During the months, though, that the husband and wife were together, again at Nohant, the scenes began once more.  Dudevant’s irritability was increased by the fact that he was always short of money, and that he was aware of his own deplorable shortcomings as a financial administrator.  He had made speculations which had been disastrous.  He was very credulous, as so many suspicious people are, and he had been duped by a swindler in an affair of maritime armaments.  He had had all the more faith in this enterprise because a picture of the boat had been shown him on paper.  He had spent ninety thousand francs of the hundred thousand he had had, and was now living on his wife’s income.  Something had to be decided upon.  George Sand paid his debts first, and the husband and wife then signed an agreement to the effect that their respective property should be separated.  Dudevant regretted having signed this afterwards, and it was torn up after a violent scene which took place before witnesses in October, 1835.  The pretext of this scene had been an order given to Maurice.  In a series of letters, which have never hitherto been published, George Sand relates the various incidents of this affair.  We give some of the more important passages.  The following letter is to her half-brother Hippolyte, who used to be Casimir’s drinking companion.

"To Hippolyte Chatiron.

“My friend, I am about to tell you some news which will reach you indirectly, and that you had better hear first from me.  Instead of carrying out our agreement pleasantly and loyally, Casimir is acting with the most insane animosity towards me.  Without my giving him any reason for such a thing, either by my conduct or my manner of treating him, he endeavoured to strike me.  He was prevented by five persons, one of whom was Dutheil, and he then fetched his gun to shoot me.  As you can imagine, he was not allowed to do this.

“On account of such treatment and of his hatred, which amounts to madness, there is no safety for me in a house to which he always has the right to come.  I have no guarantee, except his own will and pleasure, that he will keep our agreement, and I cannot remain at the mercy of a man who behaves so unreasonably and indelicately to me.  I have therefore decided to ask for a legal separation, and I shall no doubt obtain this.  Casimir made this frightful scene the evening before leaving for Paris.  On his return here, he found the house empty, and me staying at Dutheil’s, by permission of the President of La Chatre.  He also found a summons awaiting him on the mantelshelf.  He had to make the best of it, for he knew it was no use attempting to fight against the result of his own folly, and that, by holding out, the scandal would all fall on him.  He made the following stipulations, promising to adhere to them.  Duthell was our intermediary.  I am to allow him a pension of 3,800 francs, which, with the 1,200 francs income that he now has, will