第6章

Luckfavoredmeasecondtime。Asarewardformyprowess，IwasgivenLaFontaine’sFables，inapopular，cheapedition，crammedwithpictures，small，Iadmit，andveryinaccurate，butstilldelightful。Herewerethecrow，thefox，thewolf，themagpie，thefrog，therabbit，theass，thedog，thecat:allpersonsofmyacquaintance。Thegloriousbookwasimmenselytomytaste，withitsskimpyillustrationsonwhichtheanimalwalkedandtalked。Astounderstandingwhatitsaid，thatwasanotherstory！Nevermind，mylad！Puttogethersyllablesthatsaynothingtoyouasyet;theywillspeaktoyoulaterandLaFontainewillalwaysremainyourfriend。

IcometothetimewhenIwastenyearsoldandatRodezCollege。

Myfunctionsasaservingboyinthechapelentitledmetofreeinstructionasadayboarder。Therewerefourofusinwhitesurplicesandredskull—capsandcassocks。Iwastheyoungestofthepartyanddidlittlemorethanwalkon。Icountedasaunit;

andthatwasaboutall，forIwasnevercertainwhentoringthebellormovethemissal。Iwasallofatremblewhenwegatheredtwoonthissideandtwoonthat，withgenuflection’s，inthemiddleofthesanctuary，tointonetheDomine，salvumfacregernattheendofmass。Letmemakeaconfession:tongue—tiedwithshyness，Iusedtoleaveittotheothers。

Nevertheless，Iwaswellthoughtof，for，intheschool，Icutagoodfigureincompositionandtranslation。Inthatclassicalatmosphere，therewastalkofProcas，KingofAlba，andofhistwosons，NumitorandAmulius。WeheardofCynoegirus，thestrongjawedman，who，havinglosthistwohandsinbattle，seizedandheldaPersiangalleywithhisteeth，andofCadmusthePhoenician，whosowedadragon’steethasthoughtheywerebeansandgatheredhisharvestintheshapeofahostofarmedmen，whokilledoneanotherastheyroseupfromtheground。Theonlyonewhosurvivedtheslaughterwasoneastoughasleather，presumablythesonofthebigbackgrinder。

Hadtheytalkedtomeaboutthemaninthemoon，Icouldnothavebeenmorestartled。Imadeupforitwithmyanimals，whichIwasfarfromforgettingamidthisphantasmagoriaofheroesanddemigods。WhilehonoringtheexploitsofCadmusandCynoegirus，I

hardlyeverfailed，onSundaysandThursdays[theweeklyhalf—

holidayinFrenchschools]，togoandseeifthecowsliportheyellowdaffodilwasmakingitsappearanceinthemeadows，iftheLinnetwashatchingonthejuniperbushes，iftheCockchaferswereploppingdownfromthewindshakenpoplars。Thuswasthesacredsparkkeptaglow，everbrighterthanbefore。

Byeasystages，IcametoVirgilandwasverymuchsmittenwithMeliboeus，Corydon，Menalcas，Damoetasandtherestofthem。Thescandalsoftheancientshepherdsfortunatelypassedunnoticed;andwithintheframeinwhichthecharactersmovedwereexquisitedetailsconcerningthebee，thecicada，theturtledove，thecrow，thenannygoatandthegoldenbroom。Averitabledelightwerethesestoriesofthefields，sunginsonorousverse;andtheLatinpoetleftalastingimpressiononmyclassicalrecollections。

Then，suddenly，goodbyetomystudies，goodbyetoTityrusandMenalcas。Illluckisswoopingdownonus，relentlessly。Hungerthreatensusathome。Andnow，boy，putyourtrustinGod;runaboutandearnyourpenn’orthofpotatoesasbestyoucan。Lifeisabouttobecomeahideousinferno。Letuspassquicklyoverthisphase。

Amidthislamentablechaos，mylovefortheinsectoughttohavegoneunder。Notatall。ItwouldhavesurvivedtheraftoftheMedusa。Istillrememberacertainpinecockchafermetforthefirsttime。Theplumesonherantennae，herprettypatternofwhitespotsonadarkbrowngroundwereasarayofsunshineinthegloomywretchednessoftheday。

