Biarritz vacation and

romance with Nelly

Bousted
Chapter 18
 To seek solace for his disappointments in Madrid,
Rizal took a vacation in theresort city of Biarritz on
the fabulous French Riviera. He was a guest of the
richBoustead family at its winter residence- Villa
Introduction Eliada. He had befriended Mr.Boustead and his wife
and the two charming daughters Adelina and Nellie.
Hewas used to fence with the Boustead sisters at the
studio of Juan Luna. It was inBiarritz where he had a
serious romance with Nellie and finished the last
chapter of his novel, El Filibusterismo
 When Rizal arrived in Biaritzz
at the beginning of February,
1891 he was warmly welcomed
by the Bousteds,particularly
With the Mr.Bousted Who Had taken a
great liking for him Because of
Bousteds in his remarkable talents.As a
Biaritzz family guest,he was treated with
friendliness amd hospitality by
Mrs.Bousted ,Adelina,Nellie,an
d Aunt Isabel(Mrs.Bousted's
sister.)
 The one-month vacation in Biaritzz worked wonders
for Rizal.The scenic beaches filled with tourists from
All parts of the world,the refreshing breezes of the
Atlantic ocean,and the festive atmosphere of the city

With the cheered His despondent spirit and made him Forget
the bitter memories of Madrid.His sorrowing heart
began To Sing once more with joy and His health
Bousteds improved with remarkable swiftness.Writing from
Biaritzz To Mariano Ponce on February 11,1891.He

in Biaritzz said,"I have put on much weight since arrived

Here:My cheeks are no longer shrisks on as before
the reason that i go To bed early and I have much
cares.
 Biaritzz,with Its romantic gardens delightful
villas.And panoramic beauties is So ideal setting for
romance.On an emotional rebounce.Rizal having lost
His beloved Leonor.Came To entertain considerable
affections for Nellie.The prettier and younger

Romance
daughter of His host.He found her To be a real
filipina.Highly intelligent ,vivicious in

with Nellie temperament;and morally upright.He wrote To His

inheritance friends,except proffesor Blumentritt,of

Bousted His Love for Nellie also called Nelly,and His

intentions To propose marriage To her.
As early as on February 4,1891,M.H Del Pilar teased
him about changing the "o" in Noli To an "e" which
means Noli To Nellie.5 days later,Thomas Arihola
told Rizal .
 In your letter you Talk repeatedly of Bousted which
can be a madame or madamoiselle.Several times
Here Since last year I have been told about This
young woman Who,according To your letter is also
Filipino.They told me that She is Highly
commendable for His thorough education,her Very
Romance beautiful moral and physical qualities,and in
addition,for Being a Filipino.On His occasion and All
with Nellie the time you are there exposed To the warmth of the

Bousted
treatment and attentions of that family,may I Take the
liberty for making the following reflections.Through
you yourself.I know that you are now free from your
engagement in the Philippines.
 On the other hand,while conditions there are Not
altered,your permanence in our country is Not
advisable;and even if It were so,they Would never Leave
you in Peace at your home.Consequently,by marrying

Romance there .I fear that instead of happiness,you Would only find

bitterness and trouble.

with Nellie
And What is remedy?....See if madamoiselle Bousted
suits you,court her, and marry her,and We are Here To
applaud such a Good act.

Bousted Antonio Luna,Who Had previously loved and

lost Nelly,encouraged Rizal To woo and marry her.From
Madrid,he wrote To Rizal,saying.
With respect To Nelly,frankly,I Think there is
Nothing between us more Than one of those friendships
enlivened
 by being fellow countrymen.It seems To me that there is
Nothing more.My word of honor,I Had been her fiance.We
wrote To each other.I like her Because I knew How worthy
She was,but circumstances beyond our control made All that
happiness one cherished evaporate .She is good; She is

Romance naturally endowed with qualities admirable in a young Woman

and I believe that She will bring happiness Not only To you
but any other man Who is worthy of her..... I congratulate you

with Nellie as one of congratulates a friend,Congratulations!

with the encouragement of His close friends,Rizal courted
Nelly Who,in turn,reciprocated His

Bousted affection.Unfortunately,their Romance beneath the lovely

Biaritzz moon Did not have a Happy fairy tale finale.Rizal's
Marriage proposal failed for two reasons:
 1:He refused To Give up His catholic faith and be converted
To Protestantism, as Nelly demanded ,and
2:Nelly's Mother Did Not like Rizal as a son-in-law.

