ddle…class　people；　among　whom　was　Sir　Arthur；　a　wealthy　Englishman；　who　wanted　to　marry　her。　　This　mixture　of　peasants　and　_bourgeois_　is　not　a　happy　one。　　Neither　is　the　mixture　of　_patois_　with　a　more　Christian　way　of　talking；　or　rather　with　a　written　style。　　The　author　was　experimenting　and　feeling　her　way。
  When　she　wrote　_La　Mare　au　Diable_　she　had　found　it；　for　in　this　work　we　have　unity　of　tone；　harmony　of　the　characters　with　their　setting；　of　sentiment　with　the　various　adventures；　and；　above　all；　absolute　simplicity。
  In　_Francois　le　Champi_　there　is　much　that　is　graceful；　and　there　is　real　feeling　mingled　with　a　touch　of　sentimentality。　　Madeleine　Blanchet　is　rather　old　for　Champi；　whom　she　had　brought　up　like　her　own　child。　　In　the　country；　though；　where　difference　of　age　is　soon　less　apparent；　the　disproportion　does　not　seem　as　objectionable　as　it　would　in　city　life。　　The　novel　is　not　a　study　of　maternal　affection　in　love；　as　it　is　not　Madeleine's　feelings　that　are　analyzed；　but　those　of　Francois。　　For　a　long　time　he　had　been　in　love　without　knowing　it；　and　he　is　only　aware　of　it　when　this　love；　instead　of　being　a　sort　of　agreeable　dream　and　melancholy　pleasure；　is　transformed　into　suffering。
  The　subject　of　_La　Petite　Fadette_　is　another　analysis　of　a　love　which　has　been　silent　for　a　long　time。　　It　is　difficult　to　say　which　is　the　best　of　these　delightful　stories；　but　perhaps；　on　the　whole；　this　last　one　is　generally　preferred；　on　account　of　the　curious　and　charming　figure　of　little　Fadette　herself。　　We　can　see　the　thin；　slender　girl；　suddenly　appearing　on　the　road；　emerging　from　a　thicket。　　She　seems　to　be　part　of　the　scenery；　and　can　scarcely　be　distinguished　from　the　objects　around　her。　　The　little　wild　country　girl　is　like　the　spirit　of　the　fields；　woods；　rivers　and　precipices。　　She　is　a　being　very　near　to　Nature。　　Inquisitive　and　mischievous；　she　is　bold　in　her　speech；　because　she　is　treated　as　a　reprobate。　　She　jeers；　because　she　knows　that　she　is　detested；　and　she　scratches；　because　she　suffers。　　The　day　comes　when　she　feels　some　of　that　affection　which　makes　the　atmosphere　breathable　for　human　beings。　　She　feels　her　heart　beating　faster　in　her　bosom；　thanks　to　this　affection；　and　from　that　minute　a　transformation　takes　place　within　her。　　Landry；　who　has　been　observing　her；　is　of　opinion　that　she　must　be　something　of　a　witch。　　Landry　is　very　simple…minded。　There　is　no　witchcraft　here　except　that　of　love；　and　it　was　not　difficult　for　that　to　work　the　metamorphosis。　　It　has　worked　many　others　in　this　world。
  The　_Maitres　Soneurs_　initiates　us　into　forest　life；　so　full　of　mysterious　visions。　　In　opposition　to　the　sedentary；　stay…at…home　life　of　the　inhabitant　of　plains；　with　his　indolent　mind；　we　have　the　free…and…easy　humour　of　the　handsome　and　adventurous　muleteer；　Huriel；　with　his　love　of　the　road　and　of　all　that　is　unexpected。　　He　is　a　_cheminau_　before　the　days　of　M。　Richepin。
  I　do　not　know　any　stories　more　finished　than　these。　　They　certainly　prove　that　George　Sand　had　the　artistic　sense；　a　quality　which　has　frequently　been　denied　her。　　The　characters　in　these　stories　are　living　and　active；　and　at　the　same　time　their　psychology　is　not　insisted　upon；　and　they　do　not　stand　out　in　such　relief　as　to　turn　our　attention　from　things；　which；　as　we　know；　are　more　important　than　people　in　the　country。　　We　are　surrounded　on　all　sides　by　the　country；　and　bathed；　as　it　were；　in　its　atmosphere。　　And　yet；　in　spite　of　all　this；　the　country　is　not　once　described。　　There　is　not　one　of　those　descriptions　so　dear　to　the　heart　of　those　who　are　considered　masters　in　the　art　of　word…painting。　We　do　riot　describe　those　things　with　which　we　live。　　We　are　content　to　have　them　ever　present　in　our　mind　and　to　be　in　constant　communion　with　them。　　Style　is；　perhaps；　the　sovereign　quality　in　these　stories。　　Words　peculiar　to　the　district　are　introduced　just　sufficiently　to　give　an　accent。　　Somewhat　old…fashioned　expressions　are　employed；　and　these　prove　the　survival　of　by…gone　days；　which；　in　the　country；　are　respected　more　than　elsewhere。　　Without　any　apparent　effort；　the　narrative　takes　that　epic　form　so　natural　to　those　who；　as　_aedes_　of　primitive　epochs；　or　story…tellers　by　country　firesides；　give　their　testimony　about　things　of　the　past。
  I　am　aware　that　George　Sand　has　been　accused　of　tracing　portraits　of　her　peasants　which　were　not　like　them。　　This　is　so　absurd　that　I　do　not　consider　it　worth　while　to　spend　time　in　discussing　it。　　It　would　be　so　easy　to　show　that　in　her　types　of　peasants　there　is　more　variety；　and　also　more　reality；　than　in　Balzac's　more　realistic　ones。　　Without　being　untruthful　portraits；　it　may　be　that　they　are　somewhat　flattered；　and　that　we　have　more　honest；　delicate　and　religious　peasants　in　these　stories　than　in　reality。　　This　may　be　so；　and　George　Sand　warns　us　of　this　herself。　　It　was　her　intention　to　depict　them　thus。
