vizier gave the heir-apparent, the present Shah, time to return from
Tanris and avoided the grave troubles that would certainly have arisen
had the truth been known. Muzaffr-ed-Din owned his crown and perhaps
his life to his grand vizier; small wonder that he showed him some
gratitude.
His court minister, Mohamed Khan, could also have laid claim to this
gratitude, for he gave proof of remarkable presence of mind at the time
of the attempted assassination of which Muzaffr-ed-Din was the object
during his stay in Paris in 1900.
The incident is perhaps still in the reader's recollection. The Shah,
with the court minister by his side and General Parent, the chief
French officer attached to his person, seated facing him, had just left
the Sovereign's Palace to drive to the exhibition, when a man sprang
on the step of the open landau, produced a revolver and took aim at
the monarch's chest. Before he had time, however, to pull the trigger,
a hand of iron fell upon his wrist and clutched it with such force
that the man was compelled to let go his revolver, which fell at the
feet of the sovereign, while the would-be murderer was arrested by the
police. Mohamed Khan, by this opportune and energetic interference, had
prevented a shot the consequences of which would have been disastrous
for the Shah and very annoying for the French government, all the more
so inasmuch as the author of this attempt was a French subject, a
sort of fanatic from the South, to whom the recent assassination of
King Humbert of Italy had suggested this fantastic plan of making away
with the unoffending Muzaffr-ed-Din. Here is a curious detail: I had
received that very morning an anonymous letter, dated from Naples, but
posted in Paris, in which the sovereign was warned that an attempt
would be made on his life. Although this kind of communication was
frequent, I had ordered the supervision to be redoubled inside the
palace; as a matter of fact, I did not much fear a surprise outside,
as the Shah never drove out but his carriage was surrounded by a
detachment of cavalry. Now ill-luck would have it that he took it into
his head to go out that day before the time which he himself had fixed
and without waiting for the arrival of the escort: I have shown the
result.
During the whole of this tragic scene, which lasted only a few seconds,
he did not utter a single word; the pallor which had overspread his
cheeks alone betrayed the emotion which he had felt. Nevertheless,
he ordered the coachman to drive on. When, at last, they reached the
Champs Élysées and he perceived numerous groups waiting to cheer him,
he emerged from his stupor:
"Is it going to begin again?" he cried, in accents of terror.
3.
He was given, in fact, to easy and strange fits of alarm. He always
carried a loaded pistol in his trowsers-pocket, though he never used
it. On one of his journeys in France, he even took it into his head to
make a high court-official walk before him when he left the theatre,
carrying a revolver pointed at the peaceable sightseers who had
gathered to see him come out. As soon as I saw this, I ran up to the
threatening body-guard:
"Put that revolver away," I said. "It's not the custom here."
But I had to insist pretty roughly before he consented to put away his
weapon.
The Shah, for that matter, was no less distrustfull of his own
subjects; in fact, I observed that, when the Persians were in his
presence, they adopted a uniform attitude which consisted in holding
their hands crossed on their stomach, no doubt as evidence of their
harmless intentions. It was a guarantee of a very casual sort, we must
admit.
For the rest, his "alarms" displayed themselves under the most diverse
aspects and in the most unexpected circumstances. For instance,
there was no persuading him ever to ascend the Eiffel Tower. The
disappointment of his guides was increased by the fact that he would
come as far as the foot of the pillars; they always thought that he
meant to go up. But no: once below the immense iron framework, he
gazed up in the air, examined the lifts, flung a timid glance at the
staircases, then suddenly turned on his heels and walked away. They
told him in vain that his august father had gone up as far as the first
floor; nothing could induce him to do as much.
I again remember a day--it was at the time of his second stay in
Paris--when, on entering his drawing-room, I found him wearing a very
careworn air.
"Paoli," he said, taking my hand and leading me to the window, "look!"
Look as I might, I saw nothing out of the way. Down below, three
bricklayers stood on the pavement, talking quietly together.
"What!" said the Shah. "Don't you see those men standing still, down
there. They have been there for an hour, talking and watching my
window. Paoli, they want to kill me."
Repressing a terrible wish to laugh, I resolved to reassure our guest
with a lie:
"Why, I know them!" I replied. "I know their names: they are decent
working-men."
Muzaffr-ed-Din's face lit up at once:
"You seem to know everybody," he said, giving me a grateful look.
