‘De Custine recalled that she was wearing “a silk skirt framed by ribbons, a cherry coloured belt, streaming downwards like a scarf, a white silk shirt, gathered around her neck, instead of a bodice, and over this an open jacket in the style of oriental women or – tightrope walkers. Her head was bare. Her hair was completely smooth, parted on top of her admirably formed head, but falling in thick locks over her shoulders”. Thereafter, the account gains in tempo and expression, setting the situation plainly before our eyes. It begins with a rather theatrical entrance: “She entered jauntily, carrying a pouch full of cigars, and before sitting she took one out to light it from a candle on the mantlepiece. She then flopped onto the settee with her legs stretched out towards the fire. So much for her appearance”. He immediately poses a rhetorical question addressed to his noble addressee: “Can you imagine a lady making such an appearance in a Parisian salon?”.’ (from M. Tomaszewski’s Chopin i George Sand. Miłość nie od pierwszego spojrzenia [Chopin and George Sand: love not at first sight]).