."

I hastened to Madame Balzac's hotel. I was ushered through three
magnificent apartments into one which to my eyes seemed to contain a
throne: upon a nearer inspection I discovered it was a bed. Upon a large
chair, by a very bad fire--it was in the month of March--sat a tall,
handsome woman, excessively painted, and dressed in a manner which to my
taste, accustomed to English finery, seemed singularly plain. I had sent
in the morning to request permission to wait on her, so that she was
prepared for my visit. She rose, offered me her cheek, kissed mine, shed
several tears, and in short testified a great deal of kindness towards
me. Old ladies who have flirted with our fathers always seem to claim a
sort of property in the sons!

Before she resumed her seat she held me out at arm's length.

"You have a family likeness to your brave father," said she, with a
little disappointment; "but--"

"Madame de Balzac would add," interrupted I, filling up the sentence
which I saw her _bienveillance_ had made her break off, "Madame de
Balzac would add that I am not so good-looking. It is true: the likeness
is transmitted to me within rather than without; and if I have not my
father's privilege to be admired, I have at least his capacities to
admire," and I bowed.

Madame de Balzac took three large pinches of snuff. "That is very
well said," said she, gravely: "very well indeed! not at all like your
father, though, who never paid a compliment in his life. Your clothes,
by the by, are in exquisite taste: I had no idea that English people had
arrived at such perfection in the fine arts. Your face is a little too
long! You admire Racine, of course? How do you like Paris?"

All this was not said gayly or quickly: Madame de Balzac was by no
means a gay or a quick person. She belonged to a peculiar school of
Frenchwomen, who affected a little languor, a great deal of stiffness,
an indifference to forms when forms were to be used by themselves, and
an unrelaxing demand of forms when forms were to be observed to them
by others. Added to this, they talked plainly upon all matters, without
ever entering upon sentiment. This was the school she belonged to; but
she possessed the traits of the individual as well as of the species.
She was keen, ambitious, worldly, not unaffectionate nor unkind; very
proud, a little of the devotee,--because it was the fashion to be
so,--an enthusiastic admirer of military glory, and a most prying,
searchi