And　now　we　come　to　the　pure　folly！　　Musset　had　been　attended　by　a　young　doctor；　Pietro　Pagello。　　He　was　a　straightforward　sort　of　young　man；　of　rather　slow　intelligence；　without　much　conversation；　not　speaking　French；　but　very　handsome。　　George　Sand　fell　in　love　with　him。　　One　night；　after　having　scribbled　a　letter　of　three　pages；　she　put　it　into　an　envelope　without　any　address　and　gave　it　to　Pagello。　　He　asked　her　to　whom　he　was　to　give　the　letter。　　George　Sand　took　the　envelope　back　and　wrote　on　it：　　〃To　stupid　Pagello。〃　　We　have　this　declaration；　and　among　other　things　in　the　letter　are　the　following　lines：　　〃You　will　not　deceive　me；　anyhow。　　You　will　not　make　any　idle　promises　and　false　vows。　。　。　。　　I　shall　not；　perhaps；　find　in　you　what　I　have　sought　for　in　others；　but；　at　any　rate；　I　can　always　believe　that　you　possess　it。　。　。　。　　I　shall　be　able　to　interpret　your　meditations　and　make　your　silence　speak　eloquently。　。　。　。〃　　This　shows　us　clearly　the　kind　of　charm　George　Sand　found　in　Pagello。　　She　loved　him　because　he　was　stupid。
  The　next　questions　are；　when　did　they　become　lovers；　and　how　did　Musset　discover　their　intimacy？　　It　is　quite　certain　that　he　suspected　it；　and　that　he　made　Pagello　confess　his　love　for　George　Sand。＇20＇　A　most　extraordinary　scene　then　took　place　between　the　three　of　them；　according　to　George　Sand's　own　account。　　〃Adieu；　then；〃　she　wrote　to　Musset；　later　on；　〃adieu　to　the　fine　poem　of　our　sacred　friendship　and　of　that　ideal　bond　formed　between　the　three　of　us；　when　you　dragged　from　him　the　confession　of　his　love　for　me　and　when　he　vowed　to　you　that　he　would　make　me　happy。　　Oh；　that　night　of　enthusiasm；　when；　in　spite　of　us；　you　joined　our　hands；　saying：　　‘You　love　each　other　and　yet　you　love　me；　for　you　have　saved　me；　body　and　soul。〃　　Thus；　then；　Musset　had　solemnly　abjured　his　love　for　George　Sand；　he　had　engaged　his　mistress　of　the　night　before　to　a　new　lover；　and　was　from　henceforth　to　be　their　best　friend。　　Such　was　the　ideal　bond；　such　the　sacred　friendship！　　This　may　be　considered　the　romantic　escapade。
  ＇20＇　On　one　of　George　Sand's　unpublished　letters　to　Buloz　the　following　lines　are　written　in　the　handwriting　of　Buloz：
  〃In　the　morning　on　getting　up　he　discovered；　in　an　adjoining　room；　a　tea…table　still　set；　but　with　only　one　cup。
  〃‘Did　you　have　tea　yesterday　evening？'
  〃‘Yes；'　answered　George　Sand；　‘I　had　tea　with　the　doctor。'
  〃‘Ah；　how　is　it　that　there　is　only　one　cup？'
  〃‘The　other　has　been　taken　away。'
  〃‘No；　nothing　has　been　taken　away。　　You　drank　out　of　the　same　cup。'
  〃‘Even　if　that　were　so；　you　have　no　longer　the　right　to　trouble　about　such　things。'
  〃‘I　have　the　right；　as　I　am　still　supposed　to　be　your　lover。　　You　ought　at　least　to　show　me　respect；　and；　as　I　am　leaving　in　three　days；　you　might　wait　until　I　have　gone　to　do　as　you　like。'
  〃The　night　following　this　scene　Musset　discovered　George　Sand；　crouching　on　her　bed；　writing　a　letter。
  〃‘What　are　you　doing？'　he　asked。
  〃‘I　am　reading；'　she　replied；　and　she　blew　out　the　candle。
  〃‘If　you　are　reading；　why　do　you　put　the　candle　out？'
