Identifier: memoriesofmylife00bern (find matches)
Title: Memories of my life : being my personal, professional, and social recollections as woman and artist
Year: 1907 (1900s)
Authors: Bernhardt, Sarah, 1844-1923
Subjects:
Publisher: New York : D. Appleton
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
of laughing that poor Abbey, who had been ter-rified, caught it from me and even Jarrett showed his cruelteeth. My dear Abbey,^ I exclaimed, arrange as you like aboutit, but I must make my debut on )\Ionday, the 8th of November,and to-day is Thursday. I shall be at the theater on ^Mondayto dress. See that I have my trunks, for there was nothingabout the customhouse in my contract. I will pay half, though,of what you have to give. The 28,000 francs were handed overto an attorney w^ho made a claim in my name on the Board ofCustoms. My trunks were left with me, thanks to this deposit,and the rehearsals commenced at Booths Theater. On Monday evening, November 8th, at 8.30, the curtain rosefor the first performance of Adrienne Lecouvreur. The housewas crowded and the seats, which had been sold to the highestbidders and then sold by them again, had fetched exorbitantprices. I was aAvaited with impatience and curiosity, but notwith any sympathy. There w^ere no young girls present, as the 390
Text Appearing After Image:
SARAH BERNHARDT AT HOME, BY WALTER SPIXDLER. NEW YORK AND BOSTON piece was too immoral. (Poor Adrienne Lecouvreiir I) Theaudience was very polite to the artistes of my company, butrather impatient to see the strange person who had been an-nounced to them. The curtain fell at the end of the first actand Adrienne had not appeared. One of the audience, verymuch annoyed, asked to see Mr, Henry Abbey. I want mymoney back, he said, as la Bernhardt is not in every act.Abbey refused to return the money to the extraordinary in-dividual and as the curtain was going up he hurried back totake possession of his seat again. My appearance was greetedby several rounds of applause, which I believe had been paid forin advance by Abbey and Jarrett. I commenced and the sweet-ness of my voice as in the fable of the Two Pigeons workedthe miracle. The whole house this time burst out into hurrahs.A current of sympathy was established between my public andmyself. Instead of the hysterical skeleton that had be

Note About Images