beautiful, she reminded him of George Sand by her coiffure, attitude
and intellect, for she had the same feminine graces, together with the
same force of mind.

On his way to Sardinia, Balzac stopped to spend a few days with George
Sand at her country home at Nohant. He found his "comrade George" in
her dressing-gown, smoking a cigar after dinner in the chimney-corner
of an immense solitary chamber. In spite of her dreadful troubles, she
did not have a white hair; her swarthy skin had not deteriorated and
her beautiful eyes were still dazzling. She had been at Nohant about a
year, very sad, and working tremendously. He found her leading about
the same life as he; she retired at six in the morning and arose at
noon, while he retired at six in the evening and arose at midnight;
but he conformed to her habits while spending these three days at her
chateau, talking with her from five in the evening till five the next
morning; after this, they understood each other better than they had
done previously. He had censured her for deserting Jules Sandeau, but
afterwards had the deepest compassion for her, as he too had found him
to be a most ungrateful friend.

Balzac felt that Madame Dudevant was not lovable, and would always be
difficult to love; she was a _garcon_, an artist, she was grand,
generous, devoted, chaste; she had the traits of a man,--she was not a
woman. He delighted in discussing social questions with a comrade to
whom he did not need to show the _galanterie d'epiderme_ necessary in
conversation with ordinary women. He thought that she had great
virtues which society misconstrued, and that after hours of discussion
he had gained a great deal in making her recognize the necessity of
marriage. In discussing with him the great questions of marriage and
liberty, she said with great pride that they were preparing by their