inherited, moreover, that kindness which inspires love
with admiration. These three gifts, beauty, wit, kindness, had
made her the queen of the century. One could admire her more or
less as a poetess, but, if one knew her thoroughly, it was
impossible not to love her as a woman. She had some passion, but
no hatred. Her thunderbolts were only electricity; her
imprecations against the enemies of her husband were only anger;
that passed with the storm. It was always beautiful in her soul,
her days of hatred had no morrow. . . . She knew my desire to know
Balzac. She loved him, as I was disposed to love him myself. . . .
She felt herself in unison with him, whether through gaiety with
his joviality, through seriousness with his sadness, or through
imagination with his talent. He regarded her also as a rare
creature, near whom he could forget all the discomforts of his
miserable existence."

A few years after their meeting, Lamartine inquired Balzac's address
of Madame de Girardin, as she was one of the few people who knew where
he was hiding on account of his debts. Balzac was appreciative of the
many courtesies extended to him by Madame de Girardin and was
delighted to have her received by his friends, among whom was the
Duchesse de Castries.

Madame de Girardin made constant effort to keep the peace between
Balzac and her husband, the potentate of the _Presse_. Balzac had
known Emile de Girardin since 1829, having been introduced to him by
Levavasseur, who had just published his _Physiologie du Mariage_.
Later Balzac took his Verdugo to M. de Girardin which appeared in _La
Mode_ in which Madame de Girardin and her mother were collaborating;
but these two men were too domineering and too violent to have
amicable business dealings with each other for any length of time.
Balzac, while being _un bourreau d'argent_, would have thought himself
dishonored in subordinating his art to questions of commercialism; M.
de Girardin only esteemed literature in so far as it was a profitable
business. They quarreled often, and each time Madame de Girardin
defended Balzac.

Their first serious controversy was in 1834. Balzac was no longer
writing for _La Mode_; he took the liberty of reproducing elsewhere
some of his articles which he had given to this paper; M. de Girardin
insisted that they were his property and that his consent should have
been asked. Madame de Girardin naturally knew of the quarrel and