THE STUDY OF NATURE. 



47 



past which then occupied