In front of this sylvan background she recited various portions of Adrienne and Phèdre, amid much applause from Imperial and Royal hands, the Emperor of Russia informing her she was still greater than her reputation; and when she wished to rise to speak to him^ he begged her to remain seated. On her respectfully insisting, he took both her hands and gently made her sit down again, saying, "I beg you not to rise, Mademoiselle; if you do, I will retire."
These civilities were accompanied by an invitation to Petersburg, and a substantial testimonial in the shape of two magnificent opals surrounded with diamonds, while the King of Prussia, through Count Redern, sent her 20,000 francs, and placed the opera-house at Berlin at her disposal for six nights. She wrote:—
It needs a strong head to stand this adulation, the compliments, praise, bouquets. All the wonderful titles and names of these princes, dukes, and great personages who begged to be presented to me are enough to fill the lives of most artists. Never did Talma or Mars, my glorious predecessors, enjoy such an experience.
*****
I will leave it to your discretion [she says at the end of the letter] to decide what you will publish of this long story concerning ce pauvre petit bout de tragédienne. The public call Rachel and her friends Rachow. Please decide how much ought to be known of these incomparable days by my contemporaries, or if the account of them ought only to be transmitted to posterity.
Poor Rachel! had she only known how little posterity would have troubled their heads or cared to know about "those incomparable days"! It is only by her own sprightly and amusing letter that we hear about them now; while she, the great tragedian, in spite of her crowd of admirers, with emperors and kings to do her honour, has become but a memory and a name.
