During George Sand’s stay in Venice M. Dudevant had continued to write to her in an amicable and satisfied tone.  On returning in the summer of 1834 to France she therefore resumed her periodical sojourns at Nohant; but the pleasure of seeing her home and children was as short-lived as it was sweet, for she soon discovered that neither the former nor the latter, “morally speaking,” belonged to her.  M. Dudevant’s ideas of how they ought to be managed differed entirely from those of his wife, and altogether things had become very uncongenial to her.  George Sand, whose view of the circumstances I am giving, speaks mysteriously of abnormal and dangerous influences to which the domestic hearth was exposed, and of her inability to find in her will, adverse as it was to daily struggles and family quarrels, the force to master the situation.  From the vague and exceedingly brief indications of facts which are scattered here and there between eloquent and lengthy dissertations on marriage in all its aspects, on the proper pride of woman, and more of the same nature, we gather, however, thus much:  she wished to be more independent than she had been hitherto, and above all to get a larger share of her revenues, which amounted to about 15,000 francs, and out of which her husband allowed her and her daughter only 3,000 francs.  M. Dudevant, it must be noted, had all along been living on his wife’s income, having himself only expectations which would not be realised till after his stepmother’s death.  By the remonstrances of his wife and the advice of her brother he was several times prevailed upon to agree to a more equitable settlement.  But no sooner had he given a promise or signed a contract than he revoked what he had done.  According to one of these agreements George Sand and her daughter were to have a yearly allowance of 6,000 francs; according to another M. Dudevant was to have a yearly allowance of 7,000 francs and leave Nohant and the remainder of the revenues to his wife.  The terms of the latter of these agreements were finally accepted by both parties, but not till after more than a year’s quarrelling and three lawsuits.  George Sand sued for a divorce, and the Court of La Chatre gave judgment in her favour on February 16, 1836.  This judgment was confirmed after a second trial by the same Court on May 11, 1836.

[Footnote:  What George Sand calls her “matrimonial biography” can be read in “Le Droit” ("Journal des Tribunaux”) of May 18, 1836.  The account there given, no doubt inspired by her advocate if not directly by herself, contains some interesting items, but leaves others unmentioned.  One would have liked to learn something more of the husband’s pleadings.