Tocutalongstoryshort:goodfortune，whichneverabandonsthebrave，broughtmetotheprimarynormalschoolatVauclusewhereI

wasassuredfood:driedchestnutsandchickpeas。Theprincipal，amanofbroadviews，sooncametotrusthisnewassistant。Heleftmepracticallyafreehand，solongasIsatisfiedtheschoolcurriculum，whichwasverymodestinthosedays。PossessingasmatteringofLatinandgrammar，Iwasalittleaheadofmyfellowpupils。Itookadvantageofthistogetsomeorderintomyvagueknowledgeofplantsandanimals。Whileadictationlessonwasbeingcorrectedaroundme，withgenerousassistancefromthedictionary，Iwouldexamine，intherecessesofmydesk，theoleander’sfruit，thesnapdragon’sseedvessel，thewasp’sstingandthegroundbeetle’swing—case。

Withthisforetasteofnaturalscience，pickeduphaphazardandbystealth，Ileftschoolmoredeeplyinlovethaneverwithinsectsandflowers。AndyetIhadtogiveitallup。Thatwidereducation，whichwouldhavetobemysourceoflivelihoodinthefuture，demandedthisimperiously。WhatwasItotakeinhandtoraisemeabovetheprimaryschool，whosestaffcouldbarelyearntheirbreadinthosedays？Naturalhistorycouldnotbringmeanywhere。Theeducationalsystemofthetimekeptitatadistance，asunworthyofassociationwithLatinandGreek。

Mathematicsremained，withitsverysimpleequipment:ablackboard，abitofchalkandafewbooks。

SoIflungmyselfwithmightandmainintoconicsectionsandthecalculus:ahardbattle，ifevertherewasone，withoutguidesorcounselors，facetofacefordaysonendwiththeabstruseproblemwhichmystubbornthinkingatlaststrippedofitsmysteries。Nextcamethephysicalsciences，studiedinthesamemanner，withanimpossiblelaboratory，theworkofmyownhands。

Thereadercanimaginethefateofmyfavoritebranchofscienceinthisfiercestruggle。Atthefaintestsignofrevolt，Ilecturedmyselfseverely，lestIshouldletmyselfbeseducedbysomenewgrass，someunknownBeetle。Ididviolencetomyfeelings。Mynaturalhistorybooksweresentencedtooblivion，relegatedtothebottomofatrunk。

Andso，intheend，IamsenttoteachphysicsandchemistryatAjaccioCollege。Thistime，thetemptationistoomuchforme。

Thesea，withitswonders，thebeach，whereonthetidecastssuchbeautifulshells，themaquisofmyrtles，arbutusandmastictrees:

allthisparadiseofgorgeousnaturehastoomuchonitssideinthestrugglewiththesineandthecosine。Isuccumb。Myleisuretimeisdividedintotwoparts。One，thelarger，isallottedtomathematics，thefoundationofmyacademicalfuture，asplannedbymyself;theotherisspent，withmuchmisgiving，inbotanizingandlookingforthetreasuresofthesea。Whatacountryandwhatmagnificentstudiestobemade，if，unobsessedbyxandy，Ihaddevotedmyselfwholeheartedlytomyinclinations！

Wearethewispofstraw，theplaythingofthewinds。Wethinkthatwearemakingforagoaldeliberatelychosen;destinydrivesustowardsanother。Mathematics，theexaggeratedpreoccupationofmyyouth，didmehardlyanyservice;andanimals，whichIavoidedasmuchaseverIcould，aretheconsolationofmyoldage。

Nevertheless，Ibearnogrudgeagainstthesineandthecosine，whichIcontinuetoholdinhighesteem。Theycostmemanyapallidhouratonetime，buttheyalwaysaffordedmesomefirstrateentertainment:theystilldoso，whenmyheadliestossingsleeplesslyonitspillow。

