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Honore de Balzac by Albert Keim;Louis Lumet
page 72 of 147 (48%)

Mme. de Castries was one of the most highly courted ladies in the
exclusive circle of the Faubourg Saint-Germain, an aristocrat of
aristocrats; she was still young,--her age was thirty-five,--and
beautiful, with pale and delicate features, crowned with masses of hair
of a dazzling Venetian blonde. She was a descendant of the de Maille
family, her husband had been a peer of France under Charles X, and
through marriage with the Duc de Fitz-James, one of the leaders of the
legitimist party, was her brother-in-law, thus connecting her with the
highest nobility of France. To Balzac she represented the doorway to a
world of which he had had only vague glimpses as reflected in the
reminiscences of Mme. de Berny,--and she smiled upon him with a
mysterious smile of welcome.

The novelist hastened to accept the Duchess's invitation, and became
one of the regular frequenters of her salon. She led him on; and he
talked of his ideas, his projects and his dreams. He also talked
discreetly of his heart, and without encouraging him, she allowed him
to understand that she listened to him without displeasure. His
relations with Mme. de Berny had been tinged with a sort of bitterness,
due to the disparity in their ages, and his happiness had never been
complete. These relations were now about to come to a close, yet even
after the rupture they were destined to remain like a single soul,
united by a profound and lasting affection, beyond the reach of any
severance. Be that as it may, Balzac at this period was audaciously
planning another conquest, and a dazzling one, more brilliant than his
most ambitious hopes could have wished. So the pretty game continued,
half in sport and half in earnest.

Whether it was due solely to the influence of the duchess or whether a
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