Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II MY MARRIAGE—MY CHILDREN—DRAMATIC AND LYRIC PLAYS—AMENITIES OF THE THEATRICAL CENSURE—MY SHORT WITHDRAWAL TO PRIVATE LIFE—MY PROFESSIONAL TRIP TO PARIS IN 1855—MY RELATIONS WITH RACHEL I Had reached the age when the heart feels the imperious need of another love besides the one for art. The affection that I nourished for children in general, was not only inborn but extraordinary with me, and I fancied that children alone were destined to make one realise true happiness on earth. Still I could not decide to marry, lest this might endanger my professional career, with which I was infatuated. However, the fates had destined for me a companion, a gentle soul, who, sharing with me a love for my art, instead of lessening my enthusiasm encouraged me to pursue my vocation with tenacity. After a series of grave difficulties and romantic adventures, already told by my biographers, I united myself in matrimony with the Marquis Giuliano Capran- ica del Grillo. Painful circumstances obliged us, during the first years of our married life, to live separated. Still the days of bliss and comfort soon came for us. I had the sublime good fortune to become the mother of four children. Unfortunately two of them died. The two remaining ones, Giorgio and Bianca, were destined to make up for the emptiness, which the death of their two poor brothers had caused. We never wished to be separated from them; so they grew up under our very eyes, and were for us a source of great joy. Little by little, however, I began to perceive that thefirst sweetness of maternal affection was taking such hold upon me, that my love for my art was gradually decreasing in its intensity. The abnormal state of my mind joined together with secondary reasons, prompted me to retire from the stage, when ha... --This text refers to the Paperback edition.