. Madame de Staël and her lovers . e Stael tryingto upset that settlement and demanding cash. Her letters demanding the cash are included inthe Critics collection; and it is very painful toread them. The woman who of old had loved—and perhaps still longed to love—takes in themthe tone of an indignant dun. Benjamins con-duct, she declares, passes all that I believed ofthe human heart. * What a man ! she man capable of a cowardice which is worsethan a theft! She will only communicate withhim through the medium of her solicitor; pro-ceedings shall be instantly begun. And so forth. It i
. Madame de Staël and her lovers . e Stael tryingto upset that settlement and demanding cash. Her letters demanding the cash are included inthe Critics collection; and it is very painful toread them. The woman who of old had loved—and perhaps still longed to love—takes in themthe tone of an indignant dun. Benjamins con-duct, she declares, passes all that I believed ofthe human heart. * What a man ! she man capable of a cowardice which is worsethan a theft! She will only communicate withhim through the medium of her solicitor; pro-ceedings shall be instantly begun. And so forth. It is a dispute for which oneinstinctively seeks a motive other than pecuniary,and the key to the mystery is the complaint toRosalie that Madame de Stael cannot see Ben-jamin speak to another woman without spreadingthe report that he is in love with her. Thereport was not only circulated; it was a truereport. Benjamin was in love—head over earsin love—with Madame de Staels bosom friend,Madame Recamier. Hinc illce lacrimcB. 300. CHAPTER XXVI Benjamin Constant in love with Madame Recamier—His accountof the passion in his Diary—Finding that he loves in vain, herejoins his wife. Napoleons sister, Caroline, Queen of Naples,had asked Madame Recamier to find a goodjournalist who would write a pamphlet settingforth her husbands claims to consideration inthat rearrangement of the map of Europe whichthe Allies were negotiating at Vienna. MadameRecamier at once thought of Benjamin Constant,whose pamphlet against the Emperor had madea great stir; and as Benjamin Constant was noordinary .journalist to be hired or bought, sheflirted with him. For a season he was at leastallowed to call her Juliette and to write to herseveral times a day; and for the sake of thoseprivileges, and in the hope of others which hedid not obtain, he duly composed the pamphlet,and even returned the proffered fee of 20,000francs. We have only to look at the Diary tosee how suddenly the passion seized him. I
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