bitterly cold weather—and Rome was very far, and wasn't I afraid of fever? I told her I was an old Roman—had lived there for years, knew the climate well, and didn't think it was worse than any other. She said the President had had a visit from W. and a very long talk with him, and that he regretted his departure very much, but that he didn't think "Monsieur Waddington was au fond de son sac." Grévy was always a good friend to W.—on one or two occasions, when there was a sort of cabal against him, Grévy took his part very warmly—and in all questions of home policy and persons W. found him a very keen, shrewd observer—though he said very little—rarely expressed an opinion. I didn't make a very long visit—found my way down-stairs as well as I could—no servant was visible either on the stairs or in the hall, and my own footman opened the big doors and let me out. We got off the first days of February—as, up to the last moment, W. had people to see. We went for two or three days to Bourneville—I had one or two very cold tramps in the woods (very dry) which is quite unusual at this time of the year, but the earth was frozen hard. Inside the woods we were well sheltered, but when we came out on the plain the cold and icy wind was awful. The workmen had made fires to burn the roots and rotten wood, and we were very glad to stop and warm ourselves. Some had their children with them, who looked half perished with cold, always insufficiently clad, but they were quite happy roasting potatoes in the ashes. I was so cold that I tied a woollen scarf around my head, just as the women in Canada do when they go sleighing or skating.
We had a breakfast one day for some of W.'s influential men in the country, who were much disgusted at the turn affairs had taken and that W. could no longer remain minister, but they were very fairly au courant of all that was going on in Parliament, and quite understood that for the moment the moderate, experienced men had no chance. The young Republic must have its fling. Has the country learned much or gained much in its forty years of Republic?
INDEX
Adams, Sir Francis, school friend of
M. Waddington
Aisne, deputies and senators of Department
of the
Alexander of Battenberg, Prince
Alexander of Russia, Grand Duke
(Emperor Alexander III), interview
with
Alexandra, Queen
Ambassadors, treatment of, in Russia
Americans, violation of rules of court
etiquette by; good-natured tolerance
of, in European circles;
Lord Lyons's opinion of women
of
Andrassy, Count, at Berlin Congress;
personality of
André, Alfred
Annamites as dinner guests
Aosta, Due d', in Paris at opening of
exposition; author's impressions of
Arab horses presented to M. Waddington
Arco, Count
Arnim, Count, German ambassador
in Paris; succeeded by Prince
Hohenlohe
Aumale, Duc d', president of Bazaine
court-martial; at ball at
British embassy
Austria, description of Empress of,
when in Paris; stiffness of court
etiquette in
Baden, Grand Duchess of, M. Waddington's meeting with Bazaine, Marshal, court-martial of Beaconsfield, Lord, at Berlin Congress Bear as a pet at German embassy Begging letters received by persons in public life Berlin Congress, the; French plenipotentiaries named to the; M. Waddington's account of doings at Berlin Treaty, signing of Bernhardt, Sarah Beust, Comte de, as a musician Bismarck, Count Herbert, story of telegram from; welcomes M. Waddington to Berlin Bismarck, Countess Marie Bismarck, Prince, account of, at Berlin Congress; anxiety of, over French advance in radicalism; suspicions of sincerity of, in anxiety for France; surprise of, over speedy payment of war indemnity by France Bismarck, Princess, M. Waddington's account of Blowitz, M. de, present during meeting of Berlin Congress; M. Waddington's distrust of; Prince Hohenlohe's high opinion of; at Madame de Freycinet's Borel, General Bourneville, days at; a winter house-party at; a winter visit to Breakfasts, political Bridge, remarks on Broglie, Duc de, cabinet of; unpopularity of; break-up of cabinet Brown, John, retainer of Queen Victoria Bunsen, George de Bunsen family
Canrobert, Marshal Capel, Monsignor Cardinals, incidents attending naming of Carnot, M. Sadi Carnot, Madame Carvalho, Madame Casimir Périer, dislike of, for office of president; mentioned; story of Madame Carnot and Cataldi, Monsignor Catholics, views of, concerning Protestants Chanzy, General, appointed ambassador to Russia Châteaux in France Children interest of Frenchwomen in good treatment of, by French of all classes Chinese ambassador, experience at dinner with Cialdini, General, Italian ambassador in Paris Clarence, Duke of, love affair of, with Catholic princess Comédie Française, finished style of artists of the Compiègne, a scene at, during the Empire Conciergerie Mr. Gladstone at the interest of American visitors in the Conservatoire, Sunday afternoon concerts at the marriages made at the change effected in dress of chorus of the Monsignor Czascki at the Convent of the Soeurs Augustines in the rue de la Santé Corti Italian plenipotentiary to Congress of Berlin feeling of, over establishment of Tunisian protectorate by France Costumes, national, seen in Paris during exposition year Country people lack of interest of French, in form of government attitude of, in election of 1877 enthusiasm of, aroused over Republic Croizette, Théâtre Français artist Cyprus, cession of, to England Czascki, Monsignor, papal nunzio