remarks on his playing, and more especially on the contents of
his improvisation. Frederick listened to her with pleasure and
emotion, and while words full of sparkling wit and
indescribable poetry flowed from the lady's eloquent lips
[Quite a novel representation of her powers of conversation],
he felt that he was understood as he had never been.

All this is undoubtedly very pretty, and would be invaluable in a
novel, but I am afraid we should embarrass Karasowski were we to
ask him to name his authorities.

Of this meeting at the house of the Marquis de C.--i.e., the
Marquis de Custine--I was furnished with a third version by an
eye-witness--namely, by Chopin's pupil Adolph Gutmann. From him I
learned that the occasion was neither a full-dress ball nor a
chance gathering of a jour fixe, but a musical matinee. Gutmann,
Vidal (Jean Joseph), and Franchomme opened the proceedings with a
trio by Mayseder, a composer the very existence of whose once
popular chamber-music is unknown to the present generation.
Chopin played a great deal, and George Sand devoured him with her
eyes. Afterwards the musician and the novelist walked together a
long time in the garden. Gutmann was sure that this matinee took
place either in 1836 or in 1837, and was inclined to think that
it was in the first-mentioned year.

Franchomme, whom I questioned about the matinee at the Marquis de
Custine's, had no recollection of it. Nor did he remember the
circumstance of having on this or any other occasion played a
trio of Mayseder's with Gutmann and Vidal. But this friend of the
Polish pianist--composer, while confessing his ignorance as to