[Illustration: THE SHAH OF PERSIA]
The most amusing incident was that which happened on the occasion
of an experiment with radium. I had described to the sovereign, in
the course of conversation, the wonderful discovery which our great
_savant_, M. Currie, had just made, a discovery that was called upon
to revolutionise science. The Shah was extremely interested by my
story and repeatedly expressed a desire to be shown the precious magic
stone. Professor Currie was informed accordingly, and, in spite of his
stress of work, agreed to come to the Élysée Palace Hôtel and give an
exhibition. As, however, complete darkness was needed for radium to be
admired in all its brilliancy, I had with endless trouble persuaded
the King of Kings to come down to one of the hotel cellars arranged
for the purpose. At the appointed time, His Majesty and all his suite
proceeded to the underground apartment in question. Professor Currie
closed the door, switched off the electric light and uncovered his
specimen of radium, when, suddenly, a shout of terror, resembling at
one and the same time the roar of a bull and the yells of a man who
is being murdered, rang out, followed by hundreds of similar cries.
Amid general excitement and consternation, we flung ourselves upon the
electric switches, turned on the lights and beheld a strange sight: in
the midst of the prostrate Persians stood the Shah, his arms clinging
to the neck of his howling grand vizier, his round pupils dilated to
their rims, while he shouted at the top of his voice, in Persian:
"Come away! Come away!"
The switching on of the light calmed this mad anguish as though by
magic. Realising the disappointment which he had caused M. Currie, he
tried to offer him a decoration by way of compensation; but the austere
man of science thought right to decline it.
The instinctive dread of darkness and solitude was so keen in the
Persian monarch that he required his bed-room to be filled during the
night with light and sound. Accordingly, every evening, as soon as he
had lain down and closed his eyes, the members of his suite gathered
round his bed, lit all the candelabra and exchanged their impressions
aloud, while young nobles of the court, relieving one another in
pairs, conscientiously patted his arms and legs with little light,
sharp, regular taps. The King of Kings imagined that he was in this
way keeping death at a distance, if perchance it should take a fancy
to visit him in his sleep, and the extraordinary thing is that he did
sleep, notwithstanding all this massage, light and noise.
4.
The need which he felt of having people constantly around him and of
reproducing the atmosphere of his distant country wherever he fixed his
temporary residence was reflected in the picturesque and singularly
animated aspect which the hotel or palace at which he elected to stay
assumed soon after his installation. It was promptly transformed into a
vast, exotic caravanserai, presenting the appearance of a French fair
combined with that of an eastern bazaar. The house was taken possession
of by its new occupants from the kitchens, ruled over by the Persian
master-cook who prepared the monarch's dishes, to the attics, where the
inferior servants were accommodated. One saw nothing but figures in
dark tunics and astrakhan caps, squatting in the passages, leaning over
the staircases; along the corridors and in the halls, the shopkeepers
had improvised stalls as at Teheran, in the hope that the monarch
would let fall from his august lips in passing the "_Je prends_" that
promised wealth. In the uncouth crowd which the desire of provoking
and hearing that blessed phrase attracted to the waiting-rooms of
the hotel, all the professions rubbed shoulders promiscuously;
curiosity-dealers, unsuccessful inventors, collectors of autographs and
postage-stamps, ruined financiers, charlatans, unknown artists, women
of doubtful character.
Their numbers had increased so greatly, on the faith of the legend
that the Shah's treasures were inexhaustible, that a radical step had
to be taken: when Muzaffr-ed-Din returned to Paris in 1902 and 1905,
the applicants for favours were forbidden to resume their little
manoeuvre. Thereupon they changed their tactics: they sat down and
wrote.
I have kept these letters, which the Shah never read and which his
secretary handed me regularly, without having read them either. They
arrived by each post in shoals. One could easily make a volume of
them which would provide psychologists with a very curious study of
the human soul and mind. Among those poor letters are many obscure,
touching, comic, candid and cynical specimens; some also are absurd;
others imprudent or sad. Most of them are signed; and among the
signatures of these requests for assistance are names which one is
surprised to find there. I must be permitted to suppress these names
and to limit myself, in this mad orgie of epistolary literature, to
reproducing the most typical of the letters that fell under my eyes.
First, a few specimens of "the comic note:"
"_To His Majesty, Muzaffr-ed-Din, Shah of Persia._ "_Your Majesty_,--
"Knowing that you look kindly upon French requests, I venture to
address these few lines to you. I am expecting my sister, Mlle.
