as　any　other　young　man。　　It　would　even　be　preferable　to　marry　him　rather　than　another　young　man。　　He　was　already　her　friend；　and　he　would　then　be　her　husband。　　That　would　not　make　much　difference。
  The　marriage　almost　fell　through；　thanks　to　Sophie…Victoire。　She　did　not　consider　Casimir　good…looking　enough。　　She　was　not　thinking　of　her　daughter；　but　of　herself。　　She　had　made　up　her　mind　to　have　a　handsome　son…in…law　with　whom　she　could　go　out。　　She　liked　handsome　men；　and　particularly　military　men。　　Finally　she　consented　to　the　marriage；　but；　a　fortnight　before　the　ceremony；　she　arrived　at　Plessis；　like　a　veritable　thunderbolt。　　An　extraordinary　idea　had　occurred　to　her。　　She　vowed　that　she　had　discovered　that　Casimir　had　been　a　waiter　at　a　_cafe_。　　She　had　no　doubt　dreamt　this；　but　she　held　to　her　text；　and　was　indignant　at　the　idea　of　her　daughter　marrying　a　waiter！　。　。　。
  Things　had　arrived　at　this　crisis　when　Casimir's　mother；　Madame　Dudevant；　who　had　all　the　manners　of　a　_grande　dame_；　decided　to　pay　Sophie…Victoire　an　official　visit。　　The　latter　was　greatly　flattered；　for　she　liked　plenty　of　attention　paid　to　her。　　It　was　in　this　way　that　Aurore　Dupin　became　Baronne　Dudevant。
  She　was　just　eighteen　years　of　age。　　It　is　interesting　to　read　her　description　of　herself　at　this　time。　　In　her　_Voyage　en　Auvergne_；　which　was　her　first　writing；　dated　1827；　she　traces　the　following　portrait；　which　certainly　is　not　exaggerated。
  〃When　I　was　sixteen；〃　she　says；　〃and　left　the　convent；　every　one　could　see　that　I　was　a　pretty　girl。　　I　was　fresh…looking；　though　dark。　　I　was　like　those　wild　flowers　which　grow　without　any　art　or　culture；　but　with　gay；　lively　colouring。　　I　had　plenty　of　hair；　which　was　almost　black。　　On　looking　at　myself　in　the　glass；　though；　I　can　truthfully　say　that　I　was　not　very　well　pleased　with　myself。　　I　was　dark；　my　features　were　well　cut；　but　not　finished。　　People　said　that　it　was　the　expression　of　my　face　that　made　it　interesting。　　I　think　this　was　true。　　I　was　gay　but　dreamy；　and　my　most　natural　expression　was　a　meditative　one。　　People　said；　too；　that　in　this　absent…minded　expression　there　was　a　fixed　look　which　resembled　that　of　the　serpent　when　fascinating　his　prey。　　That；　at　any　rate；　was　the　far…fetched　comparison　of　my　provincial　adorers。〃
  They　were　not　very　far　wrong；　these　provincial　adorers。　　The　portraits　of　Aurore　at　this　date　show　us　a　charming　face　of　a　young　girl；　as　fresh…looking　as　a　child。　　She　has　rather　long　features；　with　a　delicately…shaped　chin。　　She　is　not　exactly　pretty；　but　fascinating；　with　those　great　dark　eyes；　which　were　her　prominent　feature；　eyes　which；　when　fixed　on　any　one；　took　complete　possession　of　themdreamy；　passionate　eyes；　sombre　because　the　soul　reflected　in　them　had　profound　depths。
