who is with Prince Paskevitch in Warsaw."[*]

[*] _Lettres a l'Etrangere_. By explaining to Madame Hanska who Sophie
is, one would not suppose that Balzac met her at Madame Hanska's
home, as M. E. Pilon states in his article.

This friendship seems to have been rather close for a while, Balzac
addressing her as _Sofka_, _Sof_, _Sophie_ and _carissima Sofi_. Just
before the presentation of his play _Quinola_ he wrote her, asking for
the names and addresses of her various Russian friends who wished
seats, as many enemies were giving false names. He wanted to place the
beautiful ladies in front, and wished to know in what party she would
be, and the definite number of tickets and location desired for each
friend.

In this same jovial vein he writes her: "Mina wrote me that you were
ill, and that dealt me a blow as if one had told Napoleon his
aide-de-camp was dead." His attitude towards her changed some months
after writing this; she became the means of alienating his friend
Gavault from him, or at least he so suspected, and thought that she was
influenced by Madame Visconti. This coldness soon turned to enmity,
and she completely won from him his former friend, Gavault, who had
become very much enamored with her. The novelist expressed the same
bitterness of feeling for her as he did for Madame Visconti, but as
the years went by, either his aversion to these two women softened, or
he thought it good policy to retain their good will, for he wished
their names placed on his invitation list.

Balzac's feeling of friendship for her must have been sincere at one
time, for he dedicated _La Bourse_: