,ver4#jg_/bg_/ja99;,,end99 ,this etext was produced by ,david ,widger widgercecomet4net ,,note3 ,there is a short list of bookmarks1 or pointers1 at the end of the file for those who may wish to sample the author's ideas before making an entire meal of them4 ,d4,w4 ,,an ,,attic ,,philosopher 7,un ,philosophe sous les ,toits7 ,by ,,emile ,,souvestre ,,book #b4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,uncle ,,maurice ,june #gth1 ,four ,o'clock ,a4,m4 ,i am not surprised at hearing1 when ,i awake1 the birds singing so joyfully outside my window2 it is only by living1 as they and ,i do1 in a top story1 that one comes to know how cheerful the mornings really are up among the roofs4 ,it is there that the sun sends his first rays1 and the breeze comes with the fragrance of the gardens and woods2 there that a wandering butterfly sometimes ventures among the flowers of the attic1 and that the songs of the industrious work-woman welcome the dawn of day4 ,the lower stories are still deep in sleep1 silence1 and shadow1 while here labor1 light1 and song already reign4 ,what life is around me6 ,see the swallow returning from her search for food1 with her beak full of insects for her young ones2 the sparrows shake the dew from their wings while they chase one another in the sunshine2 and my neighbors throw open their windows1 and welcome the morning with their fresh faces6 ,delightful hour of waking1 when everything returns to feeling and to motion2 when the first light of day strikes upon creation1 and brings it to life again1 as the magic wand struck the palace of the ,sleeping ,beauty in the wood6 ,it is a moment of rest from every misery2 the sufferings of the sick are allayed1 and a breath of hope enters into the hearts of the despairing4 ,but1 alas6 it is but a short respite6 ,everything will soon resume its wonted course3 the great human machine1 with its long strains1 its deep gasps1 its collisions1 and its crashes1 will be again put in motion4 ,the tranquillity of this first morning hour reminds me of that of our first years of life4 ,then1 too1 the sun shines brightly1 the air is fragrant1 and the illusions of youth-those birds of our life's morning- sing around us4 ,why do they fly away when we are older8 ,where do this sadness and this solitude1 which gradually steal upon us1 come from8 ,the course seems to be the same with individuals and with communities3 at starting1 so readily made happy1 so easily enchanted2 and at the goal1 the bitter disappointment or reality6 ,the road1 which began among hawthorns and primroses1 ends speedily in deserts or in precipices6 ,why is there so much confidence at first1 so much doubt at last8 ,has1 then1 the knowledge of life no other end but to make it unfit for happiness8 ,must we condemn ourselves to ignorance if we would preserve hope8 ,is the world and is the individual man intended1 after all1 to find rest only in an eternal childhood8 ,how many times have ,i asked myself these questions6 ,solitude has the advantage or the danger of making us continually search more deeply into the same ideas4 ,as our discourse is only with ourself1 we always give the same direction to the conversation2 we are not called to turn it to the subject which occupies another mind1 or interests another's feelings2 and so an involuntary inclination makes us return forever to knock at the same doors6 ,i interrupted my reflections to put my attic in order4 ,i hate the look of disorder1 because it shows either a contempt for details or an unaptness for spiritual life4 ,to arrange the things among which we have to live1 is to establish the relation of property and of use between them and us3 it is to lay the foundation of those habits without which man tends to the savage state4 ,what1 in fact1 is social organization but a series of habits1 settled in accordance with the dispositions of our nature8 ,i distrust both the intellect and the morality of those people to whom disorder is of no consequence--who can live at ease in an ,augean stable4 ,what surrounds us1 reflects more or less that which is within us4 ,the mind is like one of those dark lanterns which1 in spite of everything1 still throw some light around4 ,if our tastes did not reveal our character1 they would be no longer tastes1 but instincts4 ,while ,i was arranging everything in my attic1 my eyes rested on the little almanac hanging over my chimney-piece4 ,i looked for the day of the month1 and ,i saw these words written in large letters3 ,,fete ,,dieu6 ,it is to-day6 ,in this great city1 where there are no longer any public religious solemnities1 there is nothing to remind us of it2 but it is1 in truth1 the period so happily chosen by the primitive church4 ,the day kept in honor of the ,creator1 says ,chateaubriand1 happens at a time when the heaven and the earth declare ,his power1 when the woods and fields are full of new life1 and all are united by the happiest ties2 there is not a single widowed plant in the fields4 ,what recollections these words have just awakened6 ,i left off what ,i was about1 ,i leaned my elbows on the windowsill1 and1 with my head between my two hands1 ,i went back in thought to the little town where the first days of my childhood were passed4 ,the ',fete ,dieu' was then one of the great events of my life6 ,it was necessary to be diligent and obedient a long time beforehand1 to deserve to share in it4 ,i still recollect with what raptures of expectation ,i got up on the morning of the day4 ,there was a holy joy in the air4 ,the neighbors1 up earlier than usual1 hung cloths with flowers or figures1 worked in tapestry1 along the streets4 ,i went from one to another1 by turns admiring religious scenes of the ,middle ,ages1 mythological compositions of the ,renaissance1 old battles in the style of ,louis ,,xiv1 and the ,arcadias of ,madame de ,pompadour4 ,all this world of phantoms seemed to be coming forth from the dust of past ages1 to assist--silent and motionless--at the holy ceremony4 ,i looked1 alternately in fear and wonder1 at those terrible warriors with their swords always raised1 those beautiful huntresses shooting the arrow which never left the bow1 and those shepherds in satin breeches always playing the flute at the feet of the perpetually smiling shepherdess4 ,sometimes1 when the wind blew behind these hanging pictures1 it seemed to me that the figures themselves moved1 and ,i watched to see them detach themselves from the wall1 and take their places in the procession6 ,but these impressions were vague and transitory4 ,the feeling that predominated over every other was that of an overflowing yet quiet joy4 ,in the midst of all the floating draperies1 the scattered flowers1 the voices of the maidens1 and the gladness which1 like a perfume1 exhaled from everything1 you felt transported in spite of yourself4 ,the joyful sounds of the festival were repeated in your heart1 in a thousand melodious echoes4 ,you were more indulgent1 more holy1 more loving6 ,for ,god was not only manifesting himself without1 but also within us4 ,and then the altars for the occasion6 the flowery arbors6 the triumphal arches made of green boughs6 ,what competition among the different parishes for the erection of the resting-places where the procession was to halt6 ,it was who should contribute the rarest and the most beautiful of his possessions6 ,it was there ,i made my first sacrifice6 ,the wreaths of flowers were arranged1 the candles lighted1 and the ,tabernacle dressed with roses2 but one was wanting fit to crown the whole6 ,all the neighboring gardens had been ransacked4 ,i alone possessed a flower worthy of such a place4 ,it was on the rose-tree given me by my mother on my birthday4 ,i had watched it for several months1 and there was no other bud to blow on the tree4 ,there it was1 half open1 in its mossy nest1 the object of such long expectations1 and of all a child's pride6 ,i hesitated for some moments4 ,no one had asked me for it2 ,i might easily avoid losing it4 ,i should hear no reproaches1 but one rose noiselessly within me4 ,when every one else had given all they had1 ought ,i alone to keep back my treasure8 ,ought ,i to grudge to ,god one of the gifts which1 like all the rest1 ,i had received from him8 ,at this last thought ,i plucked the flower from the stem1 and took it to put at the top of the ,tabernacle4 ,ah6 why does the recollection of this sacrifice1 which was so hard and yet so sweet to me1 now make me smile8 ,is it so certain that the value of a gift is in itself1 rather than in the intention8 ,if the cup of cold water in the gospel is remembered to the poor man1 why should not the flower be remembered to the child8 ,let us not look down upon the child's simple act of generosity2 it is these which accustom the soul to self-denial and to sympathy4 ,i cherished this moss-rose a long time as a sacred talisman2 ,i had reason to cherish it always1 as the record of the first victory won over myself4 ,it is now many years since ,i witnessed the celebration of the ',fete ,dieu'2 but should ,i again feel in it the happy sensations of former days8 ,i still remember how1 when the procession had passed1 ,i walked through the streets strewed with flowers and shaded with green boughs4 ,i felt intoxicated by the lingering perfumes of the incense1 mixed with the fragrance of syringas1 jessamine1 and roses1 and ,i seemed no longer to touch the ground as ,i went along4 ,i smiled at everything2 the whole world was ,paradise in my eyes1 and it seemed to me that ,god was floating in the air6 ,moreover1 this feeling was not the excitement of the moment3 it might be more intense on certain days1 but at the same time it continued through the ordinary course of my life4 ,many years thus passed for me in an expansion of heart1 and a trustfulness which prevented sorrow1 if not from coming1 at least from staying with me4 ,sure of not being alone1 ,i soon took heart again1 like the child who recovers its courage1 because it hears its mother's voice close by4 ,why have ,i lost that confidence of my childhood8 ,shall ,i never feel again so deeply that ,god is here8 ,how strange the association of our thoughts6 ,a day of the month recalls my infancy1 and see1 all the recollections of my former years are growing up around me6 ,why was ,i so happy then8 ,i consider well1 and nothing is sensibly changed in my condition4 ,i possess1 as ,i did then1 health and my daily bread2 the only difference is1 that ,i am now responsible for myself6 ,as a child1 ,i accepted life when it came2 another cared and provided for me4 ,so long as ,i fulfilled my present duties ,i was at peace within1 and ,i left the future to the prudence of my father6 ,my destiny was a ship1 in the directing of which ,i had no share1 and in which ,i sailed as a common passenger4 ,there was the whole secret of childhood's happy security4 ,since then worldly wisdom has deprived me of it4 ,when my lot was intrusted to my own and sole keeping1 ,i thought to make myself master of it by means of a long insight into the future4 ,i have filled the present hour with anxieties1 by occupying my