VI INTRODUCTION

Ail this time she was revolving in her mind this problem : " Should she give up the world and enter a religions lif e within the walls of the convent ? "

The death of her grandmother overwhelmed her with grief. There was one more f amily struggle : Mme. Dnpin, during her life, and in her will, had expressed the wish that Aurora should be under the care of her guardian, a cousin of her father. The cousin was fond of her and wished to take her into his family, but her mother resisted this plan 80 strenuously that Aurora yielded and accompanied her to Paris.

The mother, having naturally little self-control, and embittered by the opposition of her husband's family, had become very irritable and unreasonable ; this trial, with grief over the loss of her grandmother, affected sensibly Aurora's health.

Her mother, one day, took her into the country to visit some friends, promising to return for her in a few days ; which, however, finding that the change of scène was bénéficiai, she failed to do.

Thèse friends were a kind, sympathetic pair, with four bright children, and Aurora soon entered with interest into their life, and became like a daughter of the family. For several months she remained with them.

Among the friends that frequently visited this family was a young man by the name of Casimir Dudevant. According to the French custom, a marriage was arranged between Aurora and this young man, because it seemed suitable, although there was no spécial inclination on either side.

This marriage took place in 1822, when Aurora was eighteen years old. The married pair took up their abode at Nohant, and a son and daughter were born to them ; Mme. Dudevant was for a time very happy in her motherhood. But the husband and wife became so uncongenial that, after a few years, Mme. Dudevant spent some months of every