ILLUSTRATIVE NOTES. 339 



from the conditions of our prosaic existence, we must for a moment 

 abandon earth, and become a sense apart. We get a glimpse of some- 

 tliing inferior and superior, of something on this side and on that, the 

 limbs of the animal life on the borders of the life of the angels. In 

 proportion as we assume this sense, we lose the temptation of degrad- 

 ing the winged life — that strange, delicate, mighty dream of God — to 

 the vulgarities of earth. 



To-day even, in a place infinitely unpoetic, neglected, squalid, and 

 obscure, among the black mud of Paris, and in the dank darkness of 

 an apartment scarcely better than a cavern, I saw, and I heard chirpino-, 

 in a subdued voice, a little creature which seemed not to belong to 

 this low world. It was a warbler, and one of a common species — not 

 the blackcap, which is prized so highly for his song. This one was 

 not then singing ; she chattered to herself, just a few notes, as mono- 

 tonous as her situation. For winter, shadow, captivity, all were 

 around her. The captive of a rough, rude man, of a speculator in 

 birds, she heard on every side sounds which silenced her song ; 

 powerful voices were above her head, a mocking-bird among them, 

 which rang out every moment their brilliant clarions. Generally, 

 she would be condemned to silence. She was accustomed, one could 

 perceive, to sing in a low tone. But in this limited flight, this 

 habitual resignation and half lamentation, might be detected a charm- 

 ing delicacy, a more than feminine softness (inorhidezza). Add to 

 this the unique gi^ace of her bosom and her motions, of her modest 

 red and white attire, which sparkled, however, with a bright sheeny 

 reflex. 



I recalled to my mind the pictures in which Ingres and Delacroix 

 have shown us the captives of Algiers or the East, and exactly depicted 

 the dull resignation, the indifference, the weariness of their mono- 

 tonous lives, and also the decline (must we say the extinction ?) of 

 the inner fire. 



But, alas! it was wholly different here. The flame burned in all 

 its strength. She was more and less than a woman. No comparison 

 was of any use. Inferior by right of her animal nature, by her 



