and arose at midnight;
but he conformed to her habits while spending these three days at her
chateau, talking with her from five in the evening till five the next
morning; after this, they understood each other better than they had
done previously. He had censured her for deserting Jules Sandeau, but
afterwards had the deepest compassion for her, as he too had found him
to be a most ungrateful friend.

Balzac felt that Madame Dudevant was not lovable, and would always be
difficult to love; she was a _garcon_, an artist, she was grand,
generous, devoted, chaste; she had the traits of a man,--she was not a
woman. He delighted in discussing social questions with a comrade to
whom he did not need to show the _galanterie d'epiderme_ necessary in
conversation with ordinary women. He thought that she had great
virtues which society misconstrued, and that after hours of discussion
he had gained a great deal in making her recognize the necessity of
marriage. In discussing with him the great questions of marriage and
liberty, she said with great pride that they were preparing by their
writings a revolution in manners and morals, and that she was none the
less struck by the objections to the one than by those to the other.

She knew just what he thought about her; she had neither force of
conception, nor the art of pathos, but--without knowing the French
language--she had _style_. Like him, she took her glory in raillery,
and had a profound contempt for the public, which she called
_Jumento_. Defending her past life, he says: "All the follies that she
has committed are titles to fame in the eyes of great and noble souls.
She was duped by Madame Dorval, Bocage, Lammennais, etc., etc. Through
the same sentiment she is now the dupe of Liszt and Madame d'Agoult;
she has just realized it for this couple as for la Dorval, for she has
one of those minds that are powerful in the study, through intellect,
but extremely easy to entrap on the domain of reality."

During this week-end visit, Madame Dudevant related to Balzac the
story of Liszt and Madame d'Agoult, which he reproduced in _Beatrix_,
since in her position, she could not do so herself. In the same book,
George Sand is portrayed as Mademoiselle des Touches, with the
complexion, pale olive by day, and white under artificial light,
characteristic of Italian beauty. The face, rather long than oval,
resembles that of some beautiful Isis. Her hair, black and thick,
falls in plaited