thoughts with the future2 ,i have put my judgment in the place of ,providence1 and the happy child is changed into the anxious man4 ,a melancholy course1 yet perhaps an important lesson4 ,who knows that1 if ,i had trusted more to ,him who rules the world1 ,i should not have been spared all this anxiety8 ,it may be that happiness is not possible here below1 except on condition of living like a child1 giving ourselves up to the duties of each day as it comes1 and trusting in the goodness of our heavenly ,father for all besides4 ,this reminds me of my ,uncle ,maurice6 ,whenever ,i have need to strengthen myself in all that is good1 ,i turn my thoughts to him2 ,i see again the gentle expression of his half-smiling1 half-mournful face2 ,i hear his voice1 always soft and soothing as a breath of summer6 ,the remembrance of him protects my life1 and gives it light4 ,he1 too1 was a saint and martyr here below4 ,others have pointed out the path of heaven2 he has taught us to see those of earth aright4 ,but1 except the angels1 who are charged with noting down the sacrifices performed in secret1 and the virtues which are never known1 who has ever heard of my ,uncle ,maurice8 ,perhaps ,i alone remember his name1 and still recall his history4 ,well6 ,i will write it1 not for others1 but for myself6 ,they say that1 at the sight of the ,apollo1 the body erects itself and assumes a more dignified attitude3 in the same way1 the soul should feel itself raised and ennobled by the recollection of a good man's life6 ,a ray of the rising sun lights up the little table on which ,i write2 the breeze brings me in the scent of the mignonette1 and the swallows wheel about my window with joyful twitterings4 ,the image of my ,uncle ,maurice will be in its proper place amid the songs1 the sunshine1 and the fragrance4 ,seven o'clock4--,it is with men's lives as with days3 some dawn radiant with a thousand colors1 others dark with gloomy clouds4 ,that of my ,uncle ,maurice was one of the latter4 ,he was so sickly1 when he came into the world1 that they thought he must die2 but notwithstanding these anticipations1 which might be called hopes1 he continued to live1 suffering and deformed4 ,he was deprived of all joys as well as of all the attractions of childhood4 ,he was oppressed because he was weak1 and laughed at for his deformity4 ,in vain the little hunchback opened his arms to the world3 the world scoffed at him1 and went its way4 ,however1 he still had his mother1 and it was to her that the child directed all the feelings of a heart repelled by others4 ,with her he found shelter1 and was happy1 till he reached the age when a man must take his place in life2 and ,maurice had to content himself with that which others had refused with contempt4 ,his education would have qualified him for any course of life2 and he became an octroi-clerk-- ,the octroi is the tax on provisions levied at the entrance of the town --in one of the little toll-houses at the entrance of his native town4 ,he was always shut up in this dwelling of a few feet square1 with no relaxation from the office accounts but reading and his mother's visits4 ,on fine summer days she came to work at the door of his hut1 under the shade of a clematis planted by ,maurice4 ,and1 even when she was silent1 her presence was a pleasant change for the hunchback2 he heard the clinking of her long knitting-needles2 he saw her mild and mournful profile1 which reminded him of so many courageously-borne trials2 he could every now and then rest his hand affectionately on that bowed neck1 and exchange a smile with her6 ,this comfort was soon to be taken from him4 ,his old mother fell sick1 and at the end of a few days he had to give up all hope4 ,maurice was overcome at the idea of a separation which would henceforth leave him alone on earth1 and abandoned himself to boundless grief4 ,he knelt by the bedside of the dying woman1 he called her by the fondest names1 he pressed her in his arms1 as if he could so keep her in life4 ,his mother tried to return his caresses1 and to answer him2 but her hands were cold1 her voice was already gone4 ,she could only press her lips against the forehead of her son1 heave a sigh1 and close her eyes forever6 ,they tried to take ,maurice away1 but he resisted them and threw himself on that now motionless form4 ,dead6 cried he2 dead6 ,she who had never left me1 she who was the only one in the world who loved me6 ,you1 my mother1 dead6 ,what then remains for me here below8 ,a stifled voice replied3 ,god6 ,maurice1 startled1 raised himself6 ,was that a last sigh from the dead1 or his own conscience1 that had answered him8 ,he did not seek to know1 but he understood the answer1 and accepted it4 ,it was then that ,i first knew him4 ,i often went to see him in his little toll-house4 ,he joined in my childish games1 told me his finest stories1 and let me gather his flowers4 ,deprived as he was of all external attractiveness1 he showed himself full of kindness to all who came to him1 and1 though he never would put himself forward1 he had a welcome for everyone4 ,deserted1 despised1 he submitted to everything with a gentle patience2 and while he was thus stretched on the cross of life1 amid the insults of his executioners1 he repeated with ,christ1 ,father1 forgive them1 for they know not what they do4 ,no other clerk showed so much honesty1 zeal1 and intelligence2 but those who otherwise might have promoted him as his services deserved were repelled by his deformity4 ,as he had no patrons1 he found his claims were always disregarded4 ,they preferred before him those who were better able to make themselves agreeable1 and seemed to be granting him a favor when letting him keep the humble office which enabled him to live4 ,uncle ,maurice bore injustice as he had borne contempt2 unfairly treated by men1 he raised his eyes higher1 and trusted in the justice of ,him who cannot be deceived4 ,he lived in an old house in the suburb1 where many work-people1 as poor but not as forlorn as he1 also lodged4 ,among these neighbors there was a single woman1 who lived by herself in a little garret1 into which came both wind and rain4 ,she was a young girl1 pale1 silent1 and with nothing to recommend her but her wretchedness and her resignation to it4 ,she was never seen speaking to any other woman1 and no song cheered her garret4 ,she worked without interest and without relaxation2 a depressing gloom seemed to envelop her like a shroud4 ,her dejection affected ,maurice2 he attempted to speak to her2 she replied mildly1 but in few words4 ,it was easy to see that she preferred her silence and her solitude to the little hunchback's good-will2 he perceived it1 and said no more4 ,but ,toinette's needle was hardly sufficient for her support1 and presently work failed her6 ,maurice learned that the poor girl was in want of everything1 and that the tradesmen refused to give her credit4 ,he immediately went to them privately and engaged to pay them for what they supplied ,toinette with4 ,things went on in this way for several months4 ,the young dressmaker continued out of work1 until she was at last frightened at the bills she had contracted with the shopkeepers4 ,when she came to an explanation with them1 everything was discovered4 ,her first impulse was to run to ,uncle ,maurice1 and thank him on her knees4 ,her habitual reserve had given way to a burst of deepest feeling4 ,it seemed as if gratitude had melted all the ice of that numbed heart4 ,being now no longer embarrassed with a secret1 the little hunchback could give greater efficacy to his good offices4 ,toinette became to him a sister1 for whose wants he had a right to provide4 ,it was the first time since the death of his mother that he had been able to share his life with another4 ,the young woman received his attentions with feeling1 but with reserve4 ,all ,maurice's efforts were insufficient to dispel her gloom3 she seemed touched by his kindness1 and sometimes expressed her sense of it with warmth2 but there she stopped4 ,her heart was a closed book1 which the little hunchback might bend over1 but could not read4 ,in truth he cared little to do so2 he gave himself up to the happiness of being no longer alone1 and took ,toinette such as her long trials had made her2 he loved her as she was1 and wished for nothing else but still to enjoy her company4 ,this thought insensibly took possession of his mind1 to the exclusion of all besides4 ,the poor girl was as forlorn as himself2 she had become accustomed to the deformity of the hunchback1 and she seemed to look on him with an affectionate sympathy6 ,what more could he wish for8 ,until then1 the hopes of making himself acceptable to a helpmate had been repelled by ,maurice as a dream2 but chance seemed willing to make it a reality4 ,after much hesitation he took courage1 and decided to speak to her4 ,it was evening2 the little hunchback1 in much agitation1 directed his steps toward the work-woman's garret just as he was about to enter1 he thought he heard a strange voice pronouncing the maiden's name4 ,he quickly pushed open the door1 and perceived ,toinette weeping1 and leaning on the shoulder of a young man in the dress of a sailor4 ,at the sight of my uncle1 she disengaged herself quickly1 and ran to him1 crying out3 ,ah6 come in--come in6 ,it is he that ,i thought was dead3 it is ,julien2 it is my betrothed6 ,maurice tottered1 and drew back4 ,a single word had told him all6 ,it seemed to him as if the ground shook and his heart was about to break2 but the same voice that he had heard by his mother's deathbed again sounded in his ears1 and he soon recovered himself4 ,god was still his friend6 ,he himself accompanied the newly-married pair on the road when they left the town1 and1 after wishing them all the happiness which was denied to him1 he returned with resignation to the old house in the suburb4 ,it was there that he ended his life1 forsaken by men1 but not as he said by the ,father which is in heaven4 ,he felt ,his presence everywhere2 it was to him in the place of all else4 ,when he died1 it was with a smile1 and like an exile setting out for his own country4 ,he who had consoled him in poverty and ill-health1 when he was suffering from injustice and forsaken by all1 had made death a gain and blessing to him4 ,eight o'clock4--,all ,i have just written has pained me6 ,till now ,i have looked into life for instruction how to live4 ,is it then true that human maxims are not always sufficient8 that beyond goodness1 prudence1 moderation1 humility1 self-sacrifice itself1 there is one great truth1 which alone can face great misfortunes8 and that1 if man has need of virtues for others1 he has need of religion for himself8 ,when1 in youth1 we drink our wine with a merry heart1 as the ,scripture expresses it1 we think we are sufficient for ourselves2 strong1 happy1 and beloved1 we believe1 like ,ajax1 we shall be able to escape every storm in spite of the gods4 ,but later in life1 when the back is bowed1 when happiness proves a fading flower1 and the affections grow chill- then1 in fear of the void and the darkness1 