Meanwhile，AjaccioreceivedthevisitofafamousAvignonbotanist，Requienbyname，who，withaboxcrammedwithpaperunderhisarm，hadlongbeenbotanizingalloverCorsica，pressinganddryingspecimensanddistributingthemtohisfriends。Wesoonbecameacquainted。Iaccompaniedhiminmyfreetimeonhisexplorationsandneverdidthemasterhaveamoreattentivedisciple。Totellthetruth，Requienwasnotamanoflearningsomuchasanenthusiasticcollector。Veryfewwouldhavefeltcapableofcompetingwithhimwhenitcametogivingthenameorthegeographicaldistributionofaplant。Abladeofgrass，apadofmoss，ascaboflichen，athreadofseaweed:heknewthemall。Thescientificnameflashedacrosshismindatonce。Whatanunerringmemory，whatageniusforclassificationamidtheenormousmassofthingsobserved！Istoodaghastatit。IowemuchtoRequieninthedomainofbotany。Haddeathsparedhimlonger，Ishoulddoubtlesshaveowedmoretohim，forhiswasagenerousheart，everopentothetroublesofnovices。

Inthefollowingyear，ImetMoquin—Tandon，withwhom，thankstoRequien，Ihadalreadyexchangedafewlettersonbotany。TheillustriousToulouseprofessorcametostudyonthespottheflorawhichheproposedtodescribesystematically。Whenhearrived，allthehotelbedroomswerereservedforthemembersofthegeneralcouncilwhichhadbeensummoned;andIofferedhimboardandlodging:ashakedowninaroomoverlookingthesea;fareconsistingoflampreys，turbotandseaurchins:commonenoughdishesinthatlandofCockayne，butpossessingnosmallattractionforthenaturalist，becauseoftheirnovelty。Mycordialproposaltemptedhim;heyieldedtomyblandishments;andtherewewereforafortnightchattingattabledeomnirescibiliafterthebotanicalexcursionwasover。

WithMoquin—Tandon，newvistasopenedbeforeme。Hereitwasnolongerthecaseofanomenclatorwithaninfalliblememory:hewasanaturalistwithfar—reachingideas，aphilosopherwhosoaredabovepettydetailstocomprehensiveviewsoflife，awriter，apoetwhoknewhowtoclothethenakedtruthinthemagicmantleoftheglowingword。NeveragainshallIsitatanintellectualfeastlikethat:’Leaveyourmathematics，’hesaid。’Noonewilltaketheleastinterestinyourformula。Gettothebeast，theplant;

and，if，asIbelieve，thefeverburnsinyourveins，youwillfindmentolistentoyou。’

Wemadeanexpeditiontothecenteroftheisland，toMonteRenoso，withwhichIwasalreadyfamiliar。Imadethescientistpickthehoaryeverlasting（Helichrysumfrigidum），whichmakesawonderfulpatchofsilver;themany—headedthrift，ormouflongrass（Armeriamulticeps），whichtheCorsicanscallerbamuorone;thedownymarguerite（Leucanthemumtomosum），which，cladinwadding，shiversamidthesnows;andmanyotherraritiesdeartothebotanist。

Moquin—Tandonwasjubilant。I，onmyside，wasmuchmoreattractedandovercomebyhiswordsandhisenthusiasmthanbythehoaryeverlasting。Whenwecamedownfromthecoldmountaintop，mymindwasmadeup:mathematicswouldbeabandoned。

Onthedaybeforehisdeparture，hesaidtome:’Youinterestyourselfinshells。Thatissomething，butitisnotenough。Youmustlookintotheanimalitself。Iwillshowyouhowit’sdone。’

And，takingasharppairofscissorsfromthefamilywork—basketandacoupleofneedlesstuckintoabitofvineshootwhichservedasamakeshifthandle，heshowedmetheanatomyofasnailinasoupplatefilledwithwater。Graduallyheexplainedandsketchedtheorganswhichhespreadbeforemyeyes。Thiswastheonly，never—to—be—forgottenlessoninnaturalhistorythatIeverreceivedinmylife。

Itistimetoconclude。Iwascross—examiningmyself，beingunabletocross—examinethesilentBeetle。Asfarasitispossibletoreadwithinmyself，Ianswerasfollows:’Fromearlychildhood，fromthemomentofmyfirstmentalawakening，Ihavefeltdrawntowardsthethingsofnature，or，toreturntoourcatchword，I

havethegift，thebumpofobservation。’

