41, that it caused her to give up her protestant faith
and enter the convent. Miss Sandars (_Balzac_) has well remarked:
"We may wonder, however, whether tardy remorse for her deceit
towards the dead man, who had treated her with kindness, had not
its influence in causing this sudden religious enthusiasm, and
whether the Sister in the Convent of the Visitation in Paris gave
herself extra penance for her sins of connivance." Mademoiselle
died in this convent, rue d'Enfer, in 1857.

In addition to all this, the poor novelist had one more trial to
undergo; this was to see her take the vows (December 2, 1845). He was
misinformed as to the time of the ceremony, so went too soon and
wasted much precious time, but he remained through the long service in
order to see her afterwards. But in all this Lirette was to accomplish
one thing for him. As she had helped in his correspondence, she was
soon to be the means of bringing him and his _Chatelaine_ together
again; the devotion of Madame Hanska and Anna to the former governess
being such that they came to Paris to see her.

In the home of the de Hanskis in the Russian waste were two other
women, Mesdemoiselles Severine and Denise Wylezynska, who were to play
a small part in Balzac's life. Both of these relatives probably came
with M. de Hanski and his family to Switzerland in 1833; their names
are mentioned frequently in his letters to Madame Hanska, and soon
after his visit at Neufchatel the novelist asks that Mademoiselle
Severine preserve her gracious indifference. These ladies were cousins
of M. de Hanski, and probably were sisters of M. Thaddee Wylezynski,
mentioned in connection with Madame Hanska. After her husband's death,
Madame Hanska must have invited these two ladies to live with her, for
Balzac inquires about the two young people she had with her.

Mademoiselle Denise has been suspected of having written the first
letter for Madame Hanska, and the dedication of _La Grenadiere_ has
been replaced by the initials "A. D. W.," supposed to mean "a Denise
Wylezynska"; the actual dedication is an unpublished correction of
Balzac himself.

The relative that caused Balzac the most discomfort was the Countess
Rosalie Rzewuska, nee Princess Lubomirska, wife of Count Wenceslas
Rzewuski, Madame Hanska's uncle. She seems to have been continually
hearing either that he was married, or something that was detrimental,
and kept him busy denying these r