  〃‘It　went　out　itself：　　light　it　again。'
  〃Alfred　de　Musset　lit　it　again。
  〃‘Ah；　so　you　were　reading；　and　you　have　no　book。　　Infamous　woman；　you　might　as　well　say　that　you　are　writing　to　your　lover。'　　George　Sand　had　recourse　to　her　usual　threat　of　leaving　the　house。　　Alfred　de　Musset　read　her　up：　　‘You　are　thinking　of　a　horrible　plan。　　You　want　to　hurry　off　to　your　doctor；　pretend　that　I　am　mad　and　that　your　life　is　in　danger。　　You　will　not　leave　this　room。　　I　will　keep　you　from　anything　so　base。　　If　you　do　go；　I　will　put　such　an　epitaph　on　your　grave　that　the　people　who　read　it　will　turn　pale；'　said　Alfred　with　terrible　energy。
  〃George　Sand　was　trembling　and　crying。
  〃‘I　no　longer　love　you；'　Alfred　said　scoffingly　to　George　Sand。
  〃‘It　is　the　right　moment　to　take　your　poison　or　to　go　and　drown　yourself。'
  〃Confession　to　Alfred　of　her　secret　about　the　doctor。　　Reconciliation。　　Alfred's　departure。　　George　Sand's　affectionate　and　enthusiastic　letters。〃
  Such　are　the　famous　episodes　of　the　_tea…cup_　and　_the　letter_　as　Buloz　heard　them　told　at　the　time。　　｛The　end　of　footnote　＇20＇｝
  Musset　returned　in　March；　1834；　leaving　George　Sand　with　Pagello　in　Venice。　　The　sentimental　exaggeration　continued；　as　we　see　from　the　letters　exchanged　between　Musset　and　George　Sand。　　When　crossing　the　Simplon　the　immutable　grandeur　of　the　Alps　struck　Alusset　with　admiration；　and　he　thought　of　his　two　〃great　friends。〃　　His　head　was　evidently　turned　by　the　heights　from　which　he　looked　at　things。　　George　Sand　wrote　to　him：　　〃I　am　not　giving　you　any　message　from　Pagello；　except　that　he　is　almost　as　sad　as　I　am　at　your　absence。〃　　〃He　is　a　fine　fellow；〃　answered　Musset。　　〃Tell　him　how　much　I　like　him；　and　that　my　eyes　fill　with　tears　when　I　think　of　him。〃　　Later　on　he　writes：　　〃When　I　saw　Pagello；　I　recognized　in　him　the　better　side　of　my　own　nature；　but　pure　and　free　from　the　irreparable　stains　which　have　ruined　mine。〃　　〃Always　treat　me　like　that；〃　writes　Musset　again。　　〃It　makes　me　feel　proud。　　My　dear　friend；　the　woman　who　talks　of　her　new　lover　in　this　way　to　the　one　she　has　given　up；　but　who　still　loves　her；　gives　him　a　proof　of　the　greatest　esteem　that　a　man　can　receive　from　a　woman。　。　。　。〃　　That　romanticism　which　made　a　drama　of　the　situation　in　_L'Ecole　des　Femmes_；　and　another　one　out　of　that　in　the　_Precieuses　ridicules_；　excels　in　taking　tragically　situations　that　belong　to　comedy　and　in　turning　them　into　the　sublime。
  Meanwhile　George　Sand　had　settled　down　in　Venice　with　Pagello　and　with　all　the　family；　all　the　Pagello　tribe；　with　the　brother；　the　sister；　to　say　nothing　of　the　various　rivals　who　came　and　made　scenes。　　It　was　the　vulgar；　ordinary　platitude　of　an　Italian　intimacy　of　this　kind。　　In　spite　of　everything；　she　continued　congratulating　herself　on　her　choice。
