Her real godmother was Marie-Felicite
Burgaud. Balzac did not know that she had been married to the notary
Gougeon, and thought that her mother was still living.

When Madame de Valette went to Paris to reside, she was noted for her
beauty and eccentric manners; she rode horseback to visit Balzac _aux
Jardies_. She met a young writer, Edmond Cador, who revealed to Balzac
all that she had kept from him. This deception provoked Balzac and
gave rise to an exchange of rather sharp letters, and a long silence
followed. After Balzac's death she gave Madame Honore de Balzac
trouble concerning _Beatrix_ and her correspondence with Balzac, which
she claimed. She died January 14, 1873, at the home of the Baron
Larrey whom she had appointed as her residuary legatee. She is buried
in the Pere-Lachaise cemetery, and on her tomb is written _Veuve
Gougeon_.

In her letters to Balzac, given by Spoelberch de Lovenjoul to the
French Academy, she addressed him as "My dear beloved treasure," and
signed her name _Babouino_. There exists a letter from her to him in
which she tells him that she is going to Vannes to visit for a
fortnight, after which she will go to Bearn to make the acquaintance
of her husband's people, and asks him to address her under the name of
Helene-Marie.[*]

[*] Leon Seche, _Les Inspiratrices de Balzac, Helene de Valette, Les
Annales Romantiques_, supposes that this is another falsehood,
since he could find no record of where any member of the Gougeon
family had ever lived in Bearn. Much of his information has been
secured from Dr. Closmadeuc, who lived at Vannes and who attended
Madame de Valette in her late years; also, from her adopted
daughter, Mlle. Le Gallo.

After the death of Madame de Valette, the Baron Larrey, in memory of
her relations with Balzac, presented to the city of Tours the
corrected proofs of _Beatrix_, and a portrait of Balzac which he had
received from her.

Among Balzac's numerous Russian friends was Mademoiselle Sophie
Kozlowska. "Sophie is the daughter of Prince Kozlowski, whose marriage
was not recognized; you must have heard of that very witty diplomat,
who is with Prince Paskevitch in Warsaw."[*]

[*] _Lettres a l'Etrangere_. By explaining to Madame Hanska who Sophie
is, one would not suppose that Balzac met her at Madame Hanska's
home, as M. E. Pilon states in his article.

This friendship seems to have been rather close for a while, Balzac
addre