Part 2 (1/2)
For a few days everything succeeded so well that it began to bud, and throw out small leaves, which we hourly round) it would soon afford us a refreshi+ng shade This unfortunate , by engrossing our whole time, rendered us incapable of application to any other study, and the cause of our inattention not being knoere kept closer than before The fatal moment approached ater must fail, and ere already afflicted with the idea that our tree th necessity, the parent of industry, suggested an invention, by which we ht save our tree from death, and ourselves froround, which would privately conduct a part of the water fro was executed with ardor, but did not immediately succeed--our descent was not skilfully planned--the water did not run, the earth falling in and stopping up the furrow; yet, though all went contrary, nothing discouraged us, 'oive the water a more sensible descent; we cut the bottom of a box into narrow planks; increased the channel fro a row flat at the botto towards each other, so as to for with small sticks at the end next the walnut tree, to prevent the earth and stones fro carefully covered our ell--trodden earth, in a transport of hope and fear attended the hour of watering After an interval, which seee of expectation, this hour arrived Mr Lambercier, as usual, assisted at the operation; we contrived to get between him and our tree, towards which he fortunately turned his back They no sooner began to pour the first pail of water, than we perceived it running to the ; this sight was too much for our prudence, and we involuntarily expressed our transport by a shout of joy The sudden exclah at that instant he was delighted to observe how greedily the earth, which surrounded the root of his walnut tree, i two trenches partake of it, he shouted in his turn, exa instantly for a pick axe, at one fatal blowout th, an aqueduct! an aqueduct! His strokes redoubled, every one of which made an impression on our hearts; in a moment the planks, the channel, the bason, even our favorite , all were ploughed up, nor was one word pronounced during this terrible transaction, except the above mentioned excla all our hopes, an aqueduct! an aqueduct!
It maybe supposed this adventure had a stillarchitects; this, however, was not the case; the affair ended here
Mr Lambercier never reproached us on this account, nor was his countenance clouded with a froe even heard him mention the circuh of Mr Laht be heard to a considerable distance But what is stillafter the first transport of sorrow had subsided, we did not find ourselves violently afflicted; we planted a tree in another spot, and frequently recollected the catastrophe of the fornificant emphasis, an aqueduct! an aqueduct!
Till then, at intervals, I had fits of ambition, and could fancy myself Brutus or Aristides, but this was the first visible effect of my vanity
To have constructed an aqueduct with our own hands, to have set a slip ofin co tree, appeared to lory! I had a juster conception of it at ten than Caesar entertained at thirty
The idea of this walnut tree, with the little anecdotes it gave rise to, have so well continued, or returned tosensations, duringBossey, and reviewing the monuments of my infantine ae at that ti on a third of a century, but I was so beset with con There is little appearance now of the occasion being renewed; but should I ever return to that char, I am convinced I should water it with my tears
On my return to Geneva, I passed two or three years atthe deter enius, was taught drawing, and instructed by his father in the elements of Euclid; I partook of these instructions, but was principally fond of drawing Meantime, they were irresolute, whether to make me a watch ato preach, but the trifling income which had been my mother's, and was to be divided between my brother andthe prosecution of , I repretty dear, though not unreasonably, for my board
My uncle, like my father, was a e his a his falected My aunt was a devotee, who loved singing psal of our improvement, so that ere left entirely to ourselves, which liberty we never abused
Ever inseparable, ere all the world to each other; and, feeling no inclination to frequent the coe, we learned none of those habits of libertinis in charging myself and cousin with idleness at this time, for, in our lives, ere never less so; and as extremely fortunate, so incessantly occupied with our amusements, that we found no temptation to spend any part of our ties, pipes, kites, druood old grandfather by endeavoring to make watches in i paper, in drawing, washi+ng, coloring, etc There came an Italian mountebank to Geneva, called Gamber-Corta, who had an exhibition of puppets, that he made play a kind of coo again, being busily e co the to the best of our abilities the uncouth voice of Punch; and, to coood aunt and uncle Bernard had the patience to see and listen to our i one day read an elaborate discourse to his fa ser, but they serve to demonstrate that the for, at such an early age, the absolute masters of our time, we found no inclination to abuse it; and so little in want of other colected every occasion of seeking theether, we observed their diversions without feeling any inclination to partake of them Friendshi+p so entirely occupied our hearts, that, pleased with each other's coht us
We were soon re thus inseparable: and what rendered us more conspicuous, my cousin was very tall, myself extremely short, so that we exhibited a very whiure, sait, excited the ridicule of the children, who, in the gibberish of the country, nicknaot out of doors than our ears were assailed with a repetition of ”Barna Bredanna” He bore this indignity with tolerable patience, but I was instantly for fighting This hat the young rogues aily, and was beat My poor cousin did all in his power to assist round I then became furious, and received several smart blows, some of which were aimed at 'Barna Bredanna' This quarrel so far increased the evil, that, to avoid their insults, we could only show ourselves in the streets while they were erievances; there only wanted a lady in the way to be a knight-errant in form This defect was soon supplied; I presently had two I frequently went to see my father at Nion, a small city in the Vaudois country, where he was now settled Being universally respected, the affection entertained for hi my visits, the question seemed to be, who should show me most kindness
