Between times they tried to find a dancer of the first rank.  Finally, they found one who had recently left the Opera, although still at the height of her beauty and talent.  And they continued to seek a way to make the part of Helene worthy of Madame Carvalho.

The famous director had one mania.  He wanted to collaborate in every work he staged.  Even a work hallowed by time and success had to bear his mark; much greater were his reasons for interpolating in a new work.  He would announce brusquely that the period or the country in which the action of the work took place must be changed.  He tormented us for a long time to make the dancer into a singer on his wife’s account.  Later, he wanted to introduce a second dancer.  With the exception of the prologue and epilogue the action of the piece takes place in a dream, and he took upon himself the invention of the most bizarre combinations.  He even proposed to me one day to introduce wild animals.  Another time he wanted to cut out all the music with the exception of the choruses and the dancer’s part, and have the rest played by a dramatic company.  Later, as they were rehearsing Hamlet at the Opera and it was rumored that Mlle. Nilsson was going to play a water scene, he wanted Madame Carvalho to go to the bottom of a pool to find the fatal bell.

Foolishness of this kind took up two years.

Finally, we gave up the idea of Mme. Carvalho’s cooeperation.  The part of Helene was given to beautiful Mlle. Schroeder and the rehearsals began.  They were interrupted by the failure of the Theatre-Lyrique.

Shortly afterwards Perrin asked for Le Timbre d’Argent for the Opera.  The adaptation of the work for the large stage at the Opera necessitated important modifications.  The whole of the dialogue had to be set to music and the authors went to work on it.  Perrin gave us Madame Carvalho for Helene and Faure for Spiridion, but he wanted to burlesque the part for the tenor and give it to Mlle. Wertheimber.  He wanted to engage her and had no other part for her.  This was impossible.  After several discussions Perrin yielded to the obstinate refusals of the authors, but I saw clearly from his attitude that he would never play our work.

About that time du Locle took over the management of the Opera-Comique.  He saw that Perrin, who was his uncle, had decided not to stage Le Timbre d’Argent and asked me for it.

This meant another metamorphosis for the work and new and considerable work for the musician.  And this work was by no means easy.  Until this time Barbier and Carre had been as close friends as Orestes and Pylades, but now they had a falling out.  What one proposed, the other systematically refused.  One lived in Paris; the other in the country.  I went from Paris to the country and from the country to Paris trying to get these warring brothers to agree.  This going to and fro lasted all summer, and then the temporary enemies came to an understanding and became as friendly as ever.