All this must certainly have been charming.  The room was too small, though, and George Sand commissioned Emile Regnault to find her a flat, the essential condition of which should be some way of egress for Jules at any hour.

A little flat was discovered on the Quay St. Michel.  There were three rooms, one of which could be reserved.  “This shall be the dark room,” wrote George Sand, “the mysterious room, the ghost’s retreat, the monster’s den, the cage of the performing animal, the hiding-place for the treasure, the vampire’s cave, or whatever you like to call it. . . .”

In plainer language, it was Jules’ room; and then follows some touching eloquence about the dear boy she worshipped who loved her so dearly.

This is the beginning of things, but later on the tone of the correspondence changes.  The letters become less frequent, and are also not so gay.  George Sand speaks much less of Jules in them and much more of little Solange, whom she intended to bring back to Paris with her.  She is beginning to weary of Jules and to esteem him at his true value.  He is lazy, and has fits of depression and all the capriciousness of a spoilt child.  She has had enough of him, and then, too, it is very evident from the letters that there has been some division among the lively friends who had sworn to be comrades for life.  There are explanations and justifications.  George Sand discovers that there are certain inconveniences connected with intimacies in which there is such disproportion of age and of social position.  Finally there are the following desperate letters, written in fits of irritation:  “My dear friend, go to Jules and look after him.  He is broken-hearted, and you can do nothing for him in that respect.  It is no use trying.  I do not ask you to come to me yet, as I do not need anything.  I would rather be alone to-day.  Then, too, there is nothing left for me in life.  It will be horrible for him for a long time, but he is so young.  The day will come, perhaps, when he will not be sorry to have lived. . . .  Do not attempt to put matters right, as this time there is no remedy.  We do not blame each other at all, and for some time we have been struggling against this horrible necessity.  We have had trouble enough.  There seemed to be nothing left but to put an end to our lives, and if it had not been for my children, we should have done this.”

The question is, Was George Sand blameless in the matter?  It appears that she had discovered that her dear Jules was faithless to her, and that, during her absence, he had deceived her.  She would not forgive him, but sent him off to Italy, and refused to see him again.  The last of these letters is dated June 15, 1833.