AfterthedetailswhichIhavealreadygivenaboutmyancestors，itwouldberidiculoustolooktoheredityforanexplanationofthefact。Norwouldanyoneventuretosuggestthewordsorexampleofmymasters。Ofscientificeducation，thefruitofcollegetraining，Ihadnonewhatever。Ineversetfootinalecturehallexcepttoundergotheordealofexaminations。Withoutmasters，withoutguides，oftenwithoutbooks，inspiteofpoverty，thatterribleextinguisher，Iwentahead，persisted，facingmydifficulties，untiltheindomitablebumpendedbysheddingitsscantycontents。Yes，theywereveryscanty，yetpossiblyofsomevalue，ifcircumstanceshadcometotheirassistance。Iwasabornanimalist。Whyandhow？Noreply。

Wethushave，allofus，indifferentdirectionsandinagreaterorlesserdegree，characteristicsthatbranduswithaspecialmark，characteristicsofanunfathomableorigin。Theyexistbecausetheyexist;andthatisallthatanyonecansay。Thegiftisnothandeddown:themanoftalenthasafoolforason。Norisitacquired;butitisimprovedbypractice。Hewhohasnotthegermofitinhisveinswillneverpossessit，inspiteofallthepainsofahothouseeducation。

Thattowhichwegivethenameofinstinctwhenspeakingofanimalsissomethingsimilartogenius。Itis，inbothcases，apeakthatrisesabovetheordinarylevel。Butinstinctishandeddown，unchangedandundiminished，throughoutthesequenceofaspecies;

itispermanentandgeneralandinthisitdiffersgreatlyfromgenius，whichisnottransmissibleandchangesindifferentcases。

Instinctistheinviolableheritageofthefamilyandfallstooneandall，withoutdistinction。Herethedifferenceends。

Independentofsimilarityofstructure，itbreaksoutlikegenius，hereorelsewhere，fornoperceptiblereason。Nothingcausesittobeforeseen，nothingintheorganizationexplainsit。Ifcross—

examinedonthispoint，theDungbeetlesandtherest，eachwithhisownpeculiartalent，wouldanswer，wereweabletounderstandthem:’Instinctistheanimal’sgenius。’

CHAPTERVIITHEPOND

Thepond，thedelightofmyearlychildhood，isstillasightwhereofmyoldeyesnevertire。Whatanimationinthatverdantworld！Onthewarmmudoftheedges，thefrog’slittletadpolebasksandfrisksinitsblacklegions;downinthewater，theorange—belliednewtsteershiswayslowlywiththebroadrudderofhisflattail;amongthereedsarestationedtheflotillasofthecaddisworms，halfprotrudingfromtheirtubes，whicharenowatinybitofstickandagainaturretoflittleshells。

Inthedeepplaces，thewaterbeetledives，carryingwithhimhisreservesofbreath:anairbubbleatthetipofthewingcasesand，underthechest，afilmofgasthatgleamslikeasilverbreastplate;onthesurface，theballetofthoseshimmeringpearls，thewhirligigs，turnsandtwistsabout;hardbythereskimstheunsubmersibletroopofthepondskaters，whoglidealongwithsidestrokessimilartothosewhichthecobblermakeswhensewing。

Herearethewaterboatmen，whoswimontheirbackswithtwooarsspreadcross—wise，andtheflatwaterscorpions;here，squalidlycladinmud，isthegrubofthelargestofourdragonflies，socuriousbecauseofitsmannerofprogression:itfillsitshinderparts，ayawningfunnel，withwater，spurtsitoutagainandadvancesjustsofarastherecoilofitshydrauliccannon。

Themollusksabound，apeacefultribe。Atthebottom，theplumpriversnailsdiscreetlyraisetheirlid，openingeversolittletheshuttersoftheirdwelling;onthelevelofthewater，inthegladesoftheaquaticgarden，thepondsnails——Physa，LimnaeaandPlanorbis——taketheair。Darkleecheswritheupontheirprey，achunkofearthworm;thousandsoftiny，reddishgrubs，futuremosquitoes，gospinningaroundandtwistandcurvelikesomanygracefuldolphins。

