GEORGE   SAND.                                 261

poetry of her words, Chopin felt that he was appre¬
ciated as he had never been before. This lady was
Aurora Dudevant, at that time the most celebrated
of French authoresses, whose romances, written
under the name of George Sand, were, of course,
well known to him. That night, when he returned
home^ the pleasing words were still ringing in his
ears, the flashing glance was still dazzling his eyes.
But this first interview impressed his intellect only ;
his heart and his sense of beauty were untouched.
He wrote to his parents, *'I have made the acquaint¬
ance of an important celebrity, Madame Dudevant,
well-known as George Sand; but I do not like her
face, there is something in it that repels me." But
when he met this talented woman again, her at¬
tractive convers'Mion, in which was nearly always
hidden some delicate flattery, made him forget that
she was not beautiful. Her love for him—for George
Sand was passionately enamoured of Chopin—gave
to her decided and rather manly features a certain
attractive softness, and made her shy and almost
humble towards him; thus, unconsciously, she
stirred his heart. Frederic felt at first merely grate¬
ful to her; then, if not as passionately, yet truly and
deeply he returned her love. The wound inflicted
by Maria's faithlessness was healed. The conscious¬
ness of being loved by the foremost of French
authoresses, a woman of European celebrity, filled
Frederic with happy pride. He was no longer alone
and solitary, for Aurora Dudevant was not only his