riends, with what eloquent
anger did she defend them! What keen repartees, what incisive sarcasm!
On these occasions, her beauty glowed and became illuminated with a
divine radiance; she was magnificent; one might have thought Apollo
was preparing to flay Marsyas!

"Madame de Girardin professed for Balzac a lively admiration to
which he was sensible, and for which he showed his gratitude by
frequent visits; a costly return for him who was, with good right,
so avaricious of his time and of his working hours. Never did
woman possess to so high a degree as Delphine,--we were allowed to
call her by this familiar name among ourselves--the gift of
drawing out the wit of her guests. With her, we always found
ourselves in poetical raptures, and each left her salon amazed at
himself. There was no flint so rough that she could not cause it
to emit one spark; and with Balzac, as you may well believe, there
was no need of trying to strike fire; he flashed and kindled at
once." (Theophile Gautier, _Life Portraits, Balzac_.)

Balzac was interested in the occult sciences--in chiromancy and
cartomancy. He had been told of a sibyl even more astonishing than
Mademoiselle Lenormand, and he resolved that Madame de Girardin, Mery
and Theophile Gautier should drive with him to the abode of the
pythoness at Auteuil. The address given them was incorrect, only a
family of honest citizens living there, and the old mother became
angry at being taken for a sorceress. They had to make an ignominious
retreat, but Balzac insisted that this really was the place and
muttered maledictions on the old woman. Madame de Girardin pretended
that Balzac had invented all this for the sake of a carriage drive to
Auteuil, and to procure agreeable traveling companions. But if
disappointed on this occasion, Balzac was more successful at another
time, when with Madame de Girardin he visited the "magnetizer," M.
Dupotet, rue du Bac.

Besides enjoying for a long time the "happiness of being beautiful,"
Delphine also enjoyed almost exclusively, in her set, that of being
good. In this respect, she was superior to her mother who for the sake
of a witticism, never hesitated to offend another. She had but few
enemies, and, wishing to have none, tried to win over those who were
inimical towards her. For twenty-five years she played the diplomat
among all the rivals in talent and in glory who frequented her salon
in the rue Laffitte or in the Champ