Yes，astagnantpool，thoughbutafewfeetwide，hatchedbythesun，isanimmenseworld，aninexhaustiblemineofobservationtothestudiousmanandamarveltothechildwho，tiredofhispaperboat，divertshiseyesandthoughtsalittlewithwhatishappeninginthewater。LetmetellwhatIrememberofmyfirstpond，atatimewhenideasbegantodawninmyseven—year—oldbrain。

Howshallamanearnhislivinginmypoornativevillage，withitsinclementweatheranditsniggardlysoil？Theownerofafewacresofgrazinglandrearssheep。Inthebestparts，hescrapesthesoilwiththeswingplow;heflattensitintoterracesbankedbywallsofbrokenstones。Pannierfulsofdungarecarriedupondonkey—backfromthecowshed。Then，indueseason，comestheexcellentpotato，which，boiledandservedhotinabasketofplaitedstraw，isthechiefstand—byinwinter。

Shouldthecropexceedtheneedsofthehousehold，thesurplusgoestofeedapig，thatpreciousbeast，atreasureofbaconandham。

Theewessupplybutterandcurds;thegardenboastscabbages，turnipsandevenafewhivesinashelteredcorner。Withwealthlikethatonecanlookfateintheface。

Butwe，wehavenothing，nothingbutthelittlehouseinheritedbymymotheranditsadjoiningpatchofgarden。Themeagerresourcesofthefamilyarecomingtoanend。Itistimetoseetoitandthatquickly。Whatistobedone？Thatisthesternquestionwhichfatherandmothersatdebatingoneevening。

Hop—o’—my—Thumb，hidingunderthewoodcutter’sstool，listenedtohisparentsovercomebywant。Ialso，pretendingtosleep，withmyelbowsonthetable，listennottobloodcurdlingdesigns，buttograndplansthatsetmyheartrejoicing。Thisishowthematterstands:atthebottomofthevillage，nearthechurch，atthespotwherethewaterofthelargeroofedspringescapesfromitsundergroundweirandjoinsthebrookinthevalley，anenterprisingman，backfromthewar，hassetupasmalltallowfactory。Hesellsthescrapingsofhispans，theburntfat，reekingofcandlegrease，atalowprice。Heproclaimsthesewarestobeexcellentforfatteningducks。

"Supposewebredsomeducks，"saysmother。"Theysellverywellintown。Henriwouldmindthemandtakethemdowntothebrook。"

"Verywell，"saysfather，"let’sbreedsomeducks。Theremaybedifficultiesintheway;butwe’llhaveatry。"

Thatnight，Ihaddreamsofparadise:Iwaswithmyducklings，cladintheiryellowsuits;Itookthemtothepond，Iwatchedthemhavetheirbath，Ibroughtthembackagain，carryingthemoretiredonesinabasket。

Amonthortwoafter，thelittlebirdsofmydreamswereareality。

Thereweretwenty—fourofthem。Theyhadbeenhatchedbytwohens，ofwhomone，thebig，blackone，wasaninmateofthehouse，whiletheotherwasborrowedfromaneighbor。

Tobringthemup，theformerissufficient，socarefulissheofheradoptedfamily。Atfirst，everythinggoesperfectly:atubwithtwofingers’depthofwaterservesasapond。Onsunnydays，theducklingsbatheinitundertheanxiouseyeofthehen。

Afortnightlater，thetubisnolongerenough。Itcontainsneithercressescrammedwithtinyshellfishnorwormsandtadpoles，daintymorselsboth。Thetimehascomefordivesandhuntsamidthetangleofthewaterweeds;andforusthedayoftroublehasalsocome。True，themiller，downbythebrook，hasfineducks，easyandcheaptobringup;thetallowsmelter，whohasextolledhisburntfatsoloudly，hassomeaswell，forhehastheadvantageofthewastewaterfromthespringatthebottomofthevillage;

buthowarewe，rightupthere，atthetop，toprocureaquaticsportsforourbroods？Insummer，wehavehardlywatertodrink！

Nearthehouse，inafreestonerecess，ascantysourcetricklesintoabasinmadeintherock……Fourorfivefamilieshave，likeourselves，todrawtheirwatertherewithcopperpails。Bythetimethattheschoolmaster’sdonkeyhasslakedherthirstandtheneighborshavetakentheirprovisionfortheday，thebasinisdry。