Nelly Bousted, Being a Good protestant, Wanted Rizal To

espouse Protestantism before their Marriage.Rizal,being a man
of firm conviction,refused.Although he became a Mason, he

Romance remained loyal To the catholic religion, the faith of His

clan.Years Later,when he was living in exile in Dapitan, he
refuted Father Pablo Pastells 'accusation that he was a

with Nellie Protestant as knew What I Had lost for Not accepting
Protestantism,you Would Not say such a thing. Had I Not
Always respected the religious idea,had I held religion as a

Bousted matter of convenience or an art Getting along in His

life,instead of being a poor exile ,I Would now be a rich
man,free,and covered with honors.
 Nelly's Mother,like the Mother of Leonor Rivera , had no wish
To entrust her daughter's happiness To a man Who was poor in
material things,a physician without a paying clientele , a writer
who earned nothing from His pen, and a reformer Who was
persecuted by the friars and government officials in His own
country.

Romance Although They could Not Get married, Rizal and Nellie parted
as Good friends. When dhe learned that Rizal was leaving
Europe, She sent him a Farewell letter,Saying:"Now that you

with Nellie are leavingI wish you a Happy Trip and may you triumph in
your undertakings,and above All,may the lord look down on
you with favor and guide your way giving you much

Bousted blessings, and may you learn To enjoy! My remembrance will

accompany you as also My prayers".
 Frustrated in romance, Rizal found consolation in
writing.Evidently, while wooing Nellie and enjoying
So"many magnificent moonlight nights"which her,he kept
working on His second novel which he began to write in
El Calamba in 1887.

Filibusterismo On March 29,1891, the eve of His departure from Biaritzz

To Paris,he finished the manuscript of El
Finished in Filibusterismo.Writing To Blumentritt on that date ,he said:
I have finished My book!Oh,no, I have Not written
Biaritzz in It My Idea for revenge against My enemies but only What
is Good of those Who are suffering, for the rights of the
tagalog race, though brown and may Not have Good
features!
Surely, I will Leave tomorrow for Paris, and from
there I don't know Where I am going.
 As he had written to Blumentritt , Rizal bade farewell to the
hospitable and friendly Bousteds (parents and daughters)on
March 30,1891 and proceeded to Paris by train. He stayed at
the home of his friend, Valentin Ventura, on 4 Rue de

To Paris and Chateaudum.

From Paris, he wrote to his friend, Jose Ma. Basa,in

Back to Hongkong ,on April 4,expressing his desire to go to that

British colony and practice opthalmology in order to earn

Brussels his living .Moreover,in this letter,he requested Basa to

advance him the amount for a first class steamer ticket from
Europe to Hongkong.
 By the middle of April,1891, Rizal was back in Brussels,
Where he was happily received by Marie and Suzanne
To Paris and Jacoby (his landladies)and above all, by Petite Suzanne (the
Belgian girl who loved him).
Back to
Brussels
 Since abdicating his leadership in Madrid in January, 1891,
owing to the intrigues of his jealous compatriots , Rizal
retired from the Propaganda Movement, or reform crusade.
He desired to publish his second novel,to practice his
Retirement medical profession,and later, when he became financially
independent,he expected to make a more vigorous campaign
from the for his country's redemption.
From Brussels,on May 1,1891, he notified the Propaganda

