e de Village_), yet some of the mothers in Balzac are
most heartless. A few professions among women are represented,
actresses, artists, musicians and dancers being prominent in some of
the stories.

It is quite possible and even probable that Balzac pictured many more
women whom he knew in real life than have been mentioned here, and
these may yet be traced. For obvious reasons, he avoided exact
portraiture, yet in a few instances he indulged in it, notably in the
sketch of George Sand as Mademoiselle des Touches. And lest one might
not recognize the appearance of Madame Merlin as Madame Schontz
(_Beatrix_), he boldly made her name public.

In presenting the women whom we know, the novelist was usually
consistent. As has been seen, he regarded the home of Madame Carraud
at Frapesle as a haven of rest, and went there like a wood-pigeon
regaining its nest. The suffering Felix de Vandenesse (_Le Lys dans la
Vallee_) could not, therefore, find calm until he went to the chateau
de Frapesle to recuperate. The novelist could easily give this minute
description of Frapesle with its towers, as well as the chateau de
Sache, the home of M. de Margonne, having spent so much of his time at
both of these places.

The reader, having seen in the early pages of this book, Balzac's
relation to his mother,--in case Felix de Vandenesse represents Balzac
himself--is not surprised to learn that the mother of Felix was cold
and tyrannical, indifferent to his happiness, that he had but little
or no money to spend, that his brother was the favorite, that he was
sent away to school early in life and remained there eight years, that
his mother often reproached him and repressed his tenderness, and that
to escape all contact with her he buried himself in his reading.

Felix was in this unhappy state when he met Madame de Mortsauf, whose
shoulders he kissed suddenly, and whose love for him later made him
forget the miseries of childhood; in the same manner, Balzac made his
first declaration to Madame de Berny. Madame de Mortsauf could easily
be Madame de Berny with all her tenderness and sympathy, or she could
be Madame Hanska. The intense maternal love of the heroine could
represent either, but especially the latter. M. de Mortsauf could be
either M. de Berny or M. de Hanski. Balzac left Madame de Berny and
became enraptured with Madame de Castries, and had had a similar
infatuation for Madame d'Abrantes, just as Felix made Madame de
Mortsau