Wehavetowaitforfour—and—twentyhoursforittofill。No，thisisnottheholeinwhichtheduckswoulddelightnorindeedinwhichtheywouldbetolerated。

Thereremainsthebrook。Togodowntoitwiththetroopofducklingsisfraughtwithdanger。Onthewaythroughthevillage，wemightmeetcats，boldravishersofsmallpoultry;somesurlymongrelmightfrightenandscatterthelittleband;anditwouldbeahardpuzzletocollectitinitsentirety。Wemustavoidthetrafficandtakerefugeinpeacefulandsequesteredspots。

Onthehills，thepaththatclimbsbehindthechateausoontakesasuddenturnandwidensintoasmallplainbesidethemeadows。Itskirtsarockyslopewhencetrickles，levelwiththeground，astreamlet，formingapondofsomesize。Hereprofoundsolitudereignsalldaylong。Theducklingswillbewelloff;andthejourneycanbemadeinpeacebyadesertedfootpath。

You，littleman，shalltakethemtothatdelectablespot。Whatadayitwasthatmarkedmyfirstappearanceasaherdsmanofducks！

Whymusttherebeajartotheeventenorofsuchjoys？Thetoofrequentencounterofmytenderskinwiththehardgroundhadgivenmealargeandpainfulblisterontheheel。HadIwantedtoputontheshoesstowedawayinthecupboardforSundaysandholidays，I

couldnot。Therewasnothingforitbuttogobarefootoverthebrokenstones，draggingmylegandcarryinghightheinjuredheel。

Letusmakeastart，hobblingalong，switchinhand，behindtheducks。Theytoo，poorlittlethings，havesensitivesolestotheirfeet;theylimp，theyquackwithfatigue。TheywouldrefusetogoanyfartherifIdidnot，fromtimetotime，callahaltundertheshelterofanash。

Wearethereatlast。Theplacecouldnotbebetterformybirdlets;shallow，tepidwater，interspersedwithmuddyknollsandgreeneyots。Thediversionsofthebathbeginforthwith。Theducklingsclaptheirbeaksandrummagehere，thereandeverywhere;

theysifteachmouthful，rejectingtheclearwaterandretainingthegoodbits。Inthedeeperparts，theypointtheirsternsintotheairandsticktheirheadsunderwater。Theyarehappy;anditisablessedthingtoseethematwork。Wewillletthembe。Itismyturntoenjoythepond。

Whatisthis？Onthemudliesomeloose，knotted，soot—coloredcords。Onecouldtakethemforthreadsofwoollikethosewhichyoupulloutofanoldravellystocking。Cansomeshepherdess，knittingablacksockandfindingherworkturnoutbadly，havebegunalloveragainand，inherimpatience，havethrowndownthewoolwithallthedroppedstitches？Itreallylookslikeit。

Itakeuponeofthosecordsinmyhand。Itisstickyandextremelyslack;thethingslipsthroughthefingersbeforetheycancatchholdofit。Afewoftheknotsburstandshedtheircontents。Whatcomesoutisablackglobule，thesizeofapin’shead，followedbyaflattail。Irecognize，onaverysmallscale，afamiliarobject:thetadpole，thefrog’sbaby。Ihaveseenenough。Letusleavetheknottedcordsalone。

Thenextcreaturespleasemebetter。Theyspinroundonthesurfaceofthewaterandtheirblackbacksgleaminthesun。IfI

liftahandtoseizethem，thatmomenttheydisappear，Iknownotwhere。It’sapity:IshouldhavemuchlikedtoseethemcloserandtomakethemwriggleinalittlebowlwhichIshouldhaveputreadyforthem。

Letuslookatthebottomofthewater，pullingasidethosebunchesofgreenstringwhencebeadsofairarerisingandgatheringintofoam。Thereissomethingofeverythingunderneath。Iseeprettyshellswithcompactwhorls，flatasbeans;Inoticelittlewormscarryingtuftsandfeathers;Imakeoutsomewithflabbyfinsconstantlyflappingontheirbacks。Whataretheyalldoingthere？

Whataretheirnames？Idonotknow。AndIstareatthemforeversolong，heldbytheincomprehensiblemysteryofthewaters。