  It　was　not　absolute　reality　and　the　everyday　details　of　the　peasants'　habits　and　customs　that　she　wanted　to　show　us；　but　the　poetry　of　the　country；　the　reflection　of　the　great　sights　of　Nature　in　the　soul　of　those　who；　thanks　to　their　daily　work；　are　the　constant　witnesses　of　them。　　The　peasant　certainly　has　no　exact　notion　of　the　poetry　of　Nature；　nor　is　he　always　conscious　of　it。　　He　feels　it；　though；　within　his　soul　in　a　vague　way。　　At　certain　moments　he　has　glimpses　of　it；　perhaps；　when　love　causes　him　emotion；　or　perhaps　when　he　is　absent　from　the　part　of　the　world；　where　he　has　always　lived。　　His　homesickness　then　gives　him　a　keener　perception。　　This　poetry　is　perhaps　never　clearly　revealed　to　any　individual；　not　to　the　labourer　who　traces　out　his　furrows　tranquilly　in　the　early　morning；　nor　to　the　shepherd　who　spends　whole　weeks　alone　in　the　mountains；　face　to　face　with　the　stars。　　It　dwells；　though；　in　the　inner　conscience　of　the　race。　　The　generations　which　come　and　go　have　it　within　them；　and　they　do　not　fall　to　express　it。　　It　is　this　poetry　which　we　find　in　certain　customs　and　beliefs；　in　the　various　legends　and　songs。　　When　Le　Champi　returns　to　his　native　place；　he　finds　the　whole　country　murmuring　with　the　twitter　of　birds　which　he　knew　so　well。
  〃And　all　this　reminded　him　of　a　very　old　song　with　which　his　mother　Zabelli　used　to　sing　him　to　sleep。　　It　was　a　song　with　words　such　as　people　used　to　employ　in　olden　times。〃
  In　George　Sand's　pastoral　novels　we　have　some　of　these　old　words。　　They　come　to　us　from　afar；　and　are　like　a　supreme　blossoming　of　old　traditions。
  It　is　all　this　which　characterizes　these　books；　and　assigns　to　them　their　place　in　our　literature。　　We　must　not　compare　them　with　the　rugged　studies　of　Balzac；　nor　with　the　insipid　compositions　of　the　bucolic　writer；　nor　even　with　Bernadin　de　Saint…Pierre's　masterpiece；　as　there　are　too　many　cocoanut　trees　in　that。　　They　prevent　us　seeing　the　French　landscapes。　　Very　few　people　know　the　country　in　France　and　the　humble　people　who　dwell　there。　　Very　few　writers　have　loved　the　country　well　enough　to　be　able　to　depict　its　hidden　charms。
  La　Fontaine　has　done　it　in　his　fables　and　Perrault　in　his　tales。　　George　Sand　has　her　place；　in　this　race　of　writers；　among　the　French　Homers。
  IX
  THE　‘BONNE　DAME'　OF　NOHANT　THE　THEATREALEXANDRE　DUMAS　FILS　LIFE　AT　NOHANT
  Novelists　are　given　to　speaking　of　the　theatre　somewhat　disdainfully。　　They　say　that　there　is　too　much　convention；　that　an　author　is　too　much　the　slave　of　material　conditions；　and　is　obliged　to　consider　the　taste　of　the　crowd；　whilst　a　book　appeals　to　the　lover　of　literature；　who　can　read　it　by　his　own　fireside；　and　to　the　society　woman；　who　loses　herself　in　its　pages。　　As　soon；　though；　as　one　of　their　novels　has　had　more　success　than　its　predecessors；　they　do　not　hesitate　to　cut　it　up　into　slices；　according　to　the　requirements　of　the　publishing　house；　so　that　it　may　go　beyond　the　little　circle　of　lovers　of　literature　and　society　women　and　reach　the　crowd　the　largest　crowd　possible。
  George　Sand　never　pretended　to　have　this　immense　disdain　for　the　theatre　which　is　professed　by　ultra…refined　writers。　　She　had　always　loved　the　theatre；　and　she　bore　it　no　grudge；　although　her　pieces　had　been　hissed。　　In　those　days　plays　that　did　not　find　favour　were　hissed。　　At　present　they　are　not　hissed；　either　because　there　are　no　more　poor　plays；　or　because　the　public　has　seen　so　many　bad　ones　that　it　has　become　philosophical；　and　does　not　take　the　trouble　to　show　its　displeasure。　　George　Sand's　first　piece；　_Cosima_；　was　a　noted　failure。　　About　the　year　1850；　she　turned　to　the　theatre　once　more；　hoping　to　find　a　new　form　of　expression　for　her　energy　and　talent。　　_Francois　le　Champi_　was　a　great　success。　　In　January；　1851；　she　wrote　as　follows；　after　the　performance　of　_Claudie：　　_　〃A　tearful　success　and　a　financial　one。　　The　house　is　full　every　day；　not　a　ticket　given　away；　and　not　even　a　seat　for　Maurice。　　The　piece　is　played　admirably；　Bocage　is　magnificent。　　The　public　weeps　and　blows　its　nose；　as　though　it　were　in　church。　　I　am　told　that　never　in　the　memory　of　man　has　there　been　such　a　first　night。　　I　was　not　present　myself。〃
  There　may　be　a　slight　exaggeration　in　the　words　〃never　in　the　memory　of　man；〃　but　the　success　was　really　great。　　_Claudie