Crampel, who has a situation in Russia; as she is ill, I would like
her to remain in France. For us to live together, I should have to
start a business with a capital of 3 to 5,000 francs, which I do not
possess and which I cannot possibly find. I am 58 years of age.
"In the hope that you will lend a favourable ear to my request, I am
"Your Majesty's most humble servant,
"MADAME M.
"P. S.--In gratitude, with Your Majesty's permission, I would place a
sign representing Your Majesty over the shop-front."
"_Sire_,--
"The feeling that prompts me to write to you, O noble King, is the
love which I feel for your country. I will come straight to the point:
I will ask you, O Majesty, if I, a plain French subject, may have a
post of some kind in your ideal kingdom.
"Dentist I am; a dentist I would remain, in Your Majesty's service.
All my life long, you would be assured of my complete devotion.
"A future Persian dentist to his future King.
"P. J. L.
"Pray, Sire, address the reply to the _poste restante_ at Post-office
No. 54."
"_Great Shah_,--
"This missive which I have the honour of addressing to Your Majesty
is to tell you that I and my friends, Messieurs Jules Brunel and Abel
Chenet, have the honour of offering you four bottles of champagne and
two bottles of claret.
"In exchange, may we beg for the Order of the Lion and Sun, which it
would give us great pleasure to receive and which we hope that Your
Majesty will confer upon us? We are French citizens and old soldiers.
"We wish you constant good health and prosperity for your country,
Persia. You can send your servant to fetch the bottles.
"We have the honour to greet you and we remain your very humble
servants, crying:
"'Long live H. M. Muzaffr-ed-Din and long live Persia!'
"A. W."
"THORIGNY (ON MY WAY HOME),
"27 August, 1902.
"_Your Majesty_,--
"Yesterday, Tuesday, I was in Paris, waiting to have the pleasure of
seeing you leave your hotel. That pleasure was not vouchsafed me.
"But, on the other hand, a ring set with a diamond, which I was taking
to be repaired, was stolen from me by a pickpocket.
"This ring was the only diamond which my wife possessed. In
consequence of the theft, she now possesses none.
"I put myself the question whether I could not indict you before a
French court, as being the direct cause of the theft.
"I find nothing in our French law-books likely to decide in my favour.
"And so I prefer to come and beseech you to redress the involuntary
injury which you have done me.
"A choice stone, which I could have set as a ring, would make good all
the damage which I have suffered.
"I am well aware that you must have numerous and various requests for
assistance. This is not one of them.
"But I should be infinitely grateful to you if you would understand
that, but for your coming to Paris, I should not have been robbed and
if you would kindly send me a choice stone to replace the one stolen
from me.
"Will Your Majesty pray receive the homage of my most profound respect.
"G. P.
"_Attorney-at-law_,
"BARBEZIEUX (Gironde), France."
"_To His Majesty_,--
"_Muzaffr-ed-Din, Shah of Persia,_
"_At the Élysée Palace Hôtel, Paris_.
"I eagerly congratulate His Majesty on the great honour which he
has paid the French people by making a long stay in the great
international city. And I take advantage of this occasion to beg His
Majesty to initiate a general convocation of all the sovereigns of the
whole world for next month, in order to open a subscription for the
construction of an unprecedented fairy palace (new style and taking
something from planetary nature and its marvels), to be known as the
Sovereign Palace of the Universal Social Congress, symbolising the
whole universe by States, containing the apartments of every sovereign
in the world and situated near the Bois de Boulogne.
"I consider that His Majesty would thus have a good opportunity of
securing a great page in history.
"Hoping for a just appreciation and entire success, I send His
Majesty, the Shah of Persia, the assurance of my greatest respect,
together with my perfect consideration, and I am,
"The most humble Architect-general of the Universal Confederation of
Social Peace,
"At His Majesty's service,
"C. M."
Now comes the touching note:
"A little provincial work-girl, who has not the honour of being known
to His Majesty, kneels down before him and, with her hands folded
together, entreats him to make her a present of a sum of 1,200 francs,
which would enable her to marry the young man she loves.... Oh, what
blessings he would receive day by day for that kind action!
"I beg the Shah to forgive me for the offences of this letter against
etiquette, with which I am not acquainted. I kiss His Majesty's hands
and I am
"His most humble and obedient little servant,
"A. C."
