Page:Musset - On ne badine pas avec l'amour, 1884.djvu/16

4 PROLEGOMENA. Alfred replied, ’ Prdcisement, parce que je suis jeune, j’ai besoin de tout connaitre, et je veux tout apprendre par ex- perience et non par oui-dire. Je sens en moi deux hommes, l’un quiagit, l’autre qui regarde. Si le premier fait une sottise, le second en profkera. Tot ou tard, s’il plait a Dieu, je paierai mon tailleur. Je joue, mais je ne suis pas un joueur, et, quand j’ai perdu mon argent, cette lecon vaut mieux que toutes les remontrances du monde.’ This seeming doubleness of personality has been observed in other artists, writers, and actors, and Talma has an interesting note on it ; but it was very marked in Musset, and the two natures which he discerned in himself are constantly employed under the mask of two personages, who act as foils to each other, in his plays, and also in the ’ Idylle ’ of Rodolphe and Albert. During the winter of 1829 Alfred de Musset, who had pre- viously brought out a translation, with some additions of his own, of De Ouincey’s Opium-Eater, was gradually completing the set of works which was produced before the end of the year under the title of Contes cPEspagne et d’/talie. The contents of the book made a considerable stir both for and against the author, who, Paul de Musset tells us, secured by it the public he was most anxious to please, that of women and young men. Not long after this publication Musset wrote a play, La Quittance du Diable, which was actually accepted at the Nouveautes Theatre, but for some reason, very likely on account of the Revolution of July 1830, was never per- formed. But on December 1, 1830, there was performed at Harel’s Theatre, the Odeon, Musset’s play Une Nuit Ve’ni- tienne. That there was a violent, or to say the least a strongly prejudiced, opposition to the piece or the author was soon evident, and its ill-success was completed by the actress of Laurette, the heroine, leaning against a newly-painted piece of trellis-work, which left an accurate print of its pattern on her white satin dress. Harel insisted on the piece being played once again, but as this too was a failure it was then withdrawn. In April of the year following, the death of Musset’s father left the family in straitened circumstances, as it appeared at the time. Believing this to be the case, Alfred took a resolution. He would not be a burden to his