  It　is　difficult　to　define　that　soul；　for　it　was　so　complex。　　To　judge　by　appearances；　it　was　a　very　peaceful　soul；　and　perhaps；　too；　it　was　in　reality　peaceful。　　George　Sand；　who　knew　herself　thoroughly；　frequently　spoke　of　her　laziness　and　of　her　apathy；　traits　peculiar　to　the　natives　of　Berry。　　Superficial　observers　looked　no　further；　and　her　mother　used　to　call　her　〃St。　Tranquillity。〃　　The　nuns；　though；　of　her　convent　had　more　perspicacity。　　They　said；　when　speaking　of　her：　　〃Still　waters　run　deep。〃　　Under　the　smooth　surface　they　fancied　that　storms　were　gathering。　　Aurore　had　within　her　something　of　her　mother　and　of　her　grandmother；　and　their　opposite　natures　were　blended　in　her。　　She　had　the　calmness　of　Marie…Aurore；　but　she　also　had　the　impetuousness　of　Sophie…Victoire；　and　undoubtedly；　too；　something　of　the　free　and　easy　good　humour　of　her　father；　the　break…neck　young　officer。　　It　certainly　is　not　surprising　to　find　a　love　of　adventure　in　a　descendant　of　Maurice　de　Saxe。
  Beside　all　these　inner　contrasts；　the　observer　was　particularly　struck　by　her　sudden　changes　of　humour；　by　the　way　in　which；　after　a　fit　of　melancholy　sadness；　she　suddenly　gave　way　to　the　most　exuberant　gaiety；　followed　by　long　fits　of　depression　and　nervous　exhaustion。　　Personally；　I　do　not　believe　much　in　the　influence　of　the　physical　over　the　moral　nature；　but　I　am　fully　convinced　of　the　action　of　the　moral　over　the　physical　nature。　　In　certain　cases　and　in　presence　of　extremely　accentuated　conditions；　physiological　explanations　must　be　taken　into　account。　　All　these　fits　of　melancholy　and　weeping；　this　prostration；　these　high　spirits　and　the　long　walks；　in　order　to　sober　down；　denote　the　exigencies　of　an　abnormal　temperament。　　When　once　the　crisis　was　passed；　it　must　not　be　supposed　that；　as　with　many　other　people；　nothing　remained　of　it　all。　　This　was　by　no　means　the　case；　as　in　a　nature　so　extraordinarily　organized　for　storing　up　sensations　nothing　was　lost；　nothing　evaporated；　and　everything　increased。　　The　still　water　seemed　to　be　slumbering。　　Its　violence；　though　held　in　check；　was　increasing　in　force；　and　when　once　let　loose；　it　would　carry　all　before　it。
  Such　was　the　woman　whom　Casimir　Dudevant　was　to　marry。　　The　fascination　was　great；　the　honour　rather　to　be　feared；　for　all　depended　on　his　skill　in　guiding　this　powerful　energy。
  The　question　is　whether　he　loved　her。　　It　has　been　said　that　it　was　a　marriage　of　interest；　as　Aurore's　fortune　amounted　to　twenty　thousand　pounds；　and　he　was　by　no　means　rich。　　This　may　have　been　so；　but　there　is　no　reason　why　money　should　destroy　one's　sentiments；　and　the　fact　that　Aurore　had　money　was　not　likely　to　prevent　Casimir　from　appreciating　the　charms　of　a　pretty　girl。　　It　seems；　therefore；　very　probable　that　he　loved　his　young　wife；　at　any　rate　as　much　as　this　Casimir　was　capable　of　loving　his　wife。
  The　next　question　is　whether　she　loved　him。　　It　has　been　said　that　she　did；　simply　because　she　declared　that　she　did　not。　　When；　later　on；　after　her　separation；　she　spoke　of　her　marriage；　all　her　later　grievances　were　probably　in　her　mind。　　There　are　her　earlier　letters；　though；　which　some　people　consider　a　proof　that　she　cared　for　Casimir；　and　there　are　also　a　few　words　jotted　down　in　her　notebook。　　When　her　husband　was　absent；　she　was　anxious　about　him　and　feared　that　he　had　met　with　an　accident。　　