On vous demande, Monsieur, si sachant Mademoiselle Rachel mariée, on en situation de permettre à un homme de prendre fait et cause pour elle, vous oseriez écrire sur elle ce qu'en a le grand tort de lui faire lire dans votre journal. Quant à l'artiste, elle serait fort lâche de vous insulter à propos des libertés de votre plume, car vous ne sauriez à qui demander raison—une raison dont vous avez besoin, Monsieur, car celui qui écrit comme vous l'avez fait est en démence.
Mademoiselle Rachel vous salue.
Charles Maurice, editor of a theatrical paper, had not only written articles against her in his paper, but had also published one or two pamphlets that were most scurrilous and abusive. She alludes to one of these, La Vérité Rachel, in the following:—
I have received the pamphlet with the lady who, her toes on a plate, represents, or is intended to represent. Truth. It is a collection of delightful and gracious things, which does not disturb my equilibrium in the least. It seems I have neither "skill nor intelligence nor taste," not even a glimmer, my dear friend! After all, why need I pay the least attention to such nonsense? I am accustomed to this sort of thing from the same gentleman; and then he who seeks to prove too much proves nothing. I will admit I am a little stupid, not very intelligent, and not gifted with exquisite taste; but to be deficient in everything, hopelessly, incurably! That, dear friend, is the reason I can afford to laugh at the pamphlet and its author. It does not prevent the fact that this tragedian, without skill, intelligence, or taste, made 5,000 francs yesterday evening. You can understand why I am perfectly indifferent to everything else.
"The only answer to be made to such a production," says Janin, alluding to the Vérité Rachel, "is that of Madame de Staël to the man who, knowing how prejudiced she was against Napoleon, once said before her that 'Napoleon Bonaparte had neither talent nor courage.' 'Monsieur,' answered the authoress of Corinne severely, 'you will find great difficulty in persuading me that Europe has remained for fifteen years prostrate at the feet of a fool and a coward.'"
A great many irrelevancies have been put forward
