despondency and bodily weariness come upon me more frequently, and weigh upon me more heavily; to sink under this crushing load of fruitless labor, without having near me the gentle caressing presence of woman, for whom I have worked so much!”

Though Balzac and his mother were never congenial, he became very lonely after she left him in 1832.  In the autumn of that year he had a break with the Duchesse de Castries, so he began the new year by summing up his trials and pouring forth his longings to Madame Carraud as he could do to no other woman, not even to his Dilecta.  In response to this despondent epistle, she showed her broad sympathetic friendship by writing him a beautiful and comforting letter, in which she regretted not being able to live in Paris with him, so as to see him daily and give him the desired affection.

Not only through the hospitality of her home, but by sending various gifts, she ministered to Balzac’s needs or caprices.  To make his study more attractive, she indulged his craving for elegance and grace by surprising him with the present of a carpet and a lovely tea service.  In thanking her for her thoughtfulness, he informed her that she had inspired some of the pages in the Medicin de Campagne.

Besides being so intimate a friend of Madame Carraud, the novelist was also a friend of M. Carraud, whom he called “Commandant Piston,” and discussed his business plans with him before going to Corsica and Sardinia to investigate the silver mines.  M. Carraud had a fine scientific mind; he approved of Balzac’s scheme, and thought of going with him; his wife was astonished on hearing this, since he never left the house even to look after his own estate.  However, his natural habit asserted itself and he gave up the project.

Madame Carraud was much interested in politics, and many of Balzac’s political ideas are set forth in his letters to her when he was a candidate for the post of deputy.  She reproached him for a mobility of ideas, an inconstancy of resolution, and feared that the influence of the Duchesse de Castries had not been good for him.  To this last accusation, he replied that she was unjust, and that he would never be sold to a party for a woman.

Another tie which united Balzac to Madame Carraud was her sympathy for his devotion to Madame de Berny, of whom she was not jealous.  Both women were devoted to him, and were friendly towards each other, so much so that in December, 1833, she invited Balzac to bring Madame de Berny with him to spend several days in her home at Frapesle.  This he especially appreciated, since neither his mother nor his sister approved of his relations with his Dilecta.

Madame Carraud occupied in Balzac’s life a position rather between that of Madame de Berny and that of a sister.  Indeed, he often referred to her as a sister, and she was generous minded enough to ask him not to write to her when she learned how unpleasant his mother and sister were in regard to his writing to his friends.