Murcie

Overview

«Murcie» is Marie's shorthand for the Fête Paris-Murcie of 18 December 1879, a charity night given by the Paris press at the Hippodrome near the pont de l'Alma, from about nine in the evening to five in the morning, for the victims of the October floods in the Spanish province of Murcia («au profit des inondés de Murcie et des pauvres de Paris», 086.0670). It was staged as a Spanish fair, with toreros, gypsy musicians, dancers and stalls kept by actresses; all fashionable Paris came, many masked. Footnote 086.0670.1; José Manuel Pedrosa, «La fiesta española de L'Hippodrome de París (18 de diciembre de 1879)», Boletín de Literatura Oral, 2015.

Marie goes in a Spanish costume with her mother, Dina, Paul and a party of friends (086/1879-12-18), and what she does there under the mask, above all the meeting with Arnaud, becomes a running thread: the place and the night stand for the adventure itself.

In Marie's diary

• 18 December 1879 (086.0670): the fête; costume of black satin and Spanish lace.
• 20–21 December 1879 (086.0747, 086.0762–0771): «il n'est pas laid comme à Murcie»; «j'ai parlé avec Arnaud à Murcie»; «les rendez-vous à Murcie, j'en ai donné vingt-cinq… après ?» She fears that Gavini or the Gérys will connect her with Arnaud.
• 22–26 December 1879 (087.0005, 087.0011–0012, 087.0042–0057): the «dame de Murcie» whom someone half recognises; «j'ai donné cinquante-deux rendez-vous à Murcie»; «si Murcie se renouvelait» Alexis would have a fancy for her; «pour une fête comme Murcie passe, c'est une plaisanterie sous le masque».
• 16 January 1880 (087.0234): Arnaud has told a friend that «la petite Russe… m'a donné rendez-vous à Murcie», on the arm of Prince Karageorgevitch.
• 31 January 1880 (087.0332): a second charity concert and ball «pour les inondés de Murcie» at the Hôtel Continental, under the patronage of Queen Isabella, who stays an hour at the ball; here «Murcie» means the cause, not the Hippodrome night.
• 23 September 1881 (093.0117): «il y a un an et demi encore à Murcie, Arnaud».
• 8 June 1882 (095.0142, footnote 4): a man who remembers meeting Marie and Berthe at Fayet's in the Latin Quarter three years earlier says they gave him a rendezvous «à la fête de Murcie» by an extravagant letter.