Mme Abaza (née Dietrich), of Poltava

Overview

A Poltava lady whom Marie first knew as Mlle Dietrich: «J'ai été chez Mlle Dietrich qui, devenue Mme Abaza, ne m'a pas rendue ma visite» (067.0619, 067/1876-11-02). The Mon Journal t.9 index has «Abaza (Mme) (née Dietrich) : 122, 164-165», separately from «Abaza (M.) : 76, 164, 165». Her first name and her husband's are not given.

Relevance to Marie

At the concert of the Poltava nobility on 2 November 1876 Marie, offended by the unreturned visit, passes her without a greeting and sits beside her in the front row (067.0618, 067.0619); her father keeps asking «As-tu salué Mme Abaza ?» (067.0623), and M. Abaza (see Abaza) insists he returned the call the next day «avec sa nièce» (067.0626).

In November 1882, back in Poltava, Marie calls «chez M. et Mme Abaza, Abaza est un ci-devant millionnaire et dont la maison à Poltava ressemble fort à un palais» (097.0054) and meets Mme Abaza at the amateur theatre; the t.15 index has «Abaza (M.)» and «Abaza (Mme)» on p.113. That this is the same Poltava couple is probable (0.7), since the «exmillionnaire» Abaza is already a Poltava figure in 1876 (066.0244).

Not the Mme Abaza of Soden

This woman is kept apart from Mme Abaza, the singer Marie meets at Soden in July 1878 and sees again on the Riviera in 1879 (081–084), for three reasons (0.8):

• in 1876 the Poltava lady has only lately married (Marie knew her as Mlle Dietrich), while the Soden Mme Abaza has a daughter nearly sixteen in August 1878 («finira par le marier avec sa fille dès que celle-ci aura seize ans», 082.0075);
• Marie introduces the Soden woman as a stranger, «D'une Mme Abaza» (081.0390), and never recalls the 1876 snub;
• the Soden woman «obtient de lui [her husband] de rester la plupart du temps à l'étranger» (081.0420), the Poltava one lives in Poltava.

References in Diary

• 1876-11-02 (067.0618, 067.0619, 067.0623)
• 1882-11-08 (097.0054, probable)