ave been
driven by the absolute cessation of work and the consequent cessation of
income. The little he had saved in England and Scotland was soon gone,
gone unawares; indeed, the discovery of the fact came to him as a
surprise. What was to be done? Franchomme, his right hand, and his
head too, in business and money matters--and now, of course, more than
ever--was at his wits' end. He discussed the disquieting, threatening
problem with some friends of Chopin, and through one of them the
composer's destitution came to the knowledge of Miss Stirling. She cut
the Gordian knot by sending her master 25,000 francs. [FOOTNOTE: M.
Charles Gavard says 20,000 francs.] This noble gift, however; did not at
once reach the hands of Chopin. When Franchomme, who knew what had been
done, visited Chopin a few days afterwards, the invalid lamented as on
previous occasions his impecuniosity, and in answer to the questions of
his astonished friend stated that he had received nothing. The enquiries
which were forthwith set on foot led to the envelope with the precious
enclosure being found untouched in the clock of the portiere, who
intentionally or unintentionally had omitted to deliver it. The story
is told in various ways, the above is the skeleton of apparently
solid facts. I will now make the reader acquainted with the hitherto
unpublished account of Madame Rubio, who declared solemnly that her
version was correct in every detail. Franchomme's version, as given in
Madame Audley's book on Chopin, differs in several points from that
of Madame Rubio; I shall, therefore, reproduce it for comparison in a
foot-note.

One day in 1849 Franchomme came to Madame Rubio, and said that something
must be done to get money for Chopin. Madame Rubio thereupon went to
Miss Stirling to acquaint her with the state of matters. When Miss
Stirling heard of Chopin's want of money, she was amazed, and told her
visitor that some time before she had, without the knowledge of anyone,
sent Chopin 25,000 francs in a packet which, in order to conceal
the sender, she got addressed and sealed in a shop. The ladies made
enquiries as to the whereabouts of the money, but without result. A
Scotch gentleman, a novelist (Madame Rubio had forgotten the name at the
time she told the story, but was sure she would recall it, and no doubt
would have done so, had not her sudden death soon after [FOOTNOTE: In
the summer of 1880] intervened), proposed to consult the clairvoyant
Ale