But this is digressing from our story. We left Sarah as a débutante at the Comédie Française. Her début, as we have seen, was not very brilliant. But if her entrance into France’s most famous theatre was not particularly exciting, her exit was the reverse.
CHAPTER IX
In the Comédie Française stands a statue: the bust of Molière, the great actor-playwright to whom the theatre is dedicated. Each year, on the anniversary of his death, every actor and actress belonging to the company attached to the playhouse must file past the statue and salute.
It was due to an incident occurring during this annual ceremony that Sarah Bernhardt left the Comédie for the first time.
The actresses were assembled in a corridor giving access to the statue—the sociétaires (actresses who had completed their period of apprenticeship) naturally taking precedence over the débutantes. All were in costume, and over the costumes they wore the long mantle, showing their badge of membership of the Comédie. These mantles had long trains and, in endeavouring to avoid treading on one of them, little Régine Bernhardt, who held Sarah’s hand, inadvertently stepped on that worn by Madame Nathalie, one of the oldest actresses of the theatre, whom Sarah described as “old and wicked.”
Madame Nathalie turned and, roughly seizing the child, pushed her so violently that she was flung against a stone pillar bruising her side and cutting her face.
Sarah Bernhardt forgot the solemnity of the occasion, forgot the distinction of the company, forgot everything except that her little sister had been wantonly struck.
“Beast!” she cried, and, running to the old actress, slapped first one side of her face and then the other, as hard as she could strike. The blows resounded throughout the corridor.
Madame Nathalie remained rooted to the spot. Sarah stood before her, with panting bosom and eyes flashing fire. For an instant it looked as though the ceremony would be spoiled, but other members of the company rushed between the two and they were hurried in different directions.