Helene；　even　without　putting　her　hands　on　it；　can　draw　from　it　magnificent　harmony；　Helene　is　mad。　　All　this　may　seem　very　incomprehensible　to　you；　and　I　must　confess　that　it　is　so　to　me。　　Albertus　himself　declares：　　〃This　has　a　poetical　sense　of　a　very　high　order　perhaps；　but　it　seems　vague　to　me。〃　　Personally；　I　am　of　the　same　opinion　as　Albertus。　　With　a　little　effort；　I　might；　like　any　one　else；　be　able　to　give　you　an　interpretation　of　this　logogriph；　which　might　appear　to　have　something　in　it。　　I　prefer　telling　you　frankly　that　I　do　not　understand　it。　　The　author；　perhaps；　did　not　understand　it　much　better　so　that　it　may　have　been　metaphysics。
  I　would　call　your　attention；　though；　to　that　picture　of　Helene；　with　the　magic　lyre　in　her　hand；　risking　her　life；　by　climbing　to　the　spire　of　the　steeple　and　uttering　her　inspiring　speech　from　there。　　Is　not　this　something　like　Solness；　the　builder；　from　the　top　of　his　tower？　　Like　Tolstoi；　Ibsen　had　evidently　read　George　Sand　and　had　not　forgotten　her。
  _Spiridion_　introduces　us　into　a　strange　convent；　in　which　we　see　the　portraits　come　out　of　their　frames　and　roam　about　the　cloisters。　　The　founder　of　the　convent；　Hebronius；　lives　again　in　the　person　of　Father　Alexis；　who　is　no　other　than　Leroux。
  In　_Consuelo_　we　have　the　same　imagination。　　We　have　already　considered　the　first　part　of　this　novel；　that　which　takes　place　at　Venice；　in　the　schools　of　music　and　in　the　theatres　of　song。　　Who　would　have　thought　that　the　charming　diva；　the　pupil　of　Porpora；　was　to　have　such　strange　adventures？　　She　arrives　in　Bohemia；　at　the　Chateau　of　Rudolstadt。　　She　has　been　warned　that　extraordinary　things　take　place　there。　　Comte　Albert　de　Rudolstadt　is　subject　to　nervous　fits　and　to　great　lethargy。　　He　disappears　from　the　chateau　and　then　reappears；　without　any　one　seeing　him　go　in　or　out。　　He　believes　that　he　has　been　Jean　Ziska；　and　this　is　probably　true。　　He　has　been　present　at　events　which　took　place　three　hundred　years　previously；　and　he　describes　them。　　Consuelo　discovers　Albert's　retreat。　　It　is　a　cavern　hollowed　out　of　a　mountain　in　the　vicinity；　which　communicates；　by　means　of　a　well；　with　his　rooms。　　The　Chateau　of　Rudolstadt　is　built　on　the　same　architectural　plan　as　Anne　Radcliffe's　chateau。　　After　staying　for　some　time　in　this　bewildering　place；　Consuelo　sets　forth　once　more。　　She　now　meets　Haydn；　goes　through　the　Bohmer　Wald　with　him；　arrives　in　Venice；　is　introduced　to　Maria　Theresa；　and　is　engaged　at　the　Imperial　Theatre。　　She　is　now　recalled　to　the　Chateau　of　Rudolstadt。　　Albert　is　on　his　deathbed；　and　he　marries　her　_in　extremis_；　after　telling　her　that　he　is　going　to　leave　her　for　a　time；　but　that　he　shall　return　to　her　on　earth　by　a　new　birth。　　He；　too；　had　evidently　read　Pierre　Leroux；　and　it　was　perhaps　that　which　had　caused　his　illness。
