CHAPTER XV
Pretty Roumanian women--Adventitious aids to beauty--Paris toilets--Childish extravagances--Men with London tailors--A dandy in blue boots--Some quaint superstitions--Warding off the evil eye--The efficacy of hot coals and a cup of water--The Marțisoara, or March token--A wife’s indiscretion punished: a story of poetic justice--The Marțisoara as a temperamental barometer.
Roumanian ladies are on the whole pretty, and some are _very_ pretty. They have always good hair and teeth and small feet. Their figures are very good, and if one _should_ happen to have a bad one, it is easily set right by the _corsetière_. The only thing that is not quite up to the mark is the complexion, and this is the reason why there is such a brisk demand for powder and paint. Dyeing the hair is also greatly in vogue, even with young people, and it is very amusing to note the change in a person’s appearance when such dyes have first been used.
I knew two sisters, daughters of Princess ---- (who always insisted upon her title) who were very pretty girls with dark brown hair. Evidently they were discontented with it, as on meeting them one day I noticed, to my utter amazement, that their hair was golden. I was so taken aback that I could not at once congratulate them on their appearance, although they evidently expected me to do so. On seeing my confusion they were at great pains to explain that their hair was _not_ dyed; they had only used oxygen on it. As the result was the same, however, it did not seem to me to matter what they called the process.
Roumanians know how to dress, the ladies especially, and as every article of the toilet comes from Paris, their taste is sure to be guided aright. They do not mind what they spend on dress, the simplest walking costume in pre-war times costing £8, 10s., simple hats anything from £4 upwards, so one may imagine how much may be spent on more elaborate toilets. These prices are not by any means confined to the wealthiest classes of society--even moderately well-to-do people will spend enormous sums on clothes. They seemed to me like overgrown children in many cases; as long as they had money to spend, it had to be spent.
I particularly remember a case in point. A young man of Bucarest inherited a considerable sum of money. At once he invested in a smart carriage and a really fine pair of horses. He was seen driving in great style to the Chaussée every afternoon, and I was told that it was a sight to see his dressing room hung round with suits of clothes of every prevailing fashion, and under each suit a pair of boots or shoes ready to hand.
This joyous life went on for a time, till the money began to get scarce (as it has an awkward habit of doing), and the young man had to sell his carriage and fine horses. He was then seen taking his daily airing in a _birja_, _i.e._ hired carriage (no Roumanian walks unless he is absolutely obliged), and after some months of that he was reduced to riding in the tram! His fall was gradual, but the lowest depth was reached at last.
The men of Roumania are not good-looking as a rule. They are generally short in stature with very dark complexions and conspicuously moustached. Moustaches used to be worn with turned-up ends in imitation of the Kaiser, but as he is no longer looked on with any favour this fashion has been abandoned. The men who are rich enough to do so, order their clothes in London, or in Paris. As a rule only those who really cannot afford to do otherwise get their clothes in their own country.
The boots that one buys in Roumania are usually of a very light make, both for winter and summer. Ladies wear black, brown, or grey, but I have never seen them with other colours, as I have seen men. My astonishment was great one day when I met a man wearing a pair of light blue boots. One never requires strong boots in Roumania, as in winter snow-boots are worn over the others, and removed on entering the house. Boots were always expensive in Bucarest, a decent pair costing from 25 francs (£1) upwards; but really smart people paid 75 and 80 francs a pair.
Ladies practically always have their corsets, boots, and gloves made for them. It is very seldom indeed that they buy any of those articles ready made.
We must always remember, in considering the Roumanian people, that their civilisation is far more suggestive of the East than of the West. In our eyes some of their customs are very peculiar, to say the least of it. Even the upper classes are extremely superstitious.
No one ever dreams of starting on a journey or commencing any particular work on a Tuesday. It is considered a very unlucky day.
Dreams are gravely related and certain conclusions are drawn from them, based, of course, on past experience, either of the raconteur or of some friend.
Little children wear coloured ribbons in order to keep off the “evil eye.” A boy wears red and a little girl blue. It is rather a convenient custom, as one knows at once the sex of the child, and is not under the necessity of alluding to an infant as “it.”
