I have spoken of the face as the chief equipment of the actor.  Sarah Bernhardt contradicts this at once.  Her face does little for her.  Her walk is not much.  Nothing about her is more remarkable than the way she gets about the stage without one ever seeing her move.  By what magic does she triumph without two of the richest possessions that an actress can have?  Eleonora Duse has them.  Her walk is the walk of the peasant, fine and free.  She has the superb carriage of the head which goes with that fearless movement from the hips—­and her face!  There is nothing like it, nothing!  But it is as the real woman, a particular woman, that Duse triumphs most.  Her Cleopatra was insignificant compared with Sarah’s—­she is not so pictorial.

How futile it is to make comparisons!  Better far to thank heaven for both these women.

     EXTRACT FROM MY DIARY

Saturday, June 11, 1892.—­“To see ‘Miss Sarah’ as ‘Cleopatre’ (Sardou superb!).  She was inspired!  The essence of Shakespeare’s ‘Cleopatra.’  I went round and implored her to do Juliet.  She said she was too old.  She can never be old.  ‘Age cannot wither her.’

     June 18.—­“Again to see Sarah—­this time ‘La Dame aux Camelias.’ 
     Fine, marvelous.  Her writing the letter, and the last act the best.

     July 11.—­“Telegraph says ‘Frou-frou’ was ’never at any time a
     character in which she (Sarah) excelled.’  Dear me!  When I saw it I
     thought it wonderful.  It made me ashamed of ever having played it.”

Sarah Bernhardt has shown herself the equal of any man as a manager.  Her productions are always beautiful; she chooses her company with discretion, and sees to every detail of the stage-management.  In this respect she differs from all other foreign artists that I have seen.  I have always regretted that Duse should play as a rule with such a mediocre company and should be apparently so indifferent to her surroundings.  In “Adrienne Lecouvreur” it struck me that the careless stage-management utterly ruined the play, and I could not bear to see Duse as Adrienne beautifully dressed while the Princess and the other Court ladies wore cheap red velveteen and white satin and brought the pictorial level of the performance down to that of a “fit-up” or booth.

Who could mention “Miss Sarah” (my own particular name for her) as being present at a supper-party without saying something about her by the way!  Still, I have been a long time by the way.  Now for Romeo and Juliet!

At that 100th-night celebration I saw Mrs. Langtry in evening dress for the first time, and for the first time realized how beautiful she was.  Her neck and shoulders kept me so busy looking that I could neither talk nor listen.

“Miss Sarah” and I have always been able to understand one another, although I hardly know a word of French and her English is scanty.  She too, liked my Juliet—­she and Henry Irving!  Well, that was charming, although I could not like it myself, except for my “Cords” scene, of which I shall always be proud.