we stretch out our arms1 like the child overtaken by night1 and we call for help to ,him who is everywhere4 ,i was asking this morning why this growing confusion alike for society and for the individual8 ,in vain does human reason from hour to hour light some new torch on the roadside3 the night continues to grow ever darker6 ,is it not because we are content to withdraw farther and farther from ,god1 the ,sun of spirits8 ,but what do these hermit's reveries signify to the world8 ,the inward turmoils of most men are stifled by the outward ones2 life does not give them time to question themselves4 ,have they time to know what they are1 and what they should be1 whose whole thoughts are in the next lease or the last price of stock8 ,heaven is very high1 and wise men look only at the earth4 ,but ,i--poor savage amid all this civilization1 who seek neither power nor riches1 and who have found in my own thoughts the home and shelter of my spirit--,i can go back with impunity to these recollections of my childhood2 and1 if this our great city no longer honors the name of ,god with a festival1 ,i will strive still to keep the feast to ,him in my heart4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,the ,,price ,,of ,,power ,,and ,,the ,,worth ,,of ,,fame ,sunday1 ,july #ast ,yesterday the month dedicated to ,juno 7,junius1 ,june7 by the ,romans ended4 ,to-day we enter on ,july4 ,in ancient ,rome this latter month was called ,quintiles 7the fifth71 because the year1 which was then divided into only ten parts1 began in ,march4 ,when ,numa ,pompilius divided it into twelve months this name of ,quintiles was preserved1 as well as those that followed--,sexteles1 ,september1 ,october1 ,november1 ,december--although these designations did not accord with the newly arranged order of the months4 ,at last1 after a time the month ,quintiles1 in which ,julius ,caesar was born1 was called ,julius1 whence we have ,july4 ,thus this name1 placed in the calendar1 is become the imperishable record of a great man2 it is an immortal epitaph on ,time's highway1 engraved by the admiration of man4 ,how many similar inscriptions are there6 ,seas1 continents1 mountains1 stars1 and monuments1 have all in succession served the same purpose6 ,we have turned the whole world into a ,golden ,book1 like that in which the state of ,venice used to enroll its illustrious names and its great deeds4 ,it seems that mankind feels a necessity for honoring itself in its elect ones1 and that it raises itself in its own eyes by choosing heroes from among its own race4 ,the human family love to preserve the memory2 of the parvenus of glory1 as we cherish that of a great ancestor1 or of a benefactor4 ,in fact1 the talents granted to a single individual do not benefit himself alone1 but are gifts to the world2 everyone shares them1 for everyone suffers or benefits by his actions4 ,genius is a lighthouse1 meant to give light from afar2 the man who bears it is but the rock upon which this lighthouse is built4 ,i love to dwell upon these thoughts2 they explain to me in what consists our admiration for glory4 ,when glory has benefited men1 that admiration is gratitude2 when it is only remarkable in itself1 it is the pride of race2 as men1 we love to immortalize the most shining examples of humanity4 ,who knows whether we do not obey the same instinct in submitting to the hand of power8 ,apart from the requirements of a gradation of ranks1 or the consequences of a conquest1 the multitude delight to surround their chiefs with privileges--whether it be that their vanity makes them thus to aggrandize one of their own creations1 or whether they try to conceal the humiliation of subjection by exaggerating the importance of those who rule them4 ,they wish to honor themselves through their master2 they elevate him on their shoulders as on a pedestal2 they surround him with a halo of light1 in order that some of it may be reflected upon themselves4 ,it is still the fable of the dog who contents himself with the chain and collar1 so that they are of gold4 ,this servile vanity is not less natural or less common than the vanity of dominion4 ,whoever feels himself incapable of command1 at least desires to obey a powerful chief4 ,serfs have been known to consider themselves dishonored when they became the property of a mere count after having been that of a prince1 and ,saint-,simon mentions a valet who would only wait upon marquises4 ,july #gth1 seven o'clock ,p4 ,m4--,i have just now been up the ,boulevards2 it was the opera night1 and there was a crowd of carriages in the ,rue ,lepelletier4 ,the foot-passengers who were stopped at a crossing recognized the persons in some of these as we went by1 and mentioned their names2 they were those of celebrated or powerful men1 the successful ones of the day4 ,near me there was a man looking on with hollow cheeks and eager eyes1 whose thin black coat was threadbare4 ,he followed with envious looks these possessors of the privileges of power or of fame1 and ,i read on his lips1 which curled with a bitter smile1 all that passed in his mind4 ,look at them1 the lucky fellows6 thought he2 all the pleasures of wealth1 all the enjoyments of pride1 are theirs4 ,their names are renowned1 all their wishes fulfilled2 they are the sovereigns of the world1 either by their intellect or their power2 and while ,i1 poor and unknown1 toil painfully along the road below1 they wing their way over the mountain-tops gilded by the broad sunshine of prosperity4 ,i have come home in deep thought4 ,is it true that there are these inequalities1 ,i do not say in the fortunes1 but in the happiness of men8 ,do genius and authority really wear life as a crown1 while the greater part of mankind receive it as a yoke8 ,is the difference of rank but a different use of men's dispositions and talents1 or a real inequality in their destinies8 ,a solemn question1 as it regards the verification of ,god's impartiality4 ,july #hth1 noon4--,i went this morning to call upon a friend from the same province as myself1 who is the first usher-in-waiting to one of our ministers4 ,i took him some letters from his family1 left for him by a traveller just come from ,brittany4 ,he wished me to stay4 ,to-day1 said he1 the ,minister gives no audience3 he takes a day of rest with his family4 ,his younger sisters are arrived2 he will take them this morning to ,st4 ,cloud1 and in the evening he has invited his friends to a private ball4 ,i shall be dismissed directly for the rest of the day4 ,we can dine together2 read the news while you are waiting for me4 ,i sat down at a table covered with newspapers1 all of which ,i looked over by turns4 ,most of them contained severe criticisms on the last political acts of the minister2 some of them added suspicions as to the honor of the minister himself4 ,just as ,i had finished reading1 a secretary came for them to take them to his master4 ,he was then about to read these accusations1 to suffer silently the abuse of all those tongues which were holding him up to indignation or to scorn6 ,like the ,roman victor in his triumph1 he had to endure the insults of him who followed his car1 relating to the crowd his follies1 his ignorance1 or his vices4 ,but1 among the arrows shot at him from every side1 would no one be found poisoned8 ,would not one reach some spot in his heart where the wound would be incurable8 ,what is the worth of a life exposed to the attacks of envious hatred or furious conviction8 ,the ,christians yielded only the fragments of their flesh to the beasts of the amphitheatres2 the man in power gives up his peace1 his affections1 his honor1 to the cruel bites of the pen4 ,while ,i was musing upon these dangers of greatness1 the usher entered hastily4 ,important news had been received3 the minister is just summoned to the council2 he will not be able to take his sisters to ,st4 ,cloud4 ,i saw1 through the windows1 the young ladies1 who were waiting at the door1 sorrowfully go upstairs again1 while their brother went off to the council4 ,the carriage1 which should have gone filled with so much family happiness1 is just out of sight1 carrying only the cares of a statesman in it4 ,the usher came back discontented and disappointed4 ,the more or less of liberty which he is allowed to enjoy1 is his barometer of the political atmosphere4 ,if he gets leave1 all goes well2 if he is kept at his post1 the country is in danger4 ,his opinion on public affairs is but a calculation of his own interest4 ,my friend is almost a statesman4 ,i had some conversation with him1 and he told me several curious particulars of public life4 ,the new minister has old friends whose opinions he opposes1 though he still retains his personal regard for them4 ,though separated from them by the colors he fights under1 they remain united by old associations2 but the exigencies of party forbid him to meet them4 ,if their intercourse continued1 it would awaken suspicion2 people would imagine that some dishonorable bargain was going on2 his friends would be held to be traitors desirous to sell themselves1 and he the corrupt minister prepared to buy them4 ,he has1 therefore1 been obliged to break off friendships of twenty years' standing1 and to sacrifice attachments which had become a second nature4 ,sometimes1 however1 the minister still gives way to his old feelings2 he receives or visits his friends privately2 he shuts himself up with them1 and talks of the times when they could be open friends4 ,by dint of precautions they have hitherto succeeded in concealing this blot of friendship against policy2 but sooner or later the newspapers will be informed of it1 and will denounce him to the country as an object of distrust4 ,for whether hatred be honest or dishonest1 it never shrinks from any accusation4 ,sometimes it even proceeds to crime4 ,the usher assured me that several warnings had been given the minister which had made him fear the vengeance of an assassin1 and that he no longer ventured out on foot4 ,then1 from one thing to another1 ,i learned what temptations came in to mislead or overcome his judgment2 how he found himself fatally led into obliquities which he could not but deplore4 ,misled by passion1 over- persuaded by entreaties1 or compelled for reputation's sake1 he has many times held the balance with an unsteady hand4 ,how sad the condition of him who is in authority6 ,not only are the miseries of power imposed upon him1 but its vices also1 which1 not content with torturing1 succeed in corrupting him4 ,we prolonged our conversation till it was interrupted by the minister's return4 ,he threw himself out of the carriage with a handful of papers1 and with an anxious manner went into his own room4 ,an instant afterward his bell was heard2 his secretary was called to send off notices to all those invited for the evening2 the ball would not take place2 they spoke mysteriously of bad news transmitted by the telegraph1 and in such circumstances an entertainment would seem to insult the public sorrow4 ,i took leave of my friend1 and here ,i am at home4 ,what ,i have just seen is an answer