end them dozens as soon as he had gained a good position in Paris.
Count Wodzinski, too, bears witness to Chopin's good humour while in the
company of the Wodzinskis. In the course of his account of the sojourn
at Marienbad, this writer speaks of Chopin's polichinades: "He imitated
then this or that famous artist, the playing of certain pupils or
compatriots, belabouring the keyboard with extravagant gestures, a wild
[echevele] and romantic manner, which he called aller a la chasse aux
pigeons."]

Unless Chopin was twice with the Wodzinskis in Dresden, Karasowski must
be mistaken. That Chopin sojourned for some time at Dresden in 1835
is evidenced by Wieck's letter, quoted on p. 288, and by the
above-mentioned waltz. The latter seems also to confirm what Count
Wodzinski says about the presence of the Wodzinskis at Dresden in that
year. On the other hand, we have no such documents to prove the presence
at Dresden in 1836 either of Chopin or the Wodzinskis. According to
Karasowski, the engagement made at Marienbad remained in force till the
middle of 1837, when Chopin received at Paris the news that the lady
withdrew from it. [FOOTNOTE: In explanation of the breaking-off of this
supposed engagement, it has also been said that the latter was favoured
by the mother, but opposed by the father.] The same authority informs
us that before this catastrophe Chopin had thoughts of settling with his
future wife in the neighbourhood of Warsaw, near his beloved parents
and sisters. There he would cultivate his art in retirement, and found
schools for the people. How, without a fortune of his own, and with a
wife who, although belonging to a fairly wealthy family, would not come
into the possession of her portion till after the death of her parents,
he could have realised these dreams, I am at a loss to conjecture.

[FOONOTE: To enable his readers to measure the social distance that
separated Chopin from his beloved one, Count Wodzinski mentions among
other details that her father possessed a domain of about 50,000
acres (20,000 hectares). It is hardly necessary to add that this large
acreage, which we will suppose to be correctly stated, is much less a
measure of the possessor's wealth than of his social rank.]

Chopin's letters, which testify so conclusively to the cordial
friendship existing between him and the Wodzinskis, unfortunately
contain nothing which throws light on his connection with the young
lady, although her name oc