e, appeared before the theatre. Among those selected as
captains was Theophile Gautier, then but nineteen years old. He
determined to appear in a dress worthy of the occasion, and demanded
such a costume of his tailor as that worthy man had never before
prepared for a human being,--not even a poet. The waistcoat was of
scarlet satin, and, according to Gautier's directions, it was made to
open behind. The trousers were of a pale-green tint, with a stripe of
black velvet down the seams, a black coat with broad velvet facings, and
a voluminous gray overcoat turned up with green satin. A piece of
watered ribbon did duty both for collar and neck-tie. With his long hair
streaming down his back, and in this remarkable costume, Gautier must
certainly have presented a picturesque appearance. Many other of the
"Hernani" partisans appeared in costumes quite as eccentric. The
passers-by stopped and stared at them in astonishment. Some of them wore
soft felt hats, some appeared in coats of velvet or satin, frogged,
broidered, or trimmed with fur; others were enveloped in Spanish cloaks,
and the array of caps was quite miraculous. Most of them wore prodigious
beards and long hair, at a time when every well-regulated citizen was
closely cropped and shaven. They waited more than six hours in the
street, and the moment the doors were opened rushed in and took
possession of the theatre. They had brought their lunches; and eggs,
sausages, and bottles of wine were consumed in the seats of the theatre
where the fine ladies usually sat. The evening was tumultuous in the
extreme; but whenever the classics hissed, the disciples of Romanticism
not only cheered, but rose to their feet and howled. When the groans of
the Philistines became unbearable, the enthusiasts of the pit would
drown them by shouting "To the guillotine with the sycophants." But
though the evening was a continual uproar, no doubt was entertained at
its close that the victory was with the Romanticists; and at the
conclusion of the performance the name of the author was proclaimed as
that of a victorious general, and the shouts of acclamation overwhelmed
the storm of hisses. Victor Hugo was the great star of the French
capital from that day.

Meanwhile, all was happiness in the poet's household. The wife of his
youthful dreams presided with tact and grace over his home and her dark
Spanish beauty was much admired by the crowds of youthful friends who
now began to frequent the h