This conversation remained engraved on my mind. I remember every word of it, every movement and every gesture of M. Auber’s, for this little man, so charming and so gentle, held my future in his transparent-looking hand. He opened the door for us and, touching me on my shoulder, said:
“Come, courage, little girl. Believe me, you will thank your mother some day for driving you to it. Don’t look so sad; life is well worth beginning, seriously, but gayly.”
I stammered out a few words of thanks, and, just as I was making my exit, a fine-looking woman knocked against me. She was heavy and extremely bustling, though, and M. Auber bent his head toward me and said quietly:
“Above all things don’t let yourself get stout like this singer. Stoutness is the enemy of a woman and of an artiste.”
The manservant was now holding the door open for us, and, as M. Auber returned to his visitor, I heard him say:
“Well, ... most ideal of women....”
I went away rather astounded, and did not say a word in the carriage. Mme. Guérard told my mother about our interview, but the latter did not even let her finish, and only said: “Good, good; thank you.”
The examination was to take place a month after this visit. The difficulty was to choose a piece for the examination. My mother did not know any theatrical people. My godfather advised me to learn “Phèdre,” but Mlle. De Brabender objected, as she thought it a little offensive, and refused to help me if I chose that. M. Meydieu, our old friend, wanted me to work at Chimène, in “Le Cid,” but first he declared that I clenched my teeth too much for it. It was quite true that I did not make the O open enough, and did not roll the R sufficiently, either. He wrote a little notebook for me, which I am copying exactly, as my poor, dear Guérard kept religiously everything concerning me, and she gave me, later on, a quantity of papers which are very useful now.
The following are my old friend’s instructions:
“Every morning instead of do ... re ... mi ... practice te ... de ... de ... in order to learn to vibrate....