Emile d'Audiffret

Overview

Emile d'Audiffret is a young Niçois nobleman who becomes a central figure in Marie's social life during 1875. Marie gives him multiple nicknames: "Girofla" (from the operetta Girofle-Girofla by Lecocq), "le Niçois," "Feu" (Fire), and "le trésor" (the treasure, used ironically by her aunt).

Identity

• Full name: Emile d'Audiffret
• Niçois aristocrat, lives in the "Tour Audiffret" (Audiffret Tower/castle)
• Permanent member of the Cercle de la Mediterranee
• About 24 years old in spring 1875 (8 years older than Marie)
• Has a father also referred to as "d'Audiffret" (the elder)
• Has sisters in a convent

Physical Description

• Marie considers him the handsomest man in Nice
• "une face adorable" (an adorable face) per Marie's aunt
• Wears distinctive "chapeau tube" (top hat) and "habit blanc" (white suit)

Relationship with Marie (1875)

Spring 1875

• Mutual flirtation: "nous avons couru tous les deux l'un après l'autre"
• Passed love notes on biscuits at social gatherings
• Frequented the same promenades and social events
• Marie saw him as an equal: same age bracket, both playful, "il est un coquin et je suis une coquine"

Autumn 1875 (Carnets 045-046)

• Abandoned Marie for the courtesan Gioia
• Left Nice with Gioia, shutting up her villa
• Marie's aunt calls him "un vilain paysan, un vaurien, un mauvais homme"
• Marie writes satirical verses about his predicted moral ruin ("Prediction de Cassandre")
• Code name system established: Audiffret = "Feu" (Fire)
• Olga Sapogenikoff also revealed to be in love with him
• Saetone acts as go-between/meddler in the affair

Marie's Self-Analysis

• Claims her interest was only amusement, not love: "Il m'a plu, il m'a intéressé; ne confondons pas"
• Compares him unfavorably to the Duke of Hamilton in social standing
• Calls pursuing him a humiliation for "une grande reine comme moi"

Le Procès Veauradieux Connection

Marie's circle performed a running joke from the play Le Procès Veauradieux (1875) by Hennequin and Delacour, involving a "bonnet grec et robe de chambre" — associated with the domesticated husband Marie imagines Audiffret becoming.

Carnet 047 (Oct 13-23, 1875)

Audiffret returns to Nice (his windows open Oct 17), encountered on the Promenade. Marie's emotional oscillation intensifies:

• "Bibi" nickname system: Audiffret becomes "Bibi-Girofla" or just "Bibi" (originally Lord Loftus's nickname, applied universally)
• Anagram: "Emile Audiffret" = "Fou frit d'Amelie"
• Marie invents neologism verbs to replace "aimer": "terffiduer," "hamiltonner," "pepiner," "enoteasser"
• Extended third-person "Bibi" narration (Oct 19) as distancing technique
• Visits Marie's theater box at Alice de Nevers premiere (Oct 20); she wears Marie-Antoinette hairstyle
• Marie fabricates "couronne du martyr" (crown of thorns from rose branches) to wear until "rehabilitated"
• Final resolve: "Je ne veux plus aimer cet homme" (Oct 23)

Diary Coverage

• First significant mentions: Spring 1875 (carnets ~042-044)
• Major presence: Sept-Oct 1875 (carnets 045-047)
• Last reference in current coverage: 1875-10-23

Anonymous Letters

Marie (likely with Olga) sends anonymous threatening letters to Audiffret and his father: "Père deux fois infortuné" / "Père trois fois infortuné." At least three letters sent to Paris and to the Tour Audiffret.