首页 >出版文学> The Life of the Fly>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。