Shortly afterwards I met her in Paris looking remarkably well. She told me that her husband had received his commission soon after their marriage, and that he now held some local command at Angoulême. As I had not released her from her engagement, I suggested to her, and even entreated, that she should fulfil it. Her husband, however, would not hear of such a thing. He preferred that they should live quietly on the £120 a year which he was now receiving from the Government. I offered as much as £200 a night, but without effect. All I could get was a promise from Mdlle. Chapuy that in the event of her returning to the stage she would give me her services in accordance with the terms of the contract she had previously signed. Later on she told me that she still sang once a year for charitable purposes; and I still hope for her return to the lyric stage. I here append the letter she addressed to me just after her marriage:-- "Angoulême, 8 Decembre, 1876. "CHER MONSIEUR MAPLESON, "Je vous remercie de votre bonne lettre et je m'empresse d'y répondre pour vous assurer que je m'engage aussi formellement que vous pouvez le désirer à ce que l'engagement que nous avions ensemble soit remis en vigueur si jamais je reprends la carrière théâtrale: je vous promets aussi que vous pourriez compter sur moi pour la grande saison de Londres qui suivrait ma rentrée sur la scène. Vous avez été trop bon et trop aimable pour moi, pour que j'hésite un instant à vous faire cette promesse. Du reste, il me serait bien agréable, si je reprenais le théâtre, de reparâitre sur la scène de Londres, car je n'ai pas oublié combien le public Anglais a été bienveillant pour moi. "En attendant votre réponse veuillez agréer cher Monsieur Mapleson l'assurance de mes sentiments dévoués. "MARGUERITE ANDRÉ-CHAPUY, "Rue St. Gelais, 34. "Mon mari, ma grande-mère, et ma mère sont bien sensibles à votre aimable souvenir et vous font tous leurs compliments." * * * * * There are two ways of judging a singer--by the vocalist's artistic merits, and by the effect of his or her singing on the receipts. In the first place I judge for myself by the former process. But when an appearance has once been made I fall back, as every manager is bound to do, on the commercial method of judgment, and calculate whether the amount of money drawn by the singer is enough to justify the outlay I am making for that singer's services. The latter was the favourite system of the illustrious Barbaja, who, when he was asked his private opinion as to this or that member of his Company, would say-- "I have not yet consulted my books. I must see what the receipts were, and I will answer your question to-morrow."