It　would　be　strange　indeed　if　a　girl　of　eighteen　did　not　feel　some　affection　for　the　man　who　had　been　the　first　to　make　love　to　her；　a　man　whom　she　had　married　of　her　own　free…will。　It　is　rare　for　a　woman　to　feel　no　kind　of　attachment　for　her　husband；　but　is　that　attachment　love？　　When　a　young　wife　complains　of　her　husband；　we　hear　in　her　reproaches　the　protest　of　her　offended　dignity；　of　her　humbled　pride。　　When　a　woman　loves　her　husband；　though；　she　does　not　reproach　him；　guilty　though　he　may　be；　with　having　humiliated　and　wounded　her。　　What　she　has　against　him　then；　is　that　he　has　broken　her　heart　by　his　lack　of　love　for　her。　　This　note　and　this　accent　can　never　be　mistaken；　and　never　once　do　we　find　it　with　Aurore。　　We　may　therefore　conclude　that　she　had　never　loved　her　husband。
  Casimir　did　not　know　how　to　win　her　affection。　　He　did　not　even　realize　that　he　needed　to　win　it。　　He　was　very　much　like　all　men。　　The　idea　never　occurs　to　them　that；　when　once　they　are　married；　they　have　to　win　their　wife。
  He　was　very　much　like　all　men。　。　。　。　　That　is　the　most　faithful　portrait　that　can　be　traced　of　Casimir　at　this　epoch。　　He　had　not　as　yet　the　vices　which　developed　in　him　later　on。　　He　had　nothing　to　distinguish　him　from　the　average　man。　　He　was　selfish；　without　being　disagreeable；　rather　idle；　rather　incapable；　rather　vain　and　rather　foolish。　　He　was　just　an　ordinary　man。　　The　wife　he　had　married；　though；　was　not　an　ordinary　woman。　　That　was　their　misfortune。　　As　Emile　Faguet　has　very　wittily　put　it；　〃Monsieur　Dudevant；　about　whom　she　complained　so　much；　seems　to　have　had　no　other　fault　than　that　of　being　merely　an　ordinary　man；　which；　of　course；　is　unendurable　to　a　superior　woman。　　The　situation　was　perhaps　equally　unendurable　for　the　man。〃　　This　is　quite　right；　for　Casimir　was　very　soon　considerably　disconcerted。　　He　was　incapable　of　understanding　her　psychology；　and；　as　it　seemed　impossible　to　him　that　a　woman　was　not　his　inferior；　he　came　to　the　logical　conclusion　that　his　wife　was　〃idiotic。〃　　This　was　precisely　his　expression；　and　at　every　opportunity　he　endeavoured　to　crush　her　by　his　own　superiority。　　All　this　seems　to　throw　some　light　on　his　character　and　also　on　the　situation。　　Here　was　a　man　who　had　married　the　future　George　Sand；　and　he　complained；　in　all　good　faith；　that　his　wife　was　〃idiotic〃！
  Certainly；　on　comparing　the　_Correspondance_　with　the　_Histoire　de　ma　vie_；　the　difference　of　tone　is　most　striking。　　The　letters　in　which　Baronne　Dudevant　tells；　day　by　day；　of　her　home　life　are　too　enthusiastic　for　the　letters　of　an　unhappy　wife。　　There　are　receptions　at　Nohant；　lively　dinners；　singing　and　dancing。　　All　this　is；　at　any　rate；　the　surface；　but　gradually　the　misunderstandings　are　more　pronounced；　and　the　gulf　widens。
  There　may　have　been　a　misunderstanding　at　the　very　beginning　of　their　married　life；　and　Aurore　may　have　had　a　surprise　of　the　nature　of　the　one　to　which　Jane　de　Simerose　confesses　in　_L'Ami　des　femmes_。　　In　an　unpublished　letter　written　much　later　on；　in　the　year　1843；　from　George　Sand　to　her　half…brother　Hippolyte　Chatiro