Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-08-06
GEORGE SAND.

The Paris correspondent of the Arcadian
sends the following interesting souvenir OF
George Sand:
81 saw George Sand the other day. She had
cyidcutly come in from the country on busl-
ness, and was going round to the various mu-
scums to while away tune. met her In the
salous of the Louvre, and could not help being
struck by the change which has come over her;
You know not very long sluce she was still
beautiful, although she was short, lat, and
,ouatty; now she is fat, sQuatty, and very ugly
her features are so Shucklngly coarse, and
even her once lovely eyes have lost their quon-
dam brilliaucv. The expression Of her countc.
nance is still fine, but there is grief written on
every line of it, and what is still worse, that
pdiscribabc Je ne sas quoi whicE indicates
disappontment. She seemed to me 10 be look
ing nj the pictures Us If she we're in kind OF
dreamy, somnambuilStlc state, as though her
eyes indeed saw them, bat her thoughts We're
far removed from all that surrounded her. She
went over the Louvre, thence to the AIsace-
Lorraine exhibition, and In the evening she at
tended scientific lecture SO learn by the
papers. Not an hour of her time is ever vast
ed. She is up at 5, and writes until | O'Clock;
then she breakfasts reads, drives, sees her
friends, and does all those things she has to 90.
Eleven o'clock beholds her in bed, and they
tell me she falls asleep as soon US ever her
head touches the pillow.
''ro my mind she is the greatest female gcn-
us that ever lived. | admire her grand powers,
but ellie nc III est pas Sympathlque. l was once
introduced to her, but, although fascinated 10y
her charming conversation, | was lot as much
pleased with her as | expected to be. Her
manners arc very quiet and uuprctendng; but
she has kind of searching, unsteady gaze, and
a sort of eager way of questioning you, as 1t she
wished to force FROM you, against your Will, the
secrets of your hcart-whlch Is very unpeas-
ant, to say the least OF it. Her last novel,
MA Spur Jenne,' is one Of her best, so they
say. | have not read it. Some mouths ago
she wrote some fairy tales in the Revue, which
were absolutely charming. She Is a great natur-
alist, and keeps al herbarlum, IN which sne
arranges flowers Of all kinds IN a very sclentlhc
manner. She is in correspondence with all
the botansts of the world, and has published
some works on this science which are worth
reading.
age and George Sand do not agree togcth-
or. She knows she is getting old, and she
hates death; she fears it. She believes firmly
in the Immortality Of the soul, and. after her
fashion, is religious Many times durlog her
queer career has she left world, and gone back
to her old convent at NcuilIy, the supcrioress
Of which is still her best friend. "Ah my
friend" said she once to me, believe me, it
is no happiness to possess an immaglnatlon
like my own--it is perfect curse. My great
est pleasure in life is to stop thinking, aud rest
my poor brain, and can rarely do so. She
is writing book DOW on that poor little
wretchcd morsal OF Prince. Louis Avll. 1t
will be sad, terrible book; but, after all, oIly
the narrative of the lives of thousands OF chill
dren, not royal, indeed, but paupers who were
happiest unborn"