to my doubts the other day4 ,now ,i know with what pangs men pay for their dignities2 now ,i understand ,that ,fortune sells what we believe she gives4 ,this explains to me the reason why ,charles ,v aspired to the repose of the cloister4 ,and yet ,i have only glanced at some of the sufferings attached to power4 ,what shall ,i say of the falls in which its possessors are precipitated from the heights of heaven to the very depths of the earth8 of that path of pain along which they must forever bear the burden of their responsibility8 of that chain of decorums and ennuis which encompasses every act of their lives1 and leaves them so little liberty8 ,the partisans of despotism adhere with reason to forms and ceremonies4 ,if men wish to give unlimited power to their fellow-man1 they must keep him separated from ordinary humanity2 they must surround him with a continual worship1 and1 by a constant ceremonial1 keep up for him the superhuman part they have granted him4 ,our masters cannot remain absolute1 except on condition of being treated as idols4 ,but1 after all1 these idols are men1 and1 if the exclusive life they must lead is an insult to the dignity of others1 it is also a torment to themselves4 ,everyone knows the law of the ,spanish court1 which used to regulate1 hour by hour1 the actions of the king and queen2 so that1 says ,voltaire1 by reading it one can tell all that the sovereigns of ,spain have done1 or will do1 from ,philip ,,ii to the day of judgment4 ,it was by this law that ,philip ,,iii1 when sick1 was obliged to endure such an excess of heat that he died in consequence1 because the ,duke of ,uzeda1 who alone had the right to put out the fire in the royal chamber1 happened to be absent4 ,when the wife of ,charles ,,ii was run away with on a spirited horse1 she was about to perish before anyone dared to save her1 because etiquette forbade them to touch the queen4 ,two young officers endangered their lives for her by stopping the horse4 ,the prayers and tears of her whom they had just snatched from death were necessary to obtain pardon for their crime4 ,every one knows the anecdote related by ,madame ,campan of ,marie ,antoinette1 wife of ,louis ,,xvi4 ,one day1 being at her toilet1 when the chemise was about to be presented to her by one of the assistants1 a lady of very ancient family entered and claimed the honor1 as she had the right by etiquette2 but1 at the moment she was about to fulfil her duty1 a lady of higher rank appeared1 and in her turn took the garment she was about to offer to the queen2 when a third lady of still higher title came in her turn1 and was followed by a fourth1 who was no other than the king's sister4 ,the chemise was in this manner passed from hand to hand1 with ceremonies1 courtesies1 and compliments1 before it came to the queen1 who1 half naked and quite ashamed1 was shivering with cold for the great honor of etiquette4 #abth1 seven o'clock1 ,p4,m4--,on coming home this evening1 ,i saw1 standing at the door of a house1 an old man1 whose appearance and features reminded me of my father4 ,there was the same beautiful smile1 the same deep and penetrating eye1 the same noble bearing of the head1 and the same careless attitude4 ,i began living over again the first years of my life1 and recalling to myself the conversations of that guide whom ,god in his mercy had given me1 and whom in his severity he had too soon withdrawn4 ,when my father spoke1 it was not only to bring our two minds together by an interchange of thought1 but his words always contained instruction4 ,not that he endeavored to make me feel it so3 my father feared everything that had the appearance of a lesson4 ,he used to say that virtue could make herself devoted friends1 but she did not take pupils3 therefore he was not desirous to teach goodness2 he contented himself with sowing the seeds of it1 certain that experience would make them grow4 ,how often has good grain fallen thus into a corner of the heart1 and1 when it has been long forgotten1 all at once put forth the blade and come into ear6 ,it is a treasure laid aside in a time of ignorance1 and we do not know its value till we find ourselves in need of it4 ,among the stories with which he enlivened our walks or our evenings1 there is one which now returns to my memory1 doubtless because the time is come to derive its lesson from it4 ,my father1 who was apprenticed at the age of twelve to one of those trading collectors who call themselves naturalists1 because they put all creation under glasses that they may sell it by retail1 had always led a life of poverty and labor4 ,obliged to rise before daybreak1 by turns shop-boy1 clerk1 and laborer1 he was made to bear alone all the work of a trade of which his master reaped all the profits4 ,in truth1 this latter had a peculiar talent for making the most of the labor of other people4 ,though unfit himself for the execution of any kind of work1 no one knew better how to sell it4 ,his words were a net1 in which people found themselves taken before they were aware4 ,and since he was devoted to himself alone1 and looked on the producer as his enemy1 and the buyer as prey1 he used them both with that obstinate perseverance which avarice teaches4 ,my father was a slave all the week1 and could call himself his own only on ,sunday4 ,the master naturalist1 who used to spend the day at the house of an old female relative1 then gave him his liberty on condition that he dined out1 and at his own expense4 ,but my father used secretly to take with him a crust of bread1 which he hid in his botanizing-box1 and1 leaving ,paris as soon as it was day1 he would wander far into the valley of ,montmorency1 the wood of ,meudon1 or among the windings of the ,marne4 ,excited by the fresh air1 the penetrating perfume of the growing vegetation1 or the fragrance of the honeysuckles1 he would walk on until hunger or fatigue made itself felt4 ,then he would sit under a hedge1 or by the side of a stream1 and would make a rustic feast1 by turns on watercresses1 wood strawberries1 and blackberries picked from the hedges2 he would gather a few plants1 read a few pages of ,florian1 then in greatest vogue1 of ,gessner1 who was just translated1 or of ,jean ,jacques1 of whom he possessed three old volumes4 ,the day was thus passed alternately in activity and rest1 in pursuit and meditation1 until the declining sun warned him to take again the road to ,paris1 where he would arrive1 his feet torn and dusty1 but his mind invigorated for a whole week4 ,one day1 as he was going toward the wood of ,viroflay1 he met1 close to it1 a stranger who was occupied in botanizing and in sorting the plants he had just gathered4 ,he was an elderly man with an honest face2 but his eyes1 which were rather deep-set under his eyebrows1 had a somewhat uneasy and timid expression4 ,he was dressed in a brown cloth coat1 a gray waistcoat1 black breeches1 and worsted stockings1 and held an ivory- headed cane under his arm4 ,his appearance was that of a small retired tradesman who was living on his means1 and rather below the golden mean of ,horace4 ,my father1 who had great respect for age1 civilly raised his hat to him as he passed4 ,in doing so1 a plant he held fell from his hand2 the stranger stooped to take it up1 and recognized it4 ,it is a ,deutaria heptaphyllos1 said he2 ,i have not yet seen any of them in these woods2 did you find it near here1 sir8 ,my father replied that it was to be found in abundance on the top of the hill1 toward ,sevres1 as well as the great ,laserpitium4 ,that1 too6 repeated the old man more briskly4 ,ah6 ,i shall go and look for them2 ,i have gathered them formerly on the hillside of ,robaila4 ,my father proposed to take him4 ,the stranger accepted his proposal with thanks1 and hastened to collect together the plants he had gathered2 but all of a sudden he appeared seized with a scruple4 ,he observed to his companion that the road he was going was halfway up the hill1 and led in the direction of the castle of the ,dames ,royales at ,bellevue2 that by going to the top he would consequently turn out of his road1 and that it was not right he should take this trouble for a stranger4 ,my father insisted upon it with his habitual good-nature2 but1 the more eagerness he showed1 the more obstinately the old man refused2 it even seemed to my father that his good intention at last excited his suspicion4 ,he therefore contented himself with pointing out the road to the stranger1 whom he saluted1 and he soon lost sight of him4 ,many hours passed by1 and he thought no more of the meeting4 ,he had reached the copses of ,chaville1 where1 stretched on the ground in a mossy glade1 he read once more the last volume of ,emile4 ,the delight of reading it had so completely absorbed him that he had ceased to see or hear anything around him4 ,with his cheeks flushed and his eyes moist1 he repeated aloud a passage which had particularly affected him4 ,an exclamation uttered close by him awoke him from his ecstasy2 he raised his head1 and perceived the tradesman-looking person he had met before on the crossroad at ,viroflay4 ,he was loaded with plants1 the collection of which seemed to have put him into high good-humor4 ,a thousand thanks1 sir1 said he to my father4 ,i have found all that you told me of1 and ,i am indebted to you for a charming walk4 ,my father respectfully rose1 and made a civil reply4 ,the stranger had grown quite familiar1 and even asked if his young brother botanist did not think of returning to ,paris4 ,my father replied in the affirmative1 and opened his tin box to put his book back in it4 ,the stranger asked him with a smile if he might without impertinence ask the name of it4 ,my father answered that it was ,rousseau's ,emile4 ,the stranger immediately became grave4 ,they walked for some time side by side1 my father expressing1 with the warmth of a heart still throbbing with emotion1 all that this work had made him feel2 his companion remaining cold and silent4 ,the former extolled the glory of the great ,genevese writer1 whose genius had made him a citizen of the world2 he expatiated on this privilege of great thinkers1 who reign in spite of time and space1 and gather together a people of willing subjects out of all nations2 but the stranger suddenly interrupted him3 ,and how do you know1 said he1 mildly1 whether ,jean ,jacques would not exchange the reputation which you seem to envy for the life of one of the wood-cutters whose chimneys' smoke we see8 ,what has fame brought him except persecution8 ,the unknown friends whom his books may have made for him content themselves with blessing him in their hearts1 while the declared enemies that they have drawn upon him pursue him with violence and calumny6 ,his pride has been flattered by success3 how many times has it been wounded by satire8 ,and be assured that human pride is like the ,sybarite who was prevented from sleeping by a crease in a roseleaf4 ,the activity of a vigorous mind1 by which the world profits1 almost always turns against him who possesses it4 ,he expects more from it as he grows older2 the ideal