Somehow or other, the family became impoverished.  Therese de Solms took to writing stories.  After many refusals, her debut took place in the ‘Revue des Deux Mondes’, and her perseverance was largely due to the encouragement she received from George Sand, although that great woman saw everything through the magnifying glass of her genius.  But the person to whom Therese Bentzon was most indebted in the matter of literary advice—­she says herself—­was the late M. Caro, the famous Sorbonne professor of philosophy, himself an admirable writer, “who put me through a course of literature, acting as my guide through a vast amount of solid reading, and criticizing my work with kindly severity.”  Success was slow.  Strange as it may seem, there is a prejudice against female writers in France, a country that has produced so many admirable women-authors.  However, the time was to come when M. Becloz found one of her stories in the ‘Journal des Debats’.  It was the one entitled ‘Un Divorce’, and he lost no time in engaging the young writer to become one of his staff.  From that day to this she has found the pages of the Revue always open to her.

Madame Bentzon is a novelist, translator, and writer of literary essays.  The list of her works runs as follows:  ’Le Roman d’un Muet (1868); Un Divorce (1872); La Grande Sauliere (1877); Un remords (1878); Yette and Georgette (1880); Le Retour (1882); Tete folle (1883); Tony, (1884); Emancipee (1887); Constance (1891); Jacqueline (1893).  We need not enter into the merits of style and composition if we mention that ’Un remords, Tony, and Constance’ were crowned by the French Academy, and ‘Jacqueline’ in 1893.  Madame Bentzon is likewise the translator of Aldrich, Bret Harte, Dickens, and Ouida.  Some of her critical works are ’Litterature et Moeurs etrangeres’, 1882, and ‘Nouveaux romanciers americains’, 1885.

                  M. THUREAU-DANGIN
               de l’Academie Francaise.

JACQUELINE

BOOK 1.

CHAPTER I

A PARISIENNE’S “At home”

Despite a short frock, checked stockings, wide turned-over collar, and a loose sash around the waist of her blouse in other words, despite the childish fashion of a dress which seemed to denote that she was not more than thirteen or fourteen years of age, she seemed much older.  An observer would have put her down as the oldest of the young girls who on Tuesdays, at Madame de Nailles’s afternoons, filled what was called “the young girls’ corner” with whispered merriment and low laughter, while, under pretence of drinking tea, the noise went on which is always audible when there is anything to eat.

No doubt the amber tint of this young girl’s complexion, the raven blackness of her hair, her marked yet delicate features, and the general impression produced by her dark coloring, were reasons why she seemed older than the rest.  It was Jacqueline’s privilege to exhibit that style of beauty which comes earliest to perfection, and retains it longest; and, what was an equal privilege, she resembled no one.