became impoverished. Therese de Solms took
to writing stories. After many refusals, her debut took place in the
'Revue des Deux Mondes', and her perseverance was largely due to the
encouragement she received from George Sand, although that great woman
saw everything through the magnifying glass of her genius. But the
person to whom Therese Bentzon was most indebted in the matter of
literary advice--she says herself--was the late M. Caro, the famous
Sorbonne professor of philosophy, himself an admirable writer, "who put
me through a course of literature, acting as my guide through a vast
amount of solid reading, and criticizing my work with kindly severity."
Success was slow. Strange as it may seem, there is a prejudice against
female writers in France, a country that has produced so many admirable
women-authors. However, the time was to come when M. Becloz found one
of her stories in the 'Journal des Debats'. It was the one entitled 'Un
Divorce', and he lost no time in engaging the young writer to become one
of his staff. From that day to this she has found the pages of the Revue
always open to her.
Madame Bentzon is a novelist, translator, and writer of literary essays.
The list of her works runs as follows: 'Le Roman d'un Muet (1868); Un
Divorce (1872); La Grande Sauliere (1877); Un remords (1878); Yette and
Georgette (1880); Le Retour (1882); Tete folle (1883); Tony, (1884);
Emancipee (1887); Constance (1891); Jacqueline (1893). We need not enter
into the merits of style and composition if we mention that 'Un
remords, Tony, and Constance' were crowned by the French Academy, and
'Jacqueline' in 1893. Madame Bentzon is likewise the translator of
Aldrich, Bret Harte, Dickens, and Ouida. Some of her critical works
are 'Litterature et Moeurs etrangeres', 1882, and 'Nouveaux romanciers
americains', 1885.
M. THUREAU-DANGIN
de l'Academie Francaise.
JACQUELINE
BOOK 1.
CHAPTER I. A PARISIENNE'S "AT HOME"
Despite a short frock, checked stockings, wide turned-over collar, and
a loose sash around the waist of her blouse in other words, despite the
childish fashion of a dress which seemed to denote that she was not
more than thirteen or fourteen years of age, she seemed much older. An
observer would have put her down as the oldest of the young girls who on
Tuesdays, at Madame de Nailles's afternoons, filled what was called "the
young girls' corner" with whispered mer
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