Attheplacewheretheponddribblesintotheadjoiningfieldaresomealdertrees;andhereImakeagloriousfind。Itisascarab—

—notaverylargeone，ohno！Heissmallerthanacherry—stone，butofanunutterableblue。Theangelsinparadisemustweardressesofthatcolor。Iputthegloriousoneinsideanemptysnail—shell，whichIplugupwithaleaf。Ishalladmirethatlivingjewelatmyleisure，whenIgetback。Otherdistractionssummonmeaway。

Thespringthatfeedsthepondtricklesfromtherock，coldandclear。Thewaterfirstcollectsintoacup，thesizeofthehollowofone’stwohands，andthenrunsoverinastream。Thesefallscallforamill:thatgoeswithoutsaying。Twobitsofstraw，artisticallycrosseduponanaxis，providethemachinery;someflatstonessetonedgeaffordsupports。Itisagreatsuccess:themillturnsadmirably。Mytriumphwouldbecomplete，couldIbutshareit。Forwantofotherplaymates，Iinvitetheducks。

Everythingpallsinthispoorworldofours，evenamillmadeoftwostraws。Letusthinkofsomethingelse:letuscontriveadamtoholdbackthewatersandformapool。Thereisnolackofstonesforthebrickwork。Ipickthemostsuitable;Ibreakthelargerones。And，whilecollectingtheseblocks，suddenlyIforgetallaboutthedamwhichImeanttobuild。

Ononeofthebrokenstones，inacavitylargeenoughformetoputmyfistin，somethinggleamslikeglass。Thehollowislinedwithfacetsgatheredinsixeswhichflashandglitterinthesun。I

haveseensomethinglikethisinchurch，onthegreatsaints’days，whenthelightofthecandlesinthebigchandelierkindlesthestarsinitshangingcrystal。

Wechildren，lying，insummer，onthestrawofthethreshingfloor，havetoldoneanotherstoriesofthetreasureswhichadragonguardsunderground。Thosetreasuresnowreturntomymind:thenamesofpreciousstonesringoutuncertainlybutgloriouslyinmymemory。Ithinkoftheking’scrown，oftheprincesses’necklaces。

Inbreakingstones，canIhavefound，butonamuchricherscale，thethingthatshinesquitesmallinmymother’sring？Iwantmoresuch。

Thedragonofthesubterraneantreasurestreatsmegenerously。HegivesmehisdiamondsinsuchquantitiesthatsoonIpossessaheapofbrokenstonessparklingwithmagnificentclusters。Hedoesmore:hegivesmehisgold。Thetrickleofwaterfromtherockfallsonabedoffinesandwhichitswirlsintobubbles。IfI

bentovertowardsthelight，Iseesomethinglikegoldfilingswhirlingwherethefalltouchesthebottom。Isitreallythefamousmetalofwhichtwenty—francpieces，sorarewithusathome，aremade？Onewouldthinkso，fromtheglitter。

Itakeapinchofsandandplaceitinmypalm。Thebrilliantparticlesarenumerous，butsosmallthatIhavetopickthemupwithastrawmoistenedinmymouth。Letusdropthis:theyaretootinyandtoobothersometocollect。Thebig，valuablelumpsmustbefartheron，inthethicknessoftherock。We’llcomebacklater;we’llblastthemountain。

Ibreakmorestones。Oh，whataqueerthinghasjustcomeloose，allinonepiece！Itisturnedspiral—wise，likecertainflatsnailsthatcomeoutofthecracksofoldwallsinrainyweather。

Withitsgnarledsides，itlookslikealittleram’shorn。Shellorhorn，itisverycurious。Howdothingslikethatfindtheirwayintothestone？

Treasuresandcuriositiesmakemypocketsbulgewithpebbles。Itislateandthelittleducklingshavehadalltheywanttoeat。

Comealong，youngsters，let’sgohome。Myblisteredheelisforgotteninmyexcitement。

Thewalkbackisadelight。Avoicesingsinmyear，anuntranslatablevoice，softerthananylanguageandbewilderingasadream。Itspeakstomeforthefirsttimeofthemysteriesofthepond;itglorifiestheheavenlyinsectwhichIhearmovingintheemptysnailshell，itstemporarycage;itwhispersthesecretsoftherock，thegoldfilings，thefacetedjewels，theram’shornturnedtostone。