Lastly, is not the following letter an exquisitely candid specimen of
the proper art of "sponging"?
_"Your Majesty_,--
"As you are a friend of France, I propose to write to you as a friend;
you will permit me to do so, I hope.
"The question is this: I have the greatest longing to set eyes on the
sea; my husband has a few days' holiday in the course of October; I
should like to make the most of it and to go away for a little while.
"Our means are very small indeed; my husband has only 105 francs
a month; and I could not do what I wish without encroaching on my
housekeeping money, which is calculated down to the last centime.
"I therefore remembered your generosity and thought that you might be
touched by my request.
"You would not like a little Paris woman to be prevented from enjoying
the sight of the sea which you have doubtless often admired.
"You are very fond of travelling; you will understand my curiosity.
"Will Your Majesty deign to accept the expression of my most
respectful and distinguished sentiments?
"MME. A. A."
A worthy woman sent this rich note:
"_To His Majesty, the King of Persia_,--
"My name is the Widow Bressoy, aged 82. I have lost my husband and
two of my daughters; I am unable to walk and I owe a quarter's rent.
My grandmother washed for His Majesty King Louis-Philippe of France;
H. R. H. the Duc d' Aumale used to help me with my rent; show your
kind heart and do as he did. Should you come to the church of Ste.
Elisabeth du Temple on Sunday next, I should be very glad to see you.
"I am
"Your Majesty's most respectful servant,
"WIDOW BRESSOY."
The following original proposal came from a well-known business-house:
"_Sir_,--
"After the Monza crime and the attempt of which you were the object
yesterday and in view of the solemnities during which you might be too
much exposed to danger, I consider it my duty to bring to your notice
certain particulars which might be of the greatest use to you and
those about your person.
"I refer to secret waistcoats of my own manufacture which I am able to
offer to you and which are absolutely warranted.
"The waistcoat which I am offering is proof against a revolver-bullet
and, of course, against a sword or dagger.
"As an absolute guarantee, I can assure you as follows by experiment:
the fabric consists of a very close and solidly-riveted coat of steel
mail; the shape of the links has been specially studied so as to allow
of great suppleness, while preserving the greatest solidity.
"It resists the 12 _mm._ bullet of the regulation revolver, 1874
pattern.
"I have specimens at which bullets were fired at a distance of 4
yards; they give an exact idea of the resisting power.
"The coat of mail is lined with silk or satin, which gives the
appearance of an ordinary garment and does not for a moment suggest
its special object.
"The waistcoat covers and protects the back, the chest, the stomach
and is continued down the abdomen.
"I must add that the waistcoat is very easy to wear and in no way
inconvenient, on condition that I am supplied with the necessary
measurements or, better still, with an ordinary day-waistcoat of the
wearer's, fitted to his size.
"Hoping in the circumstances to be of some use to you, I beg Your
Majesty to accept the expression of my most profound respect.
"R. G."
Let us pass to the children. Less unreasonable than their parents,
they content themselves with asking for postage-stamps, bicycles or
autographs.
First comes a public schoolboy, quite proud of incidentally showing
that he knows his classics:
"_Sire_,--
"When you first set foot on French soil, you were pleased to take
notice, at Maubeuge railway-station, of a young public schoolboy, who,
not knowing your quality, was only able to give you a very respectful
greeting. That young schoolboy was myself.
"I realised the extent of the signal honour which Your Majesty did me
when I learnt that I had received it from the sovereign of Persia, the
country of Xerxes and Darius, the land whose children have filled the
world with the fame of their exploits. And, descending the course of
the ages, reverting to the lessons of my masters, I hailed in you 'the
wise and enlightened monarch whose reign opens out so many hopes.'
"Sire, I shall never forget that moment, which will probably be the
only one of its kind in my life; but, if I were permitted to express
a desire, I would humbly confess to Your Majesty that my greatest
happiness would be to possess a collection of Persian postage-stamps,
as an official token of the honour which you condescended to do me.
"Deign, Sire, etc.
"R. W.
"_Pupil at The Lycée Faidherbe, Lille_
"(on my holidays)."
The next has not yet learnt the beauties of literary style; he has less
notions of form; but his ambition is more far-reaching:
"_Your Majesty_,--
"I begin by begging your pardon for my presumption; but I have heard
everybody say and I read in the paper that Your Majesty is greatly
interested in motor-cars. I therefore thought that you must also have
ridden the bicycle, which you now, no doubt, care less for; and it
occurred to me that, if you happened to have an old one put by, Your
Majesty might do me the honour to give it to me.