Propaganda authorities in Manila To cancel His monthly allowance and

devote the money To Some Better cause, such as the

Movement education of a young Filipino student in Europe. His

notification was contained in a letter addressed to Mr. A.L.
Lorena(pseudonym of Deodato Arellano),as follows:
 Through the kindness of J.A.;I received your letter of 13
February with a draft of P100 that the Propaganda is sending me
for the months of January and February and I thank you for such
Retirement attention.
In Order to avoid increasing its attentions I believe my

from the retirement is necessary.I will establish myself and earn my

living.My chosen place is either in the Philippines,Hongkong,or

Propaganda Japan, because Europe seems to me a place of exile and I am

hereby notifying the Propaganda of my intention so that it may
make its decision. With the P50 that it send me monthly it could
Movement do something better, which is to defray the cost of the education of
another young man who is not the same situation as I am. Though
such an amount of sufficient to live on in any palce in Europe, it is
not enough for one who wishes to accomplish something and to
carry out the plans that he may cherish.
 Consequently, I have asked Friend Basa to furnish me with the
funds fo my return, so that I can start earning a small fortune. If at
last, after the end of a few years, I become financially
indepemdent, I shall be able to understake a more vigorous and

Retirement effective campaign than that I have been doing until now.

from the
Propaganda
Movement
 Simultaneous with his retirement from the Propaganda Movement,
Rizal ceased writing articles for La Solidaridad. Many of his friends
in Spain urged him to continue writing for the patriotic periodical,
because his articles always attracted considerable attention in

Rizal Stopped
European countries.
M.H. del Pilar himself realized the need for Rizal's collaboration in
both the Propaganda Movement and in the La Solidaridad newspaper

Writing for
because the euthusiasm for the reform crusade in Spain was declining.
On August 7,1891, he wrote to Rizal begging forgiveness for any
resentment and requesting him (Rizal) to resume writing for the La

La
Solidaridad. "In short," he said in his letter, "if you have any
resentment, I beg you to put aside; if you consider me at fault, and
this fault is pardonable, forgive me... We would much like that you

Solidaridad resume writingfor it; not only would we strengthen La Solidaridad

but we should defeat the friar intrigue in the Philippines. In his reply
to Del Pilar's letter, Rizal write denying any resentment and
explaining why he stopped writing for La Solidaridad as follows :
 I am extremely surprised at your letter, telling me about resentments,
disagreements, and reconciliations, etc. I believe it is uselezz to talk
about what does not exist, and if it has existed, it ought to have
evaporated in the past. I think like you do, that there being nothing,

Rizal Stopped
one ought not to waste time talking about it.
If I stopped writing for La Solidaridad, it was because of several
reasons: 1st, I need time to work on my book; 2nd, I wanted onther

Writing for
Filipinos to work also; erd, I considered it very important to the party
that there be unity in the work; it is better to leave you alone to direct
the policy such as you understand it nad I do not meddle in it. This

La
has two advantages: It leaves both us free, and it increases your
prestige, which is very necessary, inasmuch as men of prestige are
needed in our country. This does not mean to say that I need not to

Solidaridad work and follow the course of your work. I am like an army corps
who, at a needed moment, you will see ardive to descend upon the
flanks of the enemy before you. Only I ask God to give me tge means
to do it.... I fight for the nation, the Philippines.
 In Brussels Rizal worked day after day revising the finish manuscript of El
Filibusterismo nd readied it for printing.
Apparently, the revision was mostly completed on May 30, 1891. On this
date, he wrote Jose Ma. Basa: “My book is now ready to go to press; the
first twenty chapters are alredy corrected and can be printed and I am
recopying the rest. If I receive any money you will surely have it in July. I
am writing it with more ardor than Noli and although it is not so cheerful, at

Revising
least it is more profound and more perfect... In case I do not receive money,
will you as them to send me money for the printing of my book? If not, I
will be leaving this place and be with you.”
Two weeks late, on June 13, Rizal informed Basa: “I am now negotiating

the Fili for with a printing firm and as I do not know if it will be printed here (Belgium)
or Spain, I cannot send it to you as yet. In case it is not published here, I will
send it to you by the next mail. Only three chapters are left to be corrected.

Publication It is longer than the Noli, first part. It will be finished before the 16th of this
month. If by chance anything happens to me, I leave its publication to
Antonio Luna, including its correction... If my Noli (sic. Fili_Z.) is not
published, I shall board a train on the following day when I receive your
letter with the passage-money; but if my book is published I shall have to
wait until it comes off the press.”
Questions
and
Discussio
ns
Thank
You!