On no account must one admire or praise a child in the hearing of its parents. Such a proceeding is looked upon as directly challenging the operations of the “evil eye.” I shall never forget an incident which occurred some years ago. I had called upon Madame ----, and we were quietly drinking tea together in the English manner, a compliment to me, when her husband rushed in with their little boy, in a state of the greatest excitement. He explained that they had been walking on the Calea Victorie when they met a mutual friend of ours, an Englishman, who had not been long in Bucarest. This gentleman had unluckily expressed his admiration of the handsome boy; hence the trouble. M. ---- rang the bell violently and gave an order to the servant, who without delay brought in a cup of cold water on a tray, whilst she carried in the other hand a small shovel containing three live coals from the kitchen fire. With great anxiety and solicitude, the perturbed father dropped the three pieces of charcoal into the cup. They sizzled a little and--floated. Had they sunk the direst misfortunes would have been presaged. A teaspoonful of the water was then given to the child, his forehead, the palms of his hands, and the soles of his feet were moistened with it, and three paternosters having been said, all was well. The relieved father turned to me with many apologies for his excited entrance, “But you know,” he explained, “the matter was of the very greatest importance, and he is our only child.”
It is the universal feminine custom in Roumania to wear a “Marțisoara” during the month of March. This is an ornament primarily intended for young girls, and all kinds of them are worn, from simple ones of glass or painted wood to costly trinkets of silver or gold ornamented with precious stones. They are therefore of all prices. But whatever the cost may be, the practice of tying each one with fancy cord, coloured red and white, is universal, these two colours being symbolical of the ideal complexion of a young girl. The ornaments are usually worn tied round the wrist, with the red and white tassels bobbing about with every movement. At the end of March the Marțisoara is taken off, the ornament carefully preserved, and the cords hung out on a bush in order that the dew of heaven may besprinkle them. The idea is that the Marțisoara will be efficacious in giving the wearer cheeks of the much coveted colouring.
The custom of presenting Marțisoara in the month of March is so universal, that not only do the youthful members of the male community take advantage of it in presenting to an admired fair one a gift that at any other time might be deemed an impertinence, but also older men frequently make use of the occasion to give presents in quarters where they have no right to bestow them. An amusing instance of the latter kind of indiscretion occurred in Bucarest some years ago, and became very literally the talk of the town.
Madame M., a well-known society beauty, had a husband who was neither rich nor generous. A Marțisoara displayed in the window of Resch the jeweller attracted her attention and she ardently desired to possess it. It was a beautifully fashioned trinket of gold, studded with lovely sapphires. Madame M. pointed it out to her husband, who, however, absolutely refused to even inquire the price, as it was sure to be very great. Now the lady had a _bon ami_, a very wealthy man, and when he heard of the difficulty he begged her to accept the Marțisoara as a gift from him. She declared that this would be impossible, as her husband’s suspicions would at once be aroused. The pair, however, had a little talk over the matter and hit upon a very ingenious plan.
M. Bon Ami called upon Resch and made a certain arrangement with him. The price of the ornament was 2000 francs, so he paid half of that sum to Resch on the understanding that if M. M. called to inquire about it he should let him have it for 1000 francs. Armed with this knowledge, Madame M. returned to the charge, and at length induced her husband to promise that if the Marțisoara could be obtained for 1200 francs he would buy it. The good man was a fair judge of precious stones, and thought it was safe to make the offer, as it would never be considered. The negotiation must have been an interesting one. It was said that Resch acted very discreetly, and after naming a price which was calculated not to arouse suspicion, he suffered himself to be beaten down to 1000 francs.
There was no more triumphant man in Bucarest that March afternoon than M. M. On his way home to delight his wife he could not refrain from dropping in at the Club to brag about his cleverness. He had half a dozen men for an audience, and they were not a bit bored, for this was a genuine and surprising bargain. All admired the Marțisoara tremendously. Several very much wanted to obtain possession of it, and it was here that the complications started. M. M. at first kept his wife, and the great pleasure he was in a position to afford her, before his mind, but when one of the party offered him 500 francs in advance of the purchase money, his cupidity was aroused and the Marțisoara changed hands.
M. M., however, proceeded homeward without misgivings. His wife was a sensible woman, and a clear gain of 500 francs would surely console her for any little disappointment about the trinket. He told his wonderful story with glee, and madame promptly went into hysterics. The poor husband could only ring the bell, and, whilst restoratives were being applied, reflect helplessly that there is no possibility of understanding the ways of woman.
If anyone feels curious as to how the story gained publicity, I can only say that my long residence in the country taught me, among other things, that there are no secrets in Bucarest.
There is another custom connected with the first nine days in the month of March. Every young girl chooses one of these days as her special day, and whatever the weather may be on that day, it is supposed to show her character--rainy weather shows that she is inclined to weep very readily; dull weather, that she looks at the gloomy side; alternate sunshine and rain, that she is changeable, and so forth. These nine days are called “Alte Baba” (old women), while the nine following are reserved for the men-folk under the same conditions. It used to be quite exciting to watch the weather conditions on special days, and very amusing when they tallied (as was often the case) with the character of a person who had chosen them.