"Papa and my big brother Jean go out riding on their bicycles and I am
left at home with mamma, because I have not a machine and they cannot
afford to buy me one.
"I should be so proud to have a bicycle, given me by Your Majesty.
"I shall not tell papa that I am writing to Your Majesty, because he
would laugh at me, and I shall take three sous from my purse for the
stamp on this letter.
"I pray God not to let those wicked anarchists attack Your Majesty, to
whom I offer my profound respect.
"MAURICE LELANDAIS,
"_aged 9½ years_,
"living with his family, _Faubourg Bizienne_,
"GUÉRANDE (_Loire-Inférieure_)."
Another schoolboy:
"VERVIERS, 3 September.
"_Great King of Persia in France, Sir_,--
"I have read in the paper that you are very rich and have lots of gold.
"My father promised to give me a gold watch for my first communion
next year, if I worked hard at school.
"I did study, Sir, for I was second and the first is thirteen years
old and I am only eleven and a half. To prove it to you, here is
my prize-list. Now, when I ask if I shall have my watch, my father
answers that he has no money and he wants it all for bread. It is not
right, Sir, to deceive me like that. But I hope that you will give me
what they refuse. Do me that great pleasure. I will pray for you.
"I love you very much.
"M. J."
Here is an artless request from a little English girl:
"_Your Majesty_,--
"I hear you are taking a holiday in Paris and I think that this must
be the best time to write to you, for you will not be so busy as in
your own kingdom.
"First of all, I want to tell you that I am an English girl, fourteen
years of age, and my name is Mary. I love collecting autographs and
so far I have been very lucky and have got some of celebrities, but I
have none of a King, except Menelik, who is a black majesty.
"Now I should ever so much like to have a few lines in your
handwriting.
"Do be so very kind as to write to me.
"MARY ST. J."
To conclude with, here are a few lively letters from ladies dark and
fair:
"PARIS, 27 July.
"_Sir_,--
"I won the last beauty-prize at Marienbad and I am simply dying to
make your acquaintance.
"In this hope, I have the honour to greet you.
"FERNANDE DE B."
"MARSEILLES, 1 August.
"_Sire_,--
"It is a pleasure to me to write to you. From my childhood's days,
I have admired Persia, that beautiful country, so dear to my heart.
Since I have heard you mentioned, I love you, Sire; I should like to
be at your service. I do not know the Persian language, but, if you
adopt me, I shall know it in a few days and you shall be my master.
"Receive, Sire, my sincere greetings.
"MIREILLE----.
"P. S.--Please reply. I will start for Paris at once."
"PARIS, 29 July.
"_To Monsieur Muzaffr-ed-Din._
"_Monsieur Le Chah_,--
"Forgive me for taking the liberty of writing to you. I had the
pleasure of seeing you yesterday in the Avenue du Bois de Boulogne and
of receiving a wave of the hand from you and a most gracious smile.
"How I should love to make your acquaintance and to have the pleasure
of pressing your hand!
"You may be certain of my entire discretion. You can, if you do not
mind, appoint whatever time and place you please.
"I should be very happy to see you; and I may venture to add that I am
a very handsome woman.
"Believe me,
"Monsieur le Chah,
"Yours most cordially,
"MADAME MARGUERITE L.
"P. S.--I beg you to destroy this letter."
"_To His Majesty, Muzaffr-ed-Din_,--
"We should be greatly honoured if you would do us the honour to come
and spend a few days in the principality of Monaco.
"A group of ladies:
"BLANCHE.
"JEANNE.
"ADÈLE."
5.
All these efforts of the imagination, all these prodigies of ingenuity,
all these amorous suggestions were wasted. As I have said, the Shah
took no notice whatever of the six hundred and odd begging letters
of different kinds addressed to him during his visits to France.
Pleasure-loving and capricious, careful of his own peace of mind, he
dreaded and avoided emotions. Nevertheless, he was not insensible to
pity nor indifferent to the charms of the fair sex. At certain times,
he was capable of sudden movements of magnificent generosity: he would
readily give a diamond to some humble workwoman whom he met on his way;
he would of his own accord hand a bank-note to a beggar; he freely
distributed Persian gold-pieces stamped with his effigy.