thing of the fire and energy of Malibran; but, in the minds of the
most capable judges, she lacked the creative originality which stamped
each of the former two artists. Her dramatic instincts were strong and
vehement, lending something of her own personality to the copy of
another's creation, and her voice as nearly reached perfection as any
ever bestowed on a singer.

Madame Grisi continued before the public until 1866, although her powers
were failing rapidly. In 1869 she died of inflammation of the lungs.

From the year 1834, when she made her debut at the King's Theatre,
London, until 1861, when she retired from the Royal Italian Opera, Grisi
missed only one season in London, that of 1842. It was a rare thing
indeed that illness or any other cause prevented her from fulfilling her
engagements. She seldom disappointed the public by her absence, and
never by her singing. Altogether her artistic life lasted about
thirty-five years. During sixteen successive years she sang, during the
season, at the Theatre des Italiens in Paris, her engagements there
beginning in 1832 with her appearance as Semiramide.

Both Grisi and her husband, Mario, were much admired by the Czar
Nicholas of Russia, and it is said that the Czar, meeting Grisi one day
walking with her children, stopped and said facetiously, "I see, these
are the pretty Grisettes." "No," replied Grisi, "these are my
Marionettes." Mario, too, is said to have been asked by the Czar to cut
his beard in order to the better look one of his parts. This he declined
to do, even when the Czarina, fearing that he might become a victim of
the Czar's displeasure, added her request. But Mario declared that it
was better to incur the displeasure of the Czar than to lose his voice,
saying that if they did not like him with his beard, upon which he
relied for the protection of his voice, they surely would not like him
without his voice.

During the height of their prosperity, Grisi and Mario lived in princely
extravagance. Their family consisted of six daughters, of whom three
died quite young, and they were enthusiastically devoted to one another.

Giambattista Rubini, who was for years associated with Grisi, was a
native of Bergamo, where he made his debut at the age of twelve in a
woman's part, sitting afterwards at the door of the theatre between two
candles, and holding a plate into which the public deposited their
offerings. During his early life he belonged to several wa