Poorsimpleton，smotheryourjoy！Iarrive。Myparentscatchsightofmybulgingpockets，withtheirdisgracefulloadofstones。Theclothhasgivenwayundertheroughandheavyburden。

"Yourascal！"saysfather，atsightofthedamage。"Isendyoutomindtheducksandyouamuseyourselfpickingupstones，asthoughthereweren’tenoughofthemallroundthehouse！Makehasteandthrowthemaway！"

Brokenhearted，Iobey。Diamonds，golddust，petrifiedram’shorn，heavenlybeetleareallflungonarubbishheapoutsidethedoor。

Motherbewailsherlot:"Anicething，bringingupchildrentoseethemturnoutsobadly！You’llbringmetomygrave。GreenstuffI

don’tmind:itdoesfortherabbits。Butstones，whichruinyourpockets;poisonousanimals，which’llstingyourhand:whatgoodaretheytoyou，silly？There’snodoubtaboutit:someonehasthrownaspelloveryou！"

Yes，mypoormother，youwereright，inyoursimplicity:aspellhadbeencastuponme;Iadmitittoday。Whenitishardenoughtoearnone’sbitofbread，doesnotimprovingone’smindbutrenderonemoremeetforsuffering？Ofwhatavailisthetormentoflearningtothederelictsoflife？

AdealbetteroffamI，atthislatehour，doggedbypovertyandknowingthatthediamondsoftheduckpoolwererockcrystal，thegolddustmica，thestonehornanAmmoniteandthesky—bluebeetleaHoplia！Wepoormenwoulddobettertomistrustthejoysofknowledge:letusdigourfurrowinthefieldsofthecommonplace，fleethetemptationsofthepond，mindourducksandleavetoothers，morefavoredbyfortune，thejobofexplainingtheworld’smechanism，ifthespiritmovesthem。

Andyetno！Aloneamonglivingcreatures，manhasthethirstforknowledge;healonepriesintothemysteriesofthings。Theleastamonguswillutterhiswhysandhiswherefores，afinepainunknowntothebrutebeast。Ifthesequestioningscomefromuswithgreaterpersistence，withamoreimperiousauthority，iftheydivertusfromthequestoflucre，life’sonlyobjectintheeyesofmostmen，doesitbecomeustocomplain？Letusbecarefulnottodoso，forthatwouldbedenyingthebestofallourgifts。

Letusstrive，onthecontrary，withinthemeasureofourcapacity，toforceagleamoflightfromthevastunknown;letusexamineandquestionand，hereandthere，wrestafewshredsoftruth。Weshallsinkunderthetask;inthepresentillorderedstateofsociety，weshallend，perhaps，intheworkhouse。Letusgoaheadforallthat:ourconsolationshallbethatwehaveincreasedbyoneatomthegeneralmassofknowledge，theincomparabletreasureofmankind。

Asthismodestlothasfallentome，Iwillreturntothepond，notwithstandingthewiseadmonitionsandthebittertearswhichI

onceowedtoit。Iwillreturntothepond，butnottothatofthesmallducks，thepondaflowerwithillusions:thosepondsdonotoccurtwiceinalifetime。Forlucklikethat，youmustbeinallthenewgloryofyourfirstbreechesandyourfirstideas。

ManyanotherhaveIcomeuponsincethatdistanttime，pondsverymuchricherand，moreover，exploredwiththeripenedeyeofexperience。EnthusiasticallyIsearchedthemwiththenet，stirreduptheirmud，ransackedtheirtrailingweeds。Noneinmymemoriescomesuptothefirst，magnifiedinitsdelightsandmortificationsbythemarvelousperspectiveoftheyears。

Norwouldanyofthemsuitmyplansoftoday。Theirworldistoovast。Ishouldlosemyselfintheirimmensities，wherelifeswarmsfreelyinthesun。Liketheocean，theyareinfiniteintheirfruitfulness。Andthenanyassiduouswatching，undisturbedbypassersby，isanimpossibilityonthepublicway。WhatIwantisapondonanextremelyreducedscale，sparinglystockedinmyownfashionanartificialpondstandingpermanentlyonmystudytable。