Balzac, Honoré de: A Study of Woman, v1, 29 Aug 2007.
 

Honoré de Balzac: A Study of Woman
(Étude de femme)
Translated by Katharine Prescott Wormeley.

A short story of about 3,400 words.

This is a story with a moral: be very careful that you address your letters correctly.

Do not, under any circumstances, send a letter intended for your mistress to a woman whose virtue is renowned. When she reads the novel salutation: “Dear angel of love, treasure of my life and happiness--” it is likely to result in mixed feelings.
Moreover, if you allow the error to go uncorrected for a couple of days, the consequences will be even more embarrassing.

There now. You have been warned.