motions. Now Sand began
to cool, though her lively imagination never ceased making graceful,
touching pictures of herself in the roles of sister of mercy, mother,
and discreet friend, all merged into one sentimental composite. Her
invalid was her one thought, and for an active mind and body like hers,
it must have been irksome to submit to the caprices of a moody, ailing
man. He composed at Nohant, and she has told us all about it; how he
groaned, wrote and re-wrote and tore to pieces draft after draft of his
work. This brings to memory another martyr to style, Gustave Flaubert,
who for forty years in a room at Croisset, near Rouen, wrestled with
the devils of syntax and epithet. Chopin was of an impatient, nervous
disposition. All the more remarkable then his capacity for taking
infinite pains. Like Balzac he was never pleased with the final
"revise" of his work, he must needs aim at finishing touches. His
letters at this period are interesting for the Chopinist but for the
most part they consist of requests made to his pupils, Fontana, Gutmann
and others, to jog the publishers, to get him new apartments, to buy
him many things. Wagner was not more importunate or minatory than this
Pole, who depended on others for the material comforts and necessities
of his existence. Nor is his abuse of friends and patrons, the Leos and
others, indicative of an altogether frank, sincere nature. He did not
hesitate to lump them all as "pigs" and "Jews" if anything happened to
jar his nerves. Money, money, is the leading theme of the Paris and
Mallorean letters. Sand was a spendthrift and Chopin had often to put
his hands in his pocket for her. He charged twenty francs a lesson, but
was not a machine and for at least four months of the year he earned
nothing. Hence his anxiety to get all he could for his compositions.
Heaven-born geniuses are sometimes very keen in financial transactions,
and indeed why should they not be?

In 1839 Chopin met Moscheles. They appeared together at St. Cloud,
playing for the royal family. Chopin received a gold cup, Moscheles a
travelling case. "The King gave him this," said the amiable Frederic,
"to get the sooner rid of him." There were two public concerts in 1841
and 1842, the first on April 26 at Pleyel's rooms, the second on
February 20 at the same hall. Niecks devotes an engrossing chapter to
the public accounts and the general style of Chopin's playing; of this
more hereafter. From 1843 to 1847 Cho