Show HUGOS LOVE STORY 31 me part hi lie poets life auit works by far alio kenderest ten derest and most lasting Victor of hugos friendships fur women ended in the death of ame mme drouet a few days ago she was an actress fifty three years ago when hugo first met her tall of superb figure and lively intellect sho inspired in tho poet a passion which only deepened with time and change of fortune this friendship was stronger than the poets will it outlived his marriage and alle its disappointment followed him into exile and thrived in his darkest strangers who called at the rue do chichy clichy to ignore the fact that abie drouet lived in the house before them she was treated by victor hugo with reverential gallantry she had none of the ways of anold stage beauty though in her youth ehe had been a paragon of plastic loveliness and had to boot grace arch ness sensibility and a aright wit her ways showed good breeding and rectitude her musical talents brilliant and she had a delicious voice slie biad been left an orphan at au early age and glicr paternal uncle a famous general of the republic thought to keep the beauty out of danger she should enter a convent for life on the eve ot the day ou which she was to have assumed ithe veil with other postulants mgr quelin visited the convent he congratulated the bacton girl on alio her vocation she felt that if she did not that moment act decision ebin WOULD BE mustering up all her courage she replied the truth is I 1 have no call whatever and do not want to be a nun alio archbishop bad been told just the contrary and in a severe tane asked the superior why he had been kept in the dark she haicl more zeal than discretion the fact is this young girl is an orphan and penniless her relations have no choice fur her between heaven and perdition aney elect anat she e ecta for satan la belle jullette tc as she was then called thus escaped the convent and went to tle vaudeville and afterward to the porte st martin and here she met her fate the young poet she was given the part of the princess negroni in lucrettia borgia and her superb beauty fascinated victor hugo who though young was even then famious jullette was proud to see him at her feet he became jealous of the spectators who acclaimed her jullette felt remorse for having trifled will him and sought employment at brussels and st petersburg the poet was beside himself with grief on hearing of her plans for the future he was glorious but not rich and what right he asked himself had ho to in her way the tempest that raged in his dmd is described in the chapter about marioni in les Mise 1111 LYRE GOT OUT OF TONE Literary work was neglected the idea that a wife and four children were entirely dependent upon his exertions crushed him the aceres ac tres meeting him by chance was horror etric keu by the change that had taken place in him she was a woman of rapid decision and then and there to quit the theater to devote herself to the poet and indeed as it appeared to herto poverty also to bear tho reproached sho knew would be heaped upon her to resent nothing which those who would hayo a right to hate her ight eay against her and to have no ambition victor hugos welfare he wanted a secretary why not she asked employ her as one the salary fur alie work he required to bo dono would be for all her wants and could be accepted with dignity jullette went to live in the and there became ame mme drouet although she exercised an unquestioned empire over tho poet he never misused it nor was any member of hi household ever heard to complain of her presence there she vas associated with some of his brightest literary triumphs in such a manner that lie must have considered her almost an inseparable part of himself hiie marvelous of the convent at petit in the miser ables is taken almost word for word from mine droucas lips phe was in the convent when a girl many other scenes in les and in ons or two of hugos poems arc duo to thoin spir actions and suggestions of ame mme droubi ame mme drouet is buried in alio cemetery at st mande where liea the only child sho ever had a daughter from the phila jve |