A Madame de Vulson, in particular, loaded hter allant a boy of eleven irl of two and twenty; the artful hussies kno to set these puppets up in front, to conceal ements On my part I saw no inequality between myself and Miss Vulson, was flattered by the circumstance, and went into it with my whole heart, or rather my whole head, for this passion certainly reached no further, though it transported me almost to madness, and frequently produced scenes sufficient to hter
I have experienced two kinds of love, equally real, which have scarce any affinity, yet each differing materially from tender friendshi+p My whole life has been divided between these affections, and I have frequently felt the power of both at the same instant For example, at the very time I so publically and tyrannically claimed Miss Vulson, that I could not suffer any other of my sex to approach her, I had short, but passionate, assignations with a Miss Goton, who thought proper to act the schoolh absolutely childish, afforded ht of happiness I felt the whole charm of mystery, and repaid Miss Vulson in kind, when she least expected it, the use she reat mortification, this secret was soon discovered, and I presently lost ular personage She was not handsoure which could not easily be forgotten, and this for an old fool, I am too often convinced of
Her eyes, in particular, neither corresponded with her age, her height, nor her reed extremely ith the character she assumed, but the most extraordinary part of her composition was a mixture of forwardness and reserve difficult to be conceived; and while she took the greatest liberties with me, would never per me precisely like a child This makes me suppose she had either ceased herself to be one, or was yet sufficiently so to behold us play the danger to which this folly exposed her
I was so absolutely in the power of both these ht of her as absent; in other respects, the effects they produced on me bore no affinity I could have passeda wish to quit her; but then,serenity; and, in numerous cohtly sallies of her wit, the arch glance of her eye, even jealousy itself, strengthened my attachment, and I triumphed in the preference she seemed to bestow on me, while addressed by ave ani of observers, I felt the whole force of love--I was passionate, transported; in a tete-a-tete, I should have been constrained, thoughtful, perhaps unhappy If Miss Vulson was ill, I suffered with her; would willingly have given up my own health to establish hers (and, observe I knew the want of it frohts, I felt the want of her; when present, her caresses cah my senses were unaffected The familiarities she bestowed onto another; I loved her with a brother's affection only, but experienced all the jealousy of a lover
With Miss Goton this passion ree of fury; I should have been a Turk, a tiger, had I once iined she bestowed her favors on any butMiss Vulson was sufficiently ardent, though unattended with uneasy sensations; but at sight of Miss Goton, I felt myself bewildered--every sense was absorbed in ecstasy I believe it would have been i with her; I must have been suffocated with the violence ofeither of them displeasure; with one I was more complaisant; with the other, more submissive I would not have offended Miss Vulson for the world; but if Miss Goton had commanded me to throw myself into the flames, I think I should have instantly obeyed her Happily, both for her andduration: and though erous, after a continuance of soth, that likewise had its catastrophe; indeed the ter, unless it partakes of the romantic, and can furnish out at least an exclah my correspondence with Miss Vulson was less ani; we never separated without tears, and it can hardly be conceived what a void I felt inbut her These roh I am inclined to believe they did not absolutely centre in her, for I a deprived of amusement bore a considerable share in thereed to correspond with each other, and the pathetic expressions these letters contained were sufficient to have split a rock In a word, I had the honor of her not being able to endure the pain of separation She came to see me at Geneva
My head was now co the two days she reht At her departure, I would have thrown myself into the water after her, and absolutely rent the air with loves, etc This certainly would have appeared extree at the saivesuit
My indignation may easily be conceived; I shall not attempt to describe it In this heroic fury, I swore never reatest punishment that could be inflicted on her
This, however, did not occasion her death, for twenty years after, while on a visit toon the lake, I asked who those ladies were in a boat not far fro, ”does not your heart inform you? It is your former flame, it is Madame Christin, or, if you please, Miss Vulson” I started at the alotten naing it worth while to be perjured, however favorable the opportunity for revenge, in renewing a dispute of twenty years past, with a woman of forty
Thus, before my future destination was determined, did I fool away thetime on the bent of my natural inclination, they resolved to dispose of nant to theister, to learn (according to the expression ofoccupation of a scraper This nickna to me, and I promisedup money by a mean employment The assiduity and subjection required, coust, and I never set foot in the office without feeling a kind of horror, which every day gained fresh strength
Mr Masseron, as not better pleased with my abilities than I ith the eto repeat, that h he could not find that I knew anything That he had prohtly boy, but had, in truth, sent hiistry, with the additional igno pronounced a fool by all Mr Masseron's clerks, and fit only to handle a file