he pursues continually disgusts him with the actual2 he is like a man who1 with a too-refined sight1 discerns spots and blemishes in the most beautiful face4 ,i will not speak of stronger temptations and of deeper downfalls4 ,genius1 you have said1 is a kingdom2 but what virtuous man is not afraid of being a king8 ,he who feels only his great powers1 is--with the weaknesses and passions of our nature--preparing for great failures4 ,believe me1 sir1 the unhappy man who wrote this book is no object of admiration or of envy2 but1 if you have a feeling heart1 pity him6 ,my father1 astonished at the excitement with which his companion pronounced these last words1 did not know what to answer4 ,just then they reached the paved road which led from ,meudon ,castle to that of ,versailles2 a carriage was passing4 ,the ladies who were in it perceived the old man1 uttered an exclamation of surprise1 and leaning out of the window repeated3 ,there is ,jean ,jacques--there is ,rousseau6 ,then the carriage disappeared in the distance4 ,my father remained motionless1 confounded1 and amazed1 his eyes wide open1 and his hands clasped4 ,rousseau1 who had shuddered on hearing his name spoken1 turned toward him3 ,you see1 said he1 with the bitter misanthropy which his later misfortunes had produced in him1 ,jean ,jacques cannot even hide himself3 he is an object of curiosity to some1 of malignity to others1 and to all he is a public thing1 at which they point the finger4 ,it would signify less if he had only to submit to the impertinence of the idle2 but1 as soon as a man has had the misfortune to make himself a name1 he becomes public property4 ,every one rakes into his life1 relates his most trivial actions1 and insults his feelings2 he becomes like those walls1 which every passer-by may deface with some abusive writing4 ,perhaps you will say that ,i have myself encouraged this curiosity by publishing my ,confessions4 ,but the world forced me to it4 ,they looked into my house through the blinds1 and they slandered me2 ,i have opened the doors and windows1 so that they should at least know me such as ,i am4 ,adieu1 sir4 ,whenever you wish to know the worth of fame1 remember that you have seen ,rousseau4 ,nine o'clock4--,ah6 now ,i understand my father's story6 ,it contains the answer to one of the questions ,i asked myself a week ago4 ,yes1 ,i now feel that fame and power are gifts that are dearly bought2 and that1 when they dazzle the soul1 both are oftenest1 as ,madame de ,stael says1 but 'un deuil eclatant de bonheur6 ',tis better to be lowly born1 ,and range with humble livers in content1 ,than to be perk'd up in a glistering grief1 ,and wear a golden sorrow4 ,henry ,,viii41 ,act ,,ii41 ,scene #c4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,misanthropy ,,and ,,repentance ,august #c;d1 ,nine ,o'clock ,p4,m4 ,there are days when everything appears gloomy to us2 the world1 like the sky1 is covered by a dark fog4 ,nothing seems in its place2 we see only misery1 improvidence1 and cruelty2 the world seems without ,god1 and given up to all the evils of chance4 ,yesterday ,i was in this unhappy humor4 ,after a long walk in the faubourgs1 ,i returned home1 sad and dispirited4 ,everything ,i had seen seemed to accuse the civilization of which we are so proud6 ,i had wandered into a little by-street1 with which ,i was not acquainted1 and ,i found myself suddenly in the middle of those dreadful abodes where the poor are born1 to languish and die4 ,i looked at those decaying walls1 which time has covered with a foul leprosy2 those windows1 from which dirty rags hang out to dry2 those fetid gutters1 which coil along the fronts of the houses like venomous reptiles6 ,i felt oppressed with grief1 and hastened on4 ,a little farther on ,i was stopped by the hearse of a hospital2 a dead man1 nailed down in his deal coffin1 was going to his last abode1 without funeral pomp or ceremony1 and without followers4 ,there was not here even that last friend of the outcast--the dog1 which a painter has introduced as the sole attendant at the pauper's burial6 ,he whom they were preparing to commit to the earth was going to the tomb1 as he had lived1 alone2 doubtless no one would be aware of his end4 ,in this battle of society1 what signifies a soldier the less8 ,but what1 then1 is this human society1 if one of its members can thus disappear like a leaf carried away by the wind8 ,the hospital was near a barrack1 at the entrance of which old men1 women1 and children were quarrelling for the remains of the coarse bread which the soldiers had given them in charity6 ,thus1 beings like ourselves daily wait in destitution on our compassion till we give them leave to live6 ,whole troops of outcasts1 in addition to the trials imposed on all ,god's children1 have to endure the pangs of cold1 hunger1 and humiliation4 ,unhappy human commonwealth6 ,where man is in a worse condition than the bee in its hive1 or the ant in its subterranean city6 ,ah6 what then avails our reason8 ,what is the use of so many high faculties1 if we are neither the wiser nor the happier for them8 ,which of us would not exchange his life of labor and trouble with that of the birds of the air1 to whom the whole world is a life of joy8 ,how well ,i understand the complaint of ,mao1 in the popular tales of the ',foyer ,breton' who1 when dying of hunger and thirst1 says1 as he looks at the bullfinches rifling the fruit-trees3 ,alas6 those birds are happier than ,christians2 they have no need of inns1 or butchers1 or bakers1 or gardeners4 ,god's heaven belongs to them1 and earth spreads a continual feast before them6 ,the tiny flies are their game1 ripe grass their cornfields1 and hips and haws their store of fruit4 ,they have the right of taking everywhere1 without paying or asking leave3 thus comes it that the little birds are happy1 and sing all the livelong day6 ,but the life of man in a natural state is like that of the birds2 he equally enjoys nature4 ,the earth spreads a continual feast before him4 ,what1 then1 has he gained by that selfish and imperfect association which forms a nation8 ,would it not be better for every one to turn again to the fertile bosom of nature1 and live there upon her bounty in peace and liberty8 ,august #bjth1 four o'clock ,a4,m4--,the dawn casts a red glow on my bed- curtains2 the breeze brings in the fragrance of the gardens below4 ,here ,i am again leaning on my elbows by the windows1 inhaling the freshness and gladness of this first wakening of the day4 ,my eye always passes over the roofs filled with flowers1 warbling1 and sunlight1 with the same pleasure2 but to-day it stops at the end of a buttress which separates our house from the next4 ,the storms have stripped the top of its plaster covering1 and dust carried by the wind has collected in the crevices1 and1 being fixed there by the rain1 has formed a sort of aerial terrace1 where some green grass has sprung up4 ,among it rises a stalk of wheat1 which to-day is surmounted by a sickly ear that droops its yellow head4 ,this poor stray crop on the roofs1 the harvest of which will fall to the neighboring sparrows1 has carried my thoughts to the rich crops which are now falling beneath the sickle2 it has recalled to me the beautiful walks ,i took as a child through my native province1 when the threshing-floors at the farmhouses resounded from every part with the sound of a flail1 and when the carts1 loaded with golden sheaves1 came in by all the roads4 ,i still remember the songs of the maidens1 the cheerfulness of the old men1 the open-hearted merriment of the laborers4 ,there was1 at that time1 something in their looks both of pride and feeling4 ,the latter came from thankfulness to ,god1 the former from the sight of the harvest1 the reward of their labor4 ,they felt indistinctly the grandeur and the holiness of their part in the general work of the world2 they looked with pride upon their mountains of corn-sheaves1 and they seemed to say1 ,next to ,god1 it is we who feed the world6 ,what a wonderful order there is in all human labor6 ,while the husbandman furrows his land1 and prepares for every one his daily bread1 the town artizan1 far away1 weaves the stuff in which he is to be clothed2 the miner seeks underground the iron for his plow2 the soldier defends him against the invader2 the judge takes care that the law protects his fields2 the tax-comptroller adjusts his private interests with those of the public2 the merchant occupies himself in exchanging his products with those of distant countries2 the men of science and of art add every day a few horses to this ideal team1 which draws along the material world1 as steam impels the gigantic trains of our iron roads6 ,thus all unite together1 all help one another2 the toil of each one benefits himself and all the world2 the work has been apportioned among the different members of the whole of society by a tacit agreement4 ,if1 in this apportionment1 errors are committed1 if certain individuals have not been employed according to their capacities1 those defects of detail diminish in the sublime conception of the whole4 ,the poorest man included in this association has his place1 his work1 his reason for being there2 each is something in the whole4 ,there is nothing like this for man in the state of nature4 ,as he depends only upon himself1 it is necessary that he be sufficient for everything4 ,all creation is his property2 but he finds in it as many hindrances as helps4 ,he must surmount these obstacles with the single strength that ,god has given him2 he cannot reckon on any other aid than chance and opportunity4 ,no one reaps1 manufactures1 fights1 or thinks for him2 he is nothing to any one4 ,he is a unit multiplied by the cipher of his own single powers2 while the civilized man is a unit multiplied by the whole of society4 ,but1 notwithstanding this1 the other day1 disgusted by the sight of some vices in detail1 ,i cursed the latter1 and almost envied the life of the savage4 ,one of the infirmities of our nature is always to mistake feeling for evidence1 and to judge of the season by a cloud or a ray of sunshine4 ,was the misery1 the sight of which made me regret a savage life1 really the effect of civilization8 ,must we accuse society of having created these evils1 or acknowledge1 on the contrary1 that it has alleviated them8 ,could the women and children1 who were receiving the coarse bread from the soldier1 hope in the desert for more help or pity8 ,that dead man1 whose forsaken state ,i deplored1 had he not found1 by the cares of a hospital1 a coffin and the humble grave where he was about to rest8 ,alone1 and far from men1 he would have died like the wild beast in his den1 and would now be serving as food for vultures6 ,these benefits of human society are shared1 then1 by the most destitute4 ,whoever eats the bread that another has reaped and kneaded1 is under an obligation to his brother1 and cannot say he owes him nothing in return4 ,the poorest of us has received from society much more than his own single strength would have permitted him to wrest from nature4 ,but cannot society give us more8 ,who doubts it8 ,errors have been committed in this distribution of tasks and workers4 ,time will diminish the number of them2 with new lights a better division will arise2 the elements of society go on toward perfection1 like everything else4 ,the difficulty is to know how to adapt ourselves to the slow step of time1 whose progress can never be forced on without danger4 ,august #adth1 six o'clock ,a4,m4--,my garret window rises upon the roof like a massive watch-tower4 ,the corners are covered by large sheets of lead1 which run into the tiles2 the successive action of cold and heat has made them rise1 and so a crevice has been formed in an angle on the right side4 ,there a sparrow has built her nest4 ,i have followed the progress of this aerial habitation from the first day4 ,i have seen the bird successively bring the straw1 moss1 and wool designed for the construction of her abode2 and ,i have admired the persevering skill she expended in this difficult work4 ,at first1 my new neighbor spent her days in fluttering over the poplar in the garden1 and in chirping along the gutters2 a fine lady's life seemed the only one to suit her4 ,then all of a sudden1 the necessity of preparing a shelter for her brood transformed our idler into a worker2 she no longer gave herself either rest or relaxation4 ,i saw her always either flying1 fetching1 or carrying2 neither rain nor sun stopped her4 ,a striking example of the power of necessity6 ,we are indebted to it not only for most of our talents1 but for many of our virtues6 ,is it not necessity that has given the people of less favored climates that constant activity which has placed them so quickly at the head of nations8 ,as they are deprived of most of the gifts of nature1 they have supplied them by their industry2 necessity has sharpened their understanding1 endurance awakened their foresight4 ,while elsewhere man1 warmed by an ever brilliant sun1 and loaded with the bounties of the earth1 was remaining poor1 ignorant1 and naked1 in the midst of gifts he did not attempt to explore1 here he was forced by necessity to wrest his food from the ground1 to build habitations to defend himself from the intemperance of the weather1 and to warm his body by clothing himself with the wool of animals4 ,work makes him both more intelligent and more robust3 disciplined by it1 he seems to mount higher on the ladder of creation1 while those more favored by nature remain on the step nearest to the brutes4 ,i made these reflections while looking at the bird1 whose instinct seemed to have become more acute since she had been occupied in work4 ,at last the nest was finished2 she set up her household there1 and ,i followed her through all the phases of her new existence4 ,when she had sat on the eggs1 and the young ones were hatched1 she fed them with the most attentive care4 ,the corner of my window had become a stage of moral action1 which fathers and mothers might come to take lessons from4 ,the little ones soon became large1 and this morning ,i have seen them take their first flight4 ,one of them1 weaker than the others1 was not able to clear the edge of the roof1 and fell into the gutter4 ,i caught him with some difficulty1 and placed him again on the tile in front of his house1 but the mother has not noticed him4 ,once freed from the cares of a family1 she has resumed her wandering life among the trees and along the roofs4 ,in vain ,i have kept away from my window1 to take from her every excuse for fear2 in vain the feeble little bird has called to her with plaintive cries2 his bad mother has passed by1 singing and fluttering with a thousand airs and graces4 ,once only the father came near2 he looked at his offspring with contempt1 and then disappeared1 never to return6 ,i crumbled some bread before the little orphan1 but he did not know how to peck it with his bill4 ,i tried to catch him1 but he escaped into the forsaken nest4 ,what will become of him there1 if his mother does not come back6 ,august #aeth1 six o'clock4--,this morning1 on opening my window1 ,i found the little bird dying upon the tiles2 his wounds showed me that he had been driven from the nest by his unworthy mother4 ,i tried in vain to warm him again with my breath2 ,i felt the last pulsations of life2 his eyes were already closed1 and his wings hung down6 ,i placed him on the roof in a ray of sunshine1 and ,i closed my window4 ,the struggle of life against death has always something gloomy in it3 it is a warning to us4 ,happily ,i hear some one in the passage2 without doubt it is my old neighbor2 his conversation will distract my thoughts4 ,it was my portress4 ,excellent woman6 ,she wished me to read a letter from her son the sailor1 and begged me to answer it for her4 ,i kept it1 to copy it in my journal4 ,here it is3 ,,dear ,,mother3 ,this is to tell you that ,i have been very well ever since the last time1 except that last week ,i was nearly drowned with the boat1 which would have been a great loss1 as there is not a better craft anywhere4 ,a gust of wind capsized us2 and just as ,i came up above water1 ,i saw the captain sinking4 ,i went after him1 as was my duty1 and1 after diving three times1 ,i brought him to the surface1 which pleased him much2 for when we were hoisted on board1 and he had recovered his senses1 he threw his arms round my neck1 as he would have done to an officer4 ,i do not hide from you1 dear mother1 that this has delighted me4 ,but it isn't all2 it seems that fishing up the captain has reminded them that ,i had a good character1 and they have just told me that ,i am promoted to be a sailor of the first class6 ,directly ,i knew it1 ,i cried out1 ',my mother shall have coffee twice a day6' ,and really1 dear mother1 there is nothing now to hinder you1 as ,i shall now have a larger allowance to send you4 ,i include by begging you to take care of yourself if you wish to do me good2 for nothing makes me feel so well as to think that you want for nothing4 ,your son1 from the bottom of my heart1 ,,jacques4 ,this is the answer that the portress dictated to me3 ,,my ,,good ,,jacquot3 ,it makes me very happy to see that your heart is still as true as ever1 and that you will never shame those who have brought you up4 ,i need not tell you to take care of your life1 because you know it is the same as my own1 and that without you1 dear child1 ,i should wish for nothing but the grave2 but we are not bound to live1 while we are bound to do our duty4 ,do not fear for my health1 good ,jacques2 ,i was never better6 ,i do not grow old at all1 for fear of making you unhappy4 ,i want nothing1 and ,i live like a lady4 ,i even had some money over this year1 and as my drawers shut very badly1 ,i put it into the savings' bank1 where ,i have opened an account in your name4 ,so1 when you come back1 you will find yourself with an income4 ,i have also furnished your chest with new linen1 and ,i have knitted you three new sea-jackets4 ,all your friends are well4 ,your cousin is just dead1 leaving his widow in difficulties4 ,i gave her your thirty francs' remittance and said that you had sent it her2 and the poor woman remembers you day and night in her prayers4 ,so1 you see1 ,i have put that money in another sort of savings' bank2 but there it is our hearts that get the interest4 ,good-bye1 dear ,jacquot4 ,write to me often1 and always remember the good ,god1 and your old mother1 ,,phrosine ,,millot4 ,good son1 and worthy mother6 how such examples bring us back to a love for the human race6 ,in a fit of fanciful misanthropy1 we may envy the fate of the savage1 and prefer that of the bird to such as he2 but impartial observation soon does justice to such paradoxes4 ,we find1 on examination1 that in the mixed good and evil of human nature1 the good so far abounds that we are not in the habit of noticing it1 while the evil strikes us precisely on account of its being the exception4 ,if nothing is perfect1 nothing is so bad as to be without its compensation or its remedy4 ,what spiritual riches are there in the midst of the evils of society6 how much does the moral world redeem the material6 ,that which will ever distinguish man from the rest of creation1 is his power of deliberate affection and of enduring self-sacrifice4 ,the mother who took care of her brood in the corner of my window devoted to them the necessary time for accomplishing the laws which insure the preservation of her kind2 but she obeyed an instinct1 and not a rational choice4 ,when she had accomplished the mission appointed her by ,providence1 she cast off the duty as we get rid of a burden1 and she returned again to her selfish liberty4 ,the other mother1 on the contrary1 will go on with her task as long as ,god shall leave her here below3 the life of her son will still remain1 so to speak1 joined to her own2 and when she disappears from the earth1 she will leave there that part of herself4 ,thus1 the affections make for our species an existence separate from all the rest of creation4 ,thanks to them1 we enjoy a sort of terrestrial immortality2 and if other beings succeed one another1 man alone perpetuates himself4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,the ,,family ,,of ,,michael ,,arout ,september #aeth1 ,eight ,o'clock ,this morning1 while ,i was arranging my books1 ,mother ,genevieve came in1 and brought me the basket of fruit ,i buy of her every ,sunday4 ,for the nearly twenty years that ,i have lived in this quarter1 ,i have dealt in her little fruit-shop4 ,perhaps ,i should be better served elsewhere1 but ,mother ,genevieve has but little custom2 to leave her would do her harm1 and cause her unnecessary pain4 ,it seems to me that the length of our acquaintance has made me incur a sort of tacit obligation to her2 my patronage has become her property4 ,she has put the basket upon my table1 and as ,i want her husband1 who is a joiner1 to add some shelves to my bookcase1 she has gone downstairs again immediately to send him to me4 ,at first ,i did not notice either her looks or the sound of her voice3 but1 now that ,i recall them1 it seems to me that she was not as jovial as usual4 ,can ,mother ,genevieve be in trouble about anything8 ,poor woman6 ,all her best years were subject to such bitter trials1 that she might think she had received her full share already4 ,were ,i to live a hundred years1 ,i should never forget the circumstances which made her known to me1 and which obtained for her my respect4 ,it was at the time of my first settling in the faubourg4 ,i had noticed her empty fruit-shop1 which nobody came into1 and1 being attracted by its forsaken appearance1 ,i made my little purchases in it4 ,i have always instinctively preferred the poor shops2 there is less choice in them1 but it seems to me that my purchase is a sign of sympathy with a brother in poverty4 ,these little dealings are almost always an anchor of hope to those whose very existence is in peril--the only means by which some orphan gains a livelihood4 ,there the aim of the tradesman is not to enrich himself1 but to live6 ,the purchase you make of him is more