MADELEINE, first name of Madeleine Vinet, by which she was called
while employed as a domestic. [Scenes from a Courtesan's Life. Cousin
Pons.]
MADOU (Angelique), woman of the masses, fat but spry; although
ignorant, very shrewd in her business of selling dried fruit. At
the beginning of the Restoration she lived in Paris on rue
Perrin-Gasselin, where she fell prey to the usurer Bidault--Gigonnet.
Angelique Madou at first dealt harshly with Cesar Birotteau, when he
was unable to pay his debts; but she congratulated him, later on,
when, as a result of his revived fortunes, the perfumer settled every
obligation. Angelique Madon had a little godchild, in whom she
occasionally showed much interest. [Cesar Birotteau.]
MAGNAN (Prosper), of Beauvais, son of a widow, chief-surgeon's
assistant; executed in 1799 at Andernach on the banks of the Rhine,
being the innocent victim of circumstantial evidence, which condemned
him for the double crime of robbery and murder--this crime having, in
reality, been committed by his comrade, Jean-Frederic-Taillefer, who
escaped punishment. [The Red Inn.]
MAGNAN (Madame), mother of the preceding, lived at Beauvais, where she
died a short time after her son's death, and previous to the arrival
of Hermann, who was bearing her a letter from Prosper. [The Red Inn.]
MAGUS (Elie), Flemish Jew, Dutch-Belgian descent, born in 1770. He
lived now at Bordeaux, now at Paris; was a merchant of costly
articles, such as pictures, diamonds and curiosities. By his influence
Madame Luigi Porta, born Ginevra di Piombo, obtained from a
print-seller a position as colorist. Madame Evangelista engaged him
to estimate the value of her jewels. He bought a copy of Rubens from
Joseph Bridau and some Flemish subjects from Pierre Grassou, selling
them later to Vervelli as genuine Rembrandts or Teniers; he arranged
for the marriage of the artist with the cork-maker's daughter. Very
wealthy, and having retired from business in 1835, he left his house
on the Boulevard Bonne-Nouvelle to occupy an old dwelling on Chaussee
des Minimes, now called rue de Bearn. He took with him his treasures,
his daughter, Noemi, and Abramko as a guard for his property. Eli
Magus was still living in 1845, when he had just acquired, in a
somewhat dishonorable manner, a number of superb paintings from
Sylvain Pons' collection. [The Vendetta. A Marriage Settlement. A
Bachelor's Establishment. Pierre Grassou. Cousin Pons.]
MAHOUDEAU (Madame), in 1840, in company with Madame Cardinal, her
friend, created a disturbance during one of Bobino's performances at a
small theatre near the Luxembourg, where Olympe Cardinal was playing.
While playing the "jeune premiere" she was recognized by her mother.
[The Middle Classes.]
MAHUCHET (Madame), women's shoemaker, "a very foul-mouthed woman," in
the language of Madame Nourrisson; mother of seven children. After
having dunned a countess, to no avail, for a hundred francs that was
due her, she conceived the idea of carrying off the silverware, on
display at a grand dinner to be given by her debtor one evening, as a
pledge. She promptly returned, however, the silver she had taken, upon
finding that it was white metal. [The Unconscious Humorists.]
MALAGA, surname of Marguerite Turquet.
MALASSIS (Jeanne), from the country, a servant of Pingret, who was an
avaricious and wealthy old peasant of the suburbs of Limoges. Mortally
injured while hastening to the assistance of her master, who was
robbed and murdered, she was the second victim of J.-F. Tascheron.
[The Country Parson.]
MALFATTI, Venetian doctor; in 1820 called into consultation with one
of his fellow-physicians in France, concerning the sickness of the Duc
Cataneo. [Massimilla Doni.]