Of
course she was fully aware of the love her son had for Esperance and
resignedly left events in the hands of God. What did disturb Albert's
mother a little was the vehemence Esperance showed in regard to her
theatrical career, and the way she rejected the most guarded
remonstrances against her following that calling.
"No, no," said Esperance to Countess Styvens, "no, no, no; the theatre
is not a house of evil repute, nor are its followers evil doers: the
theatre is a temple where the beautiful is always worshipped; it makes
a continuous appeal to the higher senses and natural passions. In this
temple vice is punished, and virtue rewarded; the great social
problems are presented. In this temple instruction is less abstract,
and, therefore, more profitable for the crowd. The apostles of this
temple are full of faith and courage; they have the souls of
missionaries marching always toward the ideal."
The trials at the Conservatoire were to take place on the fifteenth of
July. Esperance was ambitious and strove for the first prize in both
comedy and tragedy. The year before the jury had only awarded her two
secondary prizes; not that she had not deserved the first, but that on
account of her youth they had thought it wiser to keep her back for
another year. The young artist was to compete for tragedy in the first
act of _Phedre_, for comedy in Alfred de Musset's _Barberine_.
The dawn of the fifteenth was clear and quiet.
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