than an exchange--it is a good action4 ,mother ,genevieve at that time was still young1 but had already lost that fresh bloom of youth which suffering causes to wither so soon among the poor4 ,her husband1 a clever joiner1 gradually left off working to become1 according to the picturesque expression of the workshops1 a worshipper of ,saint ,monday4 ,the wages of the week1 which was always reduced to two or three working days1 were completely dedicated by him to the worship of this god of the ,barriers1--,the cheap wine shops are outside the ,barriers1 to avoid the octroi1 or municipal excise4--and ,genevieve was obliged herself to provide for all the wants of the household4 ,one evening1 when ,i went to make some trifling purchases of her1 ,i heard a sound of quarrelling in the back shop4 ,there were the voices of several women1 among which ,i distinguished that of ,genevieve1 broken by sobs4 ,on looking farther in1 ,i perceived the fruit-woman holding a child in her arms1 and kissing it1 while a country nurse seemed to be claiming her wages from her4 ,the poor woman1 who without doubt had exhausted every explanation and every excuse1 was crying in silence1 and one of her neighbors was trying in vain to appease the countrywoman4 ,excited by that love of money which the evils of a hard peasant life but too well excuse1 and disappointed by the refusal of her expected wages1 the nurse was launching forth in recriminations1 threats1 and abuse4 ,in spite of myself1 ,i listened to the quarrel1 not daring to interfere1 and not thinking of going away1 when ,michael ,arout appeared at the shop-door4 ,the joiner had just come from the ,barriers1 where he had passed part of the day at a public-house4 ,his blouse1 without a belt1 and untied at the throat1 showed none of the noble stains of work3 in his hand he held his cap1 which he had just picked up out of the mud2 his hair was in disorder1 his eye fixed1 and the pallor of drunkenness in his face4 ,he came reeling in1 looked wildly around him1 and called ,genevieve4 ,she heard his voice1 gave a start1 and rushed into the shop2 but at the sight of the miserable man1 who was trying in vain to steady himself1 she pressed the child in her arms1 and bent over it with tears4 ,the countrywoman and the neighbor had followed her4 ,come6 come6 cried the former in a rage1 do you intend to pay me1 after all8 ,ask the master for the money1 ironically answered the woman from the next door1 pointing to the joiner1 who had just fallen against the counter4 ,the countrywoman looked at him4 ,ah6 he is the father1 returned she4 ,well1 what idle beggars6 not to have a penny to pay honest people2 and get tipsy with wine in that way4 ,the drunkard raised his head4 ,what6 what6 stammered he2 who is it that talks of wine8 ,i've had nothing but brandy6 ,but ,i am going back again to get some wine6 ,wife1 give me your money2 there are some friends waiting for me at the ',pere la ,tuille'4 ,genevieve did not answer3 he went round the counter1 opened the till1 and began to rummage in it4 ,you see where the money of the house goes6 observed the neighbor to the countrywoman2 how can the poor unhappy woman pay you when he takes all8 ,is that my fault8 replied the nurse1 angrily4 ,they owe to me1 and somehow or other they must pay me6 ,and letting loose her tongue1 as these women out of the country do1 she began relating at length all the care she had taken of the child1 and all the expense it had been to her4 ,in proportion as she recalled all she had done1 her words seemed to convince her more than ever of her rights1 and to increase her anger4 ,the poor mother1 who no doubt feared that her violence would frighten the child1 returned into the back shop1 and put it into its cradle4 ,whether it is that the countrywoman saw in this act a determination to escape her claims1 or that she was blinded by passion1 ,i cannot say2 but she rushed into the next room1 where ,i heard the sounds of quarrelling1 with which the cries of the child were soon mingled4 ,the joiner1 who was still rummaging in the till1 was startled1 and raised his head4 ,at the same moment ,genevieve appeared at the door1 holding in her arms the baby that the countrywoman was trying to tear from her4 ,she ran toward the counter1 and throwing herself behind her husband1 cried3 ,michael1 defend your son6 ,the drunken man quickly stood up erect1 like one who awakes with a start4 ,my son6 stammered he2 what son8 ,his looks fell upon the child2 a vague ray of intelligence passed over his features4 ,robert1 resumed he2 it is ,robert6 ,he tried to steady himself on his feet1 that he might take the baby1 but he tottered4 ,the nurse approached him in a rage4 ,my money1 or ,i shall take the child away6 cried she4 ,it is ,i who have fed and brought it up3 if you don't pay me for what has made it live1 it ought to be the same to you as if it were dead4 ,i shall not go until ,i have my due1 or the baby4 ,and what would you do with him8 murmured ,genevieve1 pressing ,robert against her bosom4 ,take it to the ,foundling6 replied the countrywoman1 harshly2 the hospital is a better mother than you are1 for it pays for the food of its little ones4 ,at the word ,foundling1 ,genevieve had exclaimed aloud in horror4 ,with her arms wound round her son1 whose head she hid in her bosom1 and her two hands spread over him1 she had retreated to the wall1 and remained with her back against it1 like a lioness defending her young4 ,the neighbor and ,i contemplated this scene1 without knowing how we could interfere4 ,as for ,michael1 he looked at us by turns1 making a visible effort to comprehend it all4 ,when his eye rested upon ,genevieve and the child1 it lit up with a gleam of pleasure2 but when he turned toward us1 he again became stupid and hesitating4 ,at last1 apparently making a prodigious effort1 he cried out1 ,wait6 ,and going to a tub filled with water1 he plunged his face into it several times4 ,every eye was turned upon him2 the countrywoman herself seemed astonished4 ,at length he raised his dripping head4 ,this ablution had partly dispelled his drunkenness2 he looked at us for a moment1 then he turned to ,genevieve1 and his face brightened up4 ,robert6 cried he1 going up to the child1 and taking him in his arms4 ,ah6 give him me1 wife2 ,i must look at him4 ,the mother seemed to give up his son to him with reluctance1 and stayed before him with her arms extended1 as if she feared the child would have a fall4 ,the nurse began again in her turn to speak1 and renewed her claims1 this time threatening to appeal to law4 ,at first ,michael listened to her attentively1 and when he comprehended her meaning1 he gave the child back to its mother4 ,how much do we owe you8 asked he4 ,the countrywoman began to reckon up the different expenses1 which amounted to nearly thirty francs4 ,the joiner felt to the bottom of his pockets1 but could find nothing4 ,his forehead became contracted by frowns2 low curses began to escape him4 ,all of a sudden he rummaged in his breast1 drew forth a large watch1 and holding it up above his head3 ,here it is--here's your money6 cried he with a joyful laugh2 a watch1 a good one6 ,i always said it would keep for a drink on a dry day2 but it is not ,i who will drink it1 but the young one4 ,ah6 ah6 ah6 go and sell it for me1 neighbor1 and if that is not enough1 ,i have my earrings4 ,eh6 ,genevieve1 take them off for me2 the earrings will square all6 ,they shall not say you have been disgraced on account of the child--no1 not even if ,i must pledge a bit of my flesh6 ,my watch1 my earrings1 and my ring--get rid of all of them for me at the goldsmith's2 pay the woman1 and let the little fool go to sleep4 ,give him me1 ,genevieve2 ,i will put him to bed4 ,and1 taking the baby from the arms of his mother1 he carried him with a firm step to his cradle4 ,it was easy to perceive the change which took place in ,michael from this day4 ,he cut all his old drinking acquaintances4 ,he went early every morning to his work1 and returned regularly in the evening to finish the day with ,genevieve and ,robert4 ,very soon he would not leave them at all1 and he hired a place near the fruit-shop1 and worked in it on his own account4 ,they would soon have been able to live in comfort1 had it not been for the expenses which the child required4 ,everything was given up to his education4 ,he had gone through the regular school training1 had studied mathematics1 drawing1 and the carpenter's trade1 and had only begun to work a few months ago4 ,till now1 they had been exhausting every resource which their laborious industry could provide to push him forward in his business2 and1 happily1 all these exertions had not proved useless3 the seed had brought forth fruit1 and the days of harvest were close by4 ,while ,i was thus recalling these remembrances to my mind1 ,michael had come in1 and was occupied in fixing shelves where they were wanted4 ,during the time ,i was writing the notes of my journal1 ,i was also scrutinizing the joiner4 ,the excesses of his youth and the labor of his manhood have deeply marked his face2 his hair is thin and gray1 his shoulders stoop1 his legs are shrunken and slightly bent4 ,there seems a sort of weight in his whole being4 ,his very features have an expression of sorrow and despondency4 ,he answers my questions by monosyllables1 and like a man who wishes to avoid conversation4 ,whence comes this dejection1 when one would think he had all he could wish for8 ,i should like to know6 ,ten o'clock4--,michael is just gone downstairs to look for a tool he has forgotten4 ,i have at last succeeded in drawing from him the secret of his and ,genevieve's sorrow4 ,their son ,robert is the cause of it6 ,not that he has turned out ill after all their care--not that he is idle or dissipated2 but both were in hopes he would never leave them any more4 ,the presence of the young man was to have renewed and made glad their lives once more2 his mother counted the days1 his father prepared everything to receive their dear associate in their toils2 and at the moment when they were thus about to be repaid for all their sacrifices1 ,robert had suddenly informed them that he had just engaged himself to a contractor at ,versailles4 ,every remonstrance and every prayer were useless2 he brought forward the necessity of initiating himself into all the details of an important contract1 the facilities he should have in his new position of improving himself in his trade1 and the hopes he had of turning his knowledge to advantage4 ,at1 last1 when his mother1 having come to the end of her arguments1 began to cry1 he hastily kissed her1 and went away that he might avoid any further remonstrances4 ,he had been absent a year1 and there was nothing to give them hopes of his return4 ,his parents hardly saw him once a month1 and then he only stayed a few moments with them4 ,i have been punished where ,i had hoped to be rewarded1 ,michael said to me just now4 ,i had wished for a saving and industrious son1 and ,god has given me an ambitious and avaricious one6 ,i had always said to myself that when once