distance he supervised operations, with a mathematical keenness of
vision, and his mother assumed the responsibility of carrying out his
wishes, bringing to the contest all her qualities of vigour, clear
perception and crafty dealings. Honore de Balzac did not spare her. For
he estimated her endurance by his own; and no sooner was he installed
at Sache than he began to give her instructions that were little short
of orders. She must copy The Grocer, which the Silhouette had
published, send him a copy of Contes Bruns, obtain from Mme. de Berny a
volume of The Chouans with her corrections, read the article on Bernard
Palissy in the great Biographie Universelle, copy it, and make note of
all the works that Palissy had written or which had been written about
him, then hurry with those notes to M. de Mame, the book-seller,--whom
she was to present with copies of volumes 3 and 4 of Scenes of Private
Life, telling him that Honore had had a fall and could not leave the
house,--and ask him to procure the works on her list,--then go to Laure,
and read the notice on Bernard Palissy in "Papa's Biography," to see
whether any other works are mentioned which were not included in the
Biographie Universelle, and to buy elsewhere whatever M. de Mame did
not have, if they were not too dear, and send them all as soon as
possible. These works were all needed by Balzac as documents for the
Search for the Absolute, which was meant to conclude the fourth volume
of Philosophic Tales, published by Gosselin,--but probably they did not
reach him in time, for the Search for the Absolute did not appear until
1834, and its place in the Tales was taken by the Biographic Notice of
Louis Lambert.

To these express recommendations regarding his work Balzac added orders
relative to his household. He "desired" that Leclercq should take out
the horses half an hour each day; he concerned himself in regard to his
outstanding debts, and he begged his mother to find out what he owed