heir father, and thus became
also acquainted with the rest of the family. The nature of the relation
in which Chopin and they stood to each other is shown by a letter
written by the former on July 18, 1834, to one of the brothers who with
his mother and other members of the family was at that time staying at
Geneva, whither they had gone after the Polish revolution of 1830-31, in
which the three brothers--Anthony, Casimir, and Felix--had taken part:--

My dear Felix,--Very likely you thought "Fred must be moping
that he does not answer my letter!" But you will remember
that it was always my habit to do everything too late. Thus I
went also too late to Miss Fanche, and consequently was
obliged to wait till honest Wolf had departed. Were it not
that I have only recently come back from the banks of the
Rhine and have an engagement from which I cannot free myself
just now, I would immediately set out for Geneva to thank
your esteemed mamma and at the same time accept her kind
invitation. But cruel fate--in one word, it cannot be done.
Your sister was so good as to send me her composition. It
gives me the greatest pleasure, and happening to improvise
the veryevening of its arrival in one of our salons, I took
for my subject the pretty theme by a certain Maria with whom
in times gone by I played at hide and seek in the house of
Mr. Pszenny...To-day! Je prends la liberte d'envoyer a mon
estimable collegue Mile Marie une petite valse que je viens
de publier. May it afford her a hundredth part of the
pleasure which I felt on receiving her variations. In
conclusion, I once more thank your mamma most sincerely for
kindly remembering her old and faithful servant in whose
veins also there run some drops of Cujavian blood.
[Footnote: Cujavia is the name of a Polish district.]

F. CHOPIN.

P.S.--Embrace Anthony, stifle Casimir with caresses if you
can; as for Miss Maria make her a graceful and respectful
bow. Be surprised and say in a whisper, "Dear me, how tall
she has grown!"

The Wodzinskis, with the exception of Anthony, returned in the summer of
1835 to Poland, making on their way thither a stay at Dresden. Anthony,
who was then in Paris and in constant intercourse with Chopin, kept the
latter informed of his people's movements and his people of Chopin's.
Thus it came about that they met at Dresden in September, 1835, whither
the composer w