“My mind itself was crushed; for the failure of the Chronique came upon me at Sache, at M. de Margonne’s, where, by a wise impulse, I was plunged in work to rid myself of that odious Bechet.  I had undertaken to write in ten days (it was that which kept me from going to Nemours!) the two volumes which had been demanded of me, and in eight days I had invented and composed Les Illusions perdues, and had written a third of it.  Think what such application meant!  All my faculties were strained; I wrote fifteen hours a day. . . .”

In explaining Balzac’s association with Madame Bechet, M. Henri d’Almeras states that Madame Bechet was interested, at first, in attaching celebrated writers to her publishing house, or those who had promise of fame.  She organized weekly dinner parties, which took place on Saturday, and here assembled Beranger, Henri de Latouche, Louis Reybaud, Leon Gozlan, Brissot-Thivars, Balzac and Dr. Gentil.  It was with Madame Bechet as with Charles Gosselin.  The publication, less lucrative than she expected, of the first series of the Scenes de la Vie parisienne and the Scenes de la Vie de Province made it particularly disagreeable to her to receive the reproaches of a writer who, with his admirable talent, could not become resigned to meet with less success than other litterateurs not so good as he.

The termination of their business relations is recounted thus:  “Illusions perdues appears this week.  On the 17th I have a meeting to close up all claims from Madame Bechet and Werdet.  So there is one cause of torment the less.”

If M. Hughes Rebell is correct in his surmise, at least a part of Werdet’s admiration for the novelist was inspired by his wife, who had become a great admirer of the works of the young writer, not well known at that time.  Madame Werdet persuaded her husband to speak to Madame Bechet about Balzac, and to advise her to publish his works.  Her husband did so, but Madame Werdet did not stop at this.  She convinced him that he should leave Madame Bechet and become Balzac’s sole publisher; this he was for five years, and, moreover, served him as his banker.  M. Rebell thinks also that Madame Werdet is the “delicious bourgeoise” referred to in Balzac’s letter to Madame Surville.

  MADAME ROSSINI—­MADAME RECAMIER—­LA DUCHESSE DE DINO—­LA COMTESSE
      APPONY—­MADAME DE BERNARD—­MADAME DAVID—­LA BARONNE GERARD

“You wish to know if I have met Foedora, if she is true?  A woman from cold Russia, the Princess Bagration, is supposed in Paris to be the model for her.  I have reached the seventy-second woman who has had the impertinence to recognize herself in that character.  They are all of ripe age.  Even Madame Recamier is willing to foedorize herself.  Not a word of all that is true.  I made Foedora out of two women whom I have known without having been intimate with them.  Observation sufficed me, besides a few