ally she became alarmed, and tried to rebuff
him by a cold, irritable manner; but he continued to treat her with
the utmost gentleness. No doubt, she was not altogether without
feeling: an absolutely cold woman could not have exercised dominion
over a man of the stamp of Balzac; and though she is always
represented as playing a game, probably there were agitations, doubts,
questionings, and possibly real trouble, on her side, as well as on
that of Balzac. At any rate, the admirer of his novels may give her
the benefit of the doubt, and remember in gratitude that she
undoubtedly added to the gamut of the great psychologist's emotions,
and therefore increased his knowledge of the human heart, and the
truth and vividness of his books. Balzac, who spoke of the "doleurs
qui font trop vivre," plunged very deeply into the learning of the
school of life at this time.

[*] "Correspondance," vol. i. p. 195.

At last came a final rupture, of which we can only conjecture the
cause, as no satisfactory explanation is forthcoming. The original
"Confession" in the "Medecin de Campagne," which is the history of
Balzac's relations and parting with Madame de Castries, is in the
possession of the Vicomte de Spoelberch de Lovenjoul. The present
Confession was substituted in its place, because the first revealed
too much of Balzac's private life. However, even in the original
Confession, we learn no reason for Madame de Castries' sudden resolve
to dismiss her adorer, as Balzac declares with indignant despair that
he can give no explanation of it. Apparently she parted from him one
evening with her usual warmth of affection, and next morning
everything was changed, and she treated him with the utmost coldness.

Madame de Castries, with her brother-in-law, the Duc de Fitz-James and
his family, had settled to leave Aix on October 10th, and to travel in
Italy, visiting Rome and Naples; and they had been anxious that Balzac
should be one of the party. At first Balzac only spoke of this
vaguely, because of the question of money; but as pecuniary matters
were never allowed to interfere with anything he really wanted to do,
his mother cannot have been surprised to receive a letter written on
September 23rd, telling her that the matter was settled, and that he
was going to Italy.[*] As she would naturally ask how this was to be
managed, he explains that he will put off paying a debt of 500 francs,
and that, being only responsible for a fourth shar