he was grown up we should have him always with us1 to recall our youth and to enliven our hearts4 ,his mother was always thinking of getting him married1 and having children again to care for4 ,you know women always will busy themselves about others4 ,as for me1 ,i thought of him working near my bench1 and singing his new songs2 for he has learnt music1 and is one of the best singers at the ,orpheon4 ,a dream1 sir1 truly6 ,directly the bird was fledged1 he took to flight1 and remembers neither father nor mother4 ,yesterday1 for instance1 was the day we expected him2 he should have come to supper with us4 ,no ,robert to-day1 either6 ,he has had some plan to finish1 or some bargain to arrange1 and his old parents are put down last in the accounts1 after the customers and the joiner's work4 ,ah6 if ,i could have guessed how it would have turned out6 ,fool6 to have sacrificed my likings and my money1 for nearly twenty years1 to the education of a thankless son6 ,was it for this ,i took the trouble to cure myself of drinking1 to break with my friends1 to become an example to the neighborhood8 ,the jovial good fellow has made a goose of himself4 ,oh6 if ,i had to begin again6 ,no1 no6 you see women and children are our bane4 ,they soften our hearts2 they lead us a life of hope and affection2 we pass a quarter of our lives in fostering the growth of a grain of corn which is to be everything to us in our old age1 and when the harvest-time comes--good-night1 the ear is empty6 ,while he was speaking1 ,michael's voice became hoarse1 his eyes fierce1 and his lips quivered4 ,i wished to answer him1 but ,i could only think of commonplace consolations1 and ,i remained silent4 ,the joiner pretended he needed a tool1 and left me4 ,poor father6 ,ah6 ,i know those moments of temptation when virtue has failed to reward us1 and we regret having obeyed her6 ,who has not felt this weakness in hours of trial1 and who has not uttered1 at least once1 the mournful exclamation of ,brutus8 ,but if virtue is only a word1 what is there then in life that is true and real8 ,no1 ,i will not believe that goodness is in vain6 ,it does not always give the happiness we had hoped for1 but it brings some other4 ,in the world everything is ruled by order1 and has its proper and necessary consequences1 and virtue cannot be the sole exception to the general law4 ,if it had been prejudicial to those who practised it1 experience would have avenged them2 but experience has1 on the contrary1 made it more universal and more holy4 ,we only accuse it of being a faithless debtor because we demand an immediate payment1 and one apparent to our senses4 ,we always consider life as a fairytale1 in which every good action must be rewarded by a visible wonder4 ,we do not accept as payment a peaceful conscience1 self-content1 or a good name among men-- treasures that are more precious than any other1 but the value of which we do not feel till after we have lost them6 ,michael is come back1 and has returned to his work4 ,his son has not yet arrived4 ,by telling me of his hopes and his grievous disappointments1 he became excited2 he unceasingly went over again the same subject1 always adding something to his griefs4 ,he had just wound up his confidential discourse by speaking to me of a joiner's business which he had hoped to buy1 and work to good account with ,robert's help4 ,the present owner had made a fortune by it1 and1 after thirty years of business1 he was thinking of retiring to one of the ornamental cottages in the outskirts of the city1 a usual retreat for the frugal and successful workingman4 ,michael had not indeed the two thousand francs which must be paid down2 but perhaps he could have persuaded ,master ,benoit to wait4 ,robert's presence would have been a security for him1 for the young man could not fail to insure the prosperity of a workshop2 besides science and skill1 he had the power of invention and bringing to perfection4 ,his father had discovered among his drawings a new plan for a staircase1 which had occupied his thoughts for a long time2 and he even suspected him of having engaged himself to the ,versailles contractor for the very purpose of executing it4 ,the youth was tormented by this spirit of invention1 which took possession of all his thoughts1 and1 while devoting his mind to study1 he had no time to listen to his feelings4 ,michael told me all this with a mixed feeling of pride and vexation4 ,i saw he was proud of the son he was abusing1 and that his very pride made him more sensitive to that son's neglect4 ,six o'clock ,p4,m4--,i have just finished a happy day4 ,how many events have happened within a few hours1 and what a change for ,genevieve and ,michael6 ,he had just finished fixing the shelves1 and telling me of his son1 while ,i laid the cloth for my breakfast4 ,suddenly we heard hurried steps in the passage1 the door opened1 and ,genevieve entered with ,robert4 ,the joiner gave a start of joyful surprise1 but he repressed it immediately1 as if he wished to keep up the appearance of displeasure4 ,the young man did not appear to notice it1 but threw himself into his arms in an open-hearted manner1 which surprised me4 ,genevieve1 whose face shone with happiness1 seemed to wish to speak1 and to restrain herself with difficulty4 ,i told ,robert ,i was glad to see him1 and he answered me with ease and civility4 ,i expected you yesterday1 said ,michael ,arout1 rather dryly4 ,forgive me1 father1 replied the young workman1 but ,i had business at ,st4 ,germain's4 ,i was not able to come back till it was very late1 and then the master kept me4 ,the joiner looked at his son sidewise1 and then took up his hammer again4 ,all right1 muttered he1 in a grumbling tone2 when we are with other people we must do as they wish2 but there are some who would like better to eat brown bread with their own knife than partridges with the silver fork of a master4 ,and ,i am one of those1 father1 replied ,robert1 merrily1 but1 as the proverb says1 you must shell the peas before you can eat them4 ,it was necessary that ,i should first work in a great workshop-- ,to go on with your plan of the staircase1 interrupted ,michael1 ironically4 ,you must now say ,monsieur ,raymond's plan1 father1 replied ,robert1 smiling4 ,why8 ,because ,i have sold it to him4 ,the joiner1 who was planing a board1 turned round quickly4 ,sold it6 cried he1 with sparkling eyes4 ,for the reason that ,i was not rich enough to give it him4 ,michael threw down the board and tool4 ,there he is again6 resumed he1 angrily2 his good genius puts an idea into his head which would have made him known1 and he goes and sells it to a rich man1 who will take the honor of it himself4 ,well1 what harm is there done8 asked ,genevieve4 ,what harm6 cried the joiner1 in a passion4 ,you understand nothing about it--you are a woman2 but he--he knows well that a true workman never gives up his own inventions for money1 no more than a soldier would give up his cross4 ,that is his glory2 he is bound to keep it for the honor it does him6 ,ah1 thunder6 if ,i had ever made a discovery1 rather than put it up at auction ,i would have sold one of my eyes6 ,don't you see that a new invention is like a child to a workman8 ,he takes care of it1 he brings it up1 he makes a way for it in the world1 and it is only a poor creature who sells it4 ,robert colored a little4 ,you will think differently1 father1 said he1 when you know why ,i sold my plan4 ,yes1 and you will thank him for it1 added ,genevieve1 who could no longer keep silence4 ,never 6 replied ,michael4 ,but1 wretched man6 cried she1 he sold it only for our sakes6 ,the joiner looked at his wife and son with astonishment4 ,it was necessary to come to an explanation4 ,the latter related how he had entered into a negotiation with ,master ,benoit1 who had positively refused to sell his business unless one half of the two thousand francs were first paid down4 ,it was in the hopes of obtaining this sum that he had gone to work with the contractor at ,versailles2 he had had an opportunity of trying his invention1 and of finding a purchaser4 ,thanks to the money he received for it1 he had just concluded the bargain with ,benoit1 and had brought his father the key of the new work-yard4 ,this explanation was given by the young workman with so much modesty and simplicity that ,i was quite affected by it4 ,genevieve cried2 ,michael pressed his son to his heart1 and in a long embrace he seemed to ask his pardon for having unjustly accused him4 ,all was now explained with honor to ,robert4 ,the conduct which his parents had ascribed to indifference really sprang from affection2 he had neither obeyed the voice of ambition nor of avarice1 nor even the nobler inspiration of inventive genius3 his whole motive and single aim had been the happiness of ,genevieve and ,michael4 ,the day for proving his gratitude had come1 and he had returned them sacrifice for sacrifice6 ,after the explanations and exclamations of joy were over1 all three were about to leave me2 but1 the cloth being laid1 ,i added three more places1 and kept them to breakfast4 ,the meal was prolonged3 the fare was only tolerable2 but the over- flowings of affection made it delicious4 ,never had ,i better understood the unspeakable charm of family love4 ,what calm enjoyment in that happiness which is always shared with others2 in that community of interests which unites such various feelings2 in that association of existences which forms one single being of so many6 ,what is man without those home affections1 which1 like so many roots1 fix him firmly in the earth1 and permit him to imbibe all the juices of life8 ,energy1 happiness--do not all these come from them8 ,without family life where would man learn to love1 to associate1 to deny himself8 ,a community in little1 is it not this which teaches us how to live in the great one8 ,such is the holiness of home1 that1 to express our relation with ,god1 we have been obliged to borrow the words invented for our family life4 ,men have named themselves the sons of a heavenly ,father6 ,ah6 let us carefully preserve these chains of domestic union4 ,do not let us unbind the human sheaf1 and scatter its ears to all the caprices of chance and of the winds2 but let us rather enlarge this holy law2 let us carry the principles and the habits of home beyond set bounds2 and1 if it may be1 let us realize the prayer of the ,apostle of the ,gentiles when he exclaimed to the newborn children of ,christ3 ,be ye like-minded1 having the same love1 being of one accord1 of one mind4 ,,etext ,,editor',s ,,bookmarks3 ,always to mistake feeling for evidence ,fame and power are gifts that are dearly bought ,fortune sells what we believe she gives ,make himself a name3 he becomes public property ,my patronage has become her property ,not desirous to teach goodness ,power of necessity ,progress can never be forced on without danger ,so much confidence at first1 so much doubt at las ,the man in power gives up his peace ,virtue made friends1 but she did not take pupils ,we are not bound to live1 while we are bound to do our duty