  〃I　have　my　love；　my　stay　here　with　me。　　He　never　suffers；　for　he　is　never　weak　or　suspicious。　。　。　。　　He　is　calm　and　good。　。　。　。　　He　loves　me　and　is　at　peace；　he　is　happy　without　my　having　to　suffer；　without　my　having　to　make　efforts　for　his　happiness。　。　。　。　　As　for　me；　I　must　suffer　for　some　one。　　It　is　just　this　suffering　which　nurtures　my　maternal　solicitude；　etc。　。　。　。〃　　She　finally　begins　to　weary　of　her　dear　Pagello's　stupidity。　　It　occurred　to　her　to　take　him　with　her　to　Paris；　and　that　was　the　climax。　　There　are　some　things　which　cannot　be　transplanted　from　one　country　to　another。　　When　they　had　once　set　foot　in　Paris；　the　absurdity　of　their　situation　appeared　to　them。
  〃From　the　moment　that　Pagello　landed　in　France；〃　says　George　Sand；　〃he　could　not　understand　anything。〃　　The　one　thing　that　he　was　compelled　to　understand　was　that　he　was　no　longer　wanted。　　He　was　simply　pushed　out。　　George　Sand　had　a　remarkable　gift　for　bringing　out　the　characteristics　of　the　persons　with　whom　she　had　any　intercourse。　　This　Pagello；　thanks　to　his　adventure　with　her；　has　become　in　the　eyes　of　the　world　a　personage　as　comic　as　one　of　Moliere's　characters。
  Musset　and　George　Sand　still　cared　for　each　other。　　He　beseeched　her　to　return　to　him。　　〃I　am　good…for…nothing；〃　he　says；　〃for　I　am　simply　steeped　in　my　love　for　you。　　I　do　not　know　whether　I　am　alive；　whether　I　eat；　drink；　or　breathe；　but　I　know　I　am　in　love。〃　　George　Sand　was　afraid　to　return　to　him；　and　Sainte…Beuve　forbade　her。　　Love　proved　stronger　than　all　other　arguments；　however；　and　she　yielded。
  As　soon　as　she　was　with　him　once　more；　their　torture　commenced　again；　with　all　the　customary　complaints；　reproaches　and　recriminations。　　〃I　was　quite　sure　that　all　these　reproaches　would　begin　again　immediately　after　the　happiness　we　had　dreamed　of　and　promised　each　other。　　Oh；　God；　to　think　that　we　have　already　arrived　at　this！〃　she　writes。
  What　tortured　them　was　that　the　past；　which　they　had　believed　to　be　〃a　beautiful　poem；〃　now　seemed　to　them　a　hideous　nightmare。　　All　this；　we　read；　was　a　game　that　they　were　playing。　　A　cruel　sort　of　game；　of　which　Musset　grew　more　and　more　weary；　but　which　to　George　Sand　gradually　became　a　necessity。　　We　see　this；　as　from　henceforth　it　was　she　who　implored　Musset。　　In　her　diary；　dated　December　24；　1834；　we　read：　　〃And　what　if　I　rushed　to　him　when　my　love　is　too　strong　for　me。　　What　if　I　went　and　broke　the　bell…pull　with　ringing；　until　he　opened　his　door　to　me。　　Or　if　I　lay　down　across　the　threshold　until　he　came　out！〃　　She　cut　off　her　magnificent　hair　and　sent　it　to　him。　　Such　was　the　way　in　which　this　proud　woman　humbled　herself。　　She　was　a　prey　to　love；　which　seemed　to　her　a　holy　complaint。　　It　was　a　case　of　Venus　entirely　devoted　to　her　prey。　　The　question　is；　was　this　really　love？　　〃I　no　longer　love　you；〃　she　writes；　〃but　I　still　adore　you。　　I　do　not　want　you　any　more；　but　I　cannot　do　without　you。〃　　They　had　the　courage　to　give　each　other　up　finally　in　March；　1835。
  It　now　remains　for　us　to　explain　the　singularity　of　this　adventure；　which；　as　a　matter　of　fact；　was　beyond　all　logic；　even　the　logic　of　passion。　　It　is；　however；　readily　understood；　if　we　treat　it　as　a　case　of　acute　romanticism；　the　finest　case　of　romanticism；　that　has　been　actually　lived；　which　the　history　of　letters　offers　us。
  The　romanticism　c