Where is the model?  I don’t know, I have never really known any one who did not show some spot in the sunlight, I mean some side where the artist verged on the Philistine.  Perhaps you have not that spot; you ought to paint yourself.  As for me I have it.  I love classifications, I verge on the pedagogue.  I love to sew and to care for children, I verge on the servant.  I am easily distracted and verge on the idiot.  And then I should not like perfection; I feel it but I shouldn’t know how to show it.

But one could give him some faults in his nature.  What ones?  We shall hunt for them some day.  That is not really what you are working on now and I ought not to distract you from it.

Be less cruel to yourself.  Go ahead and when the afflatus shall have produced everything you must elevate the general tone and cut out what ought not to come down front stage.  Can’t that be done?  It seems to me that it can.  What you do appears so easy, so abundant!  It is a perpetual overflow, I do not understand your anguish.  Good night, dear brother, my love to all yours.  I have returned to my solitude at Palaiseau, I love it.  I leave it for Paris, Monday.  I embrace you warmly.  Good luck to your work.

G. Sand

XXXVI.  Monsieur Gustave Flobert at Croisset, Rouen [The postage stamp bears the mark, Paris, 4, December, 1866]

Sir the noise that you make in literature by your distinguished talent I also made in my day in the manner that my means permitted me I began in 1804 under the auspices of the celebrated Madame Saqui and bore off palms and left memories in the annals of the tight-rope and coregrafie balancer in all countries where I have been there appreciated by generals and other officers of the Empire by whom I have been solicited up to an advanced age so that wives of prefects and ministers could not have been complimented about it I have read your distinguished works notably Madame Bovarie of which I think I am capable of being a model to you when she breaks the chains of her feet to go where her heart calls her.  I am well preserved for my advanced age and if you have a repugnance for an artist in misfortune, I should be content with your ideal sentiments.  You can then count on my heart not being able to dispose of my person being married to a man of light character who squandered my wax cabinet wherein were all figures of celebrities, kings, emperors, ancient and modern and celebrated crimes, which if I had had your permission about it you would have been placed in the number I had then a place in the railroad substation to have charge of the cabinets which the jealousy of my rival made me lose, it is in these sentiments that I write you if you deign to write the history of my unhappy life you alone would be worthy of it and would see in it things of which you would be worthy of appreciating I shall present myself at your house in Rouen whose address I had from M. Bouilhet who knows me well having come to see me in his youth he will tell you that I have the phthisic still agreeably and always faithful to all who knew me whether in the civil or in the military and in these sentiments for life your affectionate