IX: Demoiselle Candeille explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Class and Aristocracy

  Candeille's humble origins as a kitchen-maid's daughter contrast with her rise to fame and her possession of the Duchesse de Marny's diamond necklace, highlighting class mobility and the fall of the aristocracy.

• Deception and Disguise

  Candeille is recruited by Chauvelin to 'act a part' and 'play a role' in his schemes, emphasizing the theme of deception and performance.

• Revenge and Hatred

  Candeille anticipates triumph over the émigrés who snubbed her, and the chapter mentions her desire for 'pleasant little bits of revenge.'

Characters to notice

• Désirée Candeille

  Protagonist of the chapter; a French actress of humble birth who rose to stardom. She is in London, facing expulsion under the Aliens Bill, and is recruited by Chauvelin to perform a role in his plot. She receives a diamond necklace once owned by the Duchesse de Marny.

• Citizen Chauvelin

  Ex-Ambassador who meets Candeille at the 'Cercle des Jacobins Francais' in Soho. He recruits her to play a part in his schemes and delivers the diamond necklace as a reward from the French government.

• Juliette Marny

  Mentioned as the last of the Marny family who escaped from France; Candeille expects to meet her at Lady Blakeney's salon.

• Marguerite Blakeney

  Mentioned as the hostess of the salon Candeille will attend; Candeille recalls that Marguerite once captivated an English milor.

• Marat

  Mentioned as a great lover of the theatre who gave Candeille her first start by praising her talent.

• Robespierre

  Mentioned as the signatory of the note accompanying the diamond necklace, along with Chauvelin.

• Fanchon

  Candeille's little French maid, who helps her dress and admires the necklace.

• Prince of Wales

  Mentioned as someone who would hear and see Candeille sing at a fashionable salon, opening possibilities for her.

Key passages

• “Her origin was of the humblest, for her mother—so it was said—had been kitchen-maid in the household of the Duc de Marny, but Désirée had received some kind of education, and though she began life as a dresser in one of the minor theatres of Paris, she became ultimately one of its most popular stars.”

  Désirée Candeille came from a very lowly background—her mother was a kitchen-maid for the Duc de Marny—but she managed to get some education and started as a dresser in a small Paris theatre, eventually rising to become a major star.

  Introduces Candeille's humble origins and her rise to fame.

• “But she was not pretty: so said all the women. Her skin was rather coarse in texture and darkish in colour, her eyes were narrow and slightly turned upwards at the corners; no! she was distinctly not pretty. Yet she pleased the men!”

  Women considered her unattractive due to her coarse skin, dark complexion, and narrow, slightly upturned eyes, but men were still charmed by her.

  Highlights the contrast between female and male perceptions of Candeille.

• “She wanted to act in London, at a theatre called Drury Lane. She wanted to play Molière in England in French, and had already spoken with several of her colleagues, who were ready to join her. They would give public representations in aid of the starving population of France; there were plenty of Socialistic clubs in London quite Jacobin and Revolutionary in tendency: their members would give her full support.”

  Candeille planned to perform Molière in French at Drury Lane, with colleagues, to raise money for France's starving people, relying on support from London's Jacobin and Revolutionary clubs.

  Describes Candeille's initial plan for her London venture.

• “One conversation with Citizen Chauvelin had brought the fickle jade back to Demoiselle Candeilles’ service. Nay, more, the young actress saw before her visions of intrigue, of dramatic situations, of pleasant little bits of revenge;—all of which was meat and drink and air to breathe for Mademoiselle Désirée.”

  A single talk with Chauvelin restored Candeille's luck, and she eagerly anticipated the intrigue, drama, and revenge that lay ahead, which she thrived on.

  Shows Candeille's excitement about the plot Chauvelin has proposed.

• “The morocco case contained a necklace of diamonds worth the ransom of a king.”

  The leather case held a diamond necklace so valuable it could have ransomed a king.

  Emphasizes the immense value of the necklace given to Candeille.

• “She had seen the jewels before, long, long ago! round the neck of the Duchesse de Marny, in whose service her own mother had been. She—as a child—had often gazed at and admired the great lady, who seemed like a wonderful fairy from an altogether different world, to the poor little kitchen slut.”

  Candeille recognized the necklace from her childhood, when it belonged to the Duchesse de Marny, her mother's employer, and she had admired it from afar as a poor kitchen girl.

  Connects Candeille's past to the present, highlighting the reversal of fortune.