rascal Philippe has stolen her stake-money, the satellites and
abettors of Max in the club of "La Desoeuvrance," the slightly
theatrical Spaniard, and all the rest of them, are excellent. The book
is an eminently characteristic one--more so, indeed, than more than
one of those in which people are often invited to make acquaintance
with Balzac.

_Pierrette_, which was earlier called _Pierrette Lorrain_, was issued
in 1840, first in the _Siecle_, and then in volume form, published by
Souverain. In both issues it had nine chapter or book divisions with
headings. With the other _Celibataires_ it entered the _Comedie_ as a
_Scene de la Vie de Province_ in 1843.

_Le Cure de Tours_ (which Balzac had at one time intended to call by
the name of the Cure's enemy, and which at first was simply called by
the general title _Les Celibataires_) is much older than its
companions, and appeared in 1832 in the _Scenes de la Vie Privee_. It
was soon properly shifted to the _Vie de Province_, and as such in due
time joined the _Comedie_ bearing its present title.

The third story of _Les Celibataires_ has a rather more varied
bibliographical history than the others. The first part, that dealing
with the early misconduct of Philippe Bridau, was published
separately, as _Les Deux Freres_, in the _Presse_ during the spring of
1841, and a year or so later in volumes. It had nine chapters with
headings. The volume form also included under the same title the
second part, which, as _Un Menage de garcon en Province_, had been
published in the same newspaper in the autumn of 1842. This had
sixteen chapters in both issues, and in the volumes two part-headings
--one identical with the newspaper title, and the other "A qui la