  _Consuelo_　is　a　novel　of　adventures　after　the　style　of　_Gil　Blas_；　the　_Vie　de　Marianne_；　and　_Wilkelm　Meister_。　　It　is　a　historical　novel；　for　which　we　have　Joseph　Haydn；　Maria　Theresa；　Baron　Trenk；　and　the　whole　history　of　the　Hussites。　　It　is　a　fantastical　story　with　digressions　on　music　and　on　popular　songs；　but　running　through　it　all；　with　the　persistency　of　a　fixed　idea；　are　divagations　on　the　subject　of　earthly　metempsychosis。　　Such；　then；　is　this　incongruous　story；　odd　and　exaggerated；　but　with　gleams　of　light　and　of　great　beauty；　the　reading　of　which　is　apt　to　leave　one　weary　and　disturbed。
  We　meet　with　Consuelo　again　in　another　book。　　In　those　days；　it　was　not　enough　for　a　novel　to　consist　of　several　volumes。　　People　liked　a　sequel　also。　　_Vingt　ans　apres_　was　the　sequel　to　_Trois　Mousquetaires_；　and　the　_Vicomte　de　Bragelonne_　was　a　sequel　to　that　sequel。　　Our　grandparents　were　capable　of　allowing　themselves　to　be　bored　to　a　degree　which　makes　us　ashamed　of　our　frivolity。　　The　_Comtesse　de　Rudolstadt_　was　the　sequel　to　_Consuelo_。　　As　time　went　on；　Pierre　Leroux　called　George　Sand's　attention　to　the　study　of　freemasonry。　　In　1843；　she　declared　that　she　was　plunged　in　it；　and　that　it　was　a　gulf　of　nonsense　and　uncertainties；　in　which　〃she　was　dabbling　courageously。〃
  〃I　am　up　to　my　ears　in　freemasonry；〃　she　writes。　　〃I　cannot　get　away　from　the　kaddosh；　the　Rose　Croix　and　the　Sublime　Scotchman。　　The　result　of　all　this　will　be　a　mysterious　novel。〃　　The　mysterious　novel　was　the　_Comtesse　de　Rudolstadt_。　　Consuelo；　who　through　her　marriage　with　Albert　is　now　Comtesse　de　Rudolstadt；　continues　her　European　tour。　　She　reaches　Berlin；　and　we　find　her　at　the　Court　of　Frederick　II。　　We　now　have　Voltaire；　La　Mettrie；　the　Sans…Souci　suppers；　Cagliostro；　Saint…Germain　and　the　occult　sciences。　　Frederick　II　sends　Consuelo　to　prison。　　There　appears　to　be　no　reason　for　this；　unless　it　be　that　in　order　to　escape　she　must　first　have　been　imprisoned。　　Some　mysterious　rescuers　take　a　great　interest　in　Consuelo；　and　transport　her　to　a　strange　dwelling；　where　she　has　a　whole　series　of　surprises。　　It　is；　in　fact；　a　sort　of　Palace　of　Illusions。　　She　is　first　in　a　dark　room；　and　she　then　finds　herself　suddenly　in　a　room　of　dazzling　light。　　〃At　the　far　end　of　this　room；　the　whole　aspect　of　which　is　very　forbidding；　she　distinguishes　seven　personages；　wrapped　in　red　cloaks　and　wearing　masks　of　such　livid　whiteness　that　they　looked　like　corpses。　　They　were　all　seated　behind　a　table　of　black　marble。　　Just　in　front　of　the　table；　and　on　a　lower　seat；　was　an　eighth　spectre。　　He　was　dressed　in　black；　and　he；　too；　wore　a　white　mask。　　By　the　wall；　on　each　side　of　the　room；　were　about　twenty　men　in　black　cloaks　and　masks。　　There　was　the　most　profound　silence。　　Consuelo　turned　round　and　saw　that　there　were　also　black　phantoms　behind　her。　　At　each　door　there　were　two　of　them　standing　up；　each　holding　a　huge；　bright　sword。〃＇37＇
  ＇37＇　_Comtesse　de　Rudolstadt。_
  She　wondered　whether　she　had　reached　the　infernal　regions；　but　she　discovered　that　she　was　in　the　midst　of　a　secret　society；　styled　the　Invisibles。　　Consuelo　is　to　go　through　all　the　various　stages　of　the　initiation。　　She　first　puts　on　the　bridal　dress；　and　after　this　the　widow's　weeds。　　She　undergoes　all　the　various　trials；　and　has　to　witness　the　different　spectacles　provided　for　her　edification；　including　coffins；　funeral　palls；　spectres　and　simulated　tortures。　　The　description　of　all　the　various　ceremonies　takes　up　about　half　of　the　book。　　George　Sand's　object　was　to　show　up　this　movement　of　secret　societies；　which　was　such　a　feature　of　the　eighteenth　century；　and　which　was　directed　both　against　monarchical　power　and　against　the　Church。　　It　contributed　to　prepare　the　way　for　the　Revolution；　and　gave　to　this　that　international　character　and　that　mystic　allure　which　would　otherwise　have　been　incomprehensible。
  From　_Spiridion_　to　the　_Comtesse　de　Rudolstadt_；　then；　we　have　this　series　of　fantastical　novels　with　ghosts；　subterranean　passages；　secret　hiding…places；
  hallucinations　and　apparitions。　　The　unfortunate　part　is　that　at　present　we　scarcely　know　to　what　category　of　readers　they　would　appeal。　　As　regards　grown…up　people；　we　all　prefer　something　with　a　vestige　of　truth　in　it　now…a…days。　As　to　our　children；　they　would　prefer　_Monte…Cristo_　to　_Consuelo_；　and　_Tom　Thumb_　to　_Spiridion_。　　At　the　time　that　they　were　written；　in　spite　of　the　fact　that　Buloz　protested　against　all　this　philosophy；　these　novels　were　quite　in　accordance　with　the　public　taste。　　A　mania　for　anything　fantastic　had　taken　possession　of　the　most　serious　people。　　Ballanche　wrote　his　_La　Palingenesie_；　and　Edgar　Quinet　_Ahasverus_。　　Things　took　place　through　the　ages；　and　the　reader　travelled　through　the　immensity　of　the　centuries；　just　as　though　Wells　had　already　invented　his　machine　for　exploring　time。　　In　a　country　like　France；　where　clear…mindedness　and　matter…of…fact　intelligence　are　appreciated；　all　this　seems　surprising。　　It　was　no　doubt　the　result　of　infiltrations　which　had　come　from　abroad。　　There　was　something　wrong　with　us　just　then；　〃something　rotten　in　the　kingdom　of　France。〃　　We　see　this　by　that　fever　of　socialistic　doctrines　which　burst　forth　among　us　about　the　year　1840。　　We　have　the　_Phalanstere_　by　Fourier；　_La　Phalange_　by　Considerant；　the　_Icarie_　by　Cabet；　and　his　famous　_Voyage_；　which　appeared　that　very　year。　　We　were　always　to　be　devoured　by　the　State；　accompanied　by　whatever　sauce　we　preferred。　　The　State　was　always　to　find　us　shelter；　to　dress　us；　to　govern　us　and　to　tyrannize　over　us。　　There　was　the　State　as　employer；　the　State　as　general　storekeeper；　the　State　to　feed　us；　all　this　was　a　dream　of　bliss。　　Buonarotti；　formerly　Babeuf's　accomplice；　preached　Communism。　　Louis　Blanc　published　his　_Organisation　du　travail_；　in　which　he　calls　to　his　aid　a　political　revolution；　foretaste　of　a　social　revolution。　　Proudhon　published　his　_Memoire　sur　la　propriete_；　containing　the　celebrated　phrase：　　〃Property　means　theft。〃　　He　declared　himself　an　anarchist；　and　as　a　matter　of　fact　anarchy　was　already　everywhere。　　A　fresh　evil　had　suddenly　made　its　appearance；　and；　by　a　cruel　irony；　it　was　the　logical　consequence　of　that　industrial　development　of　which　the　century　was　so　proud。　　The　result　of　all　that　wealth　had　been　to　create　a　new　form　of　misery；　an　envious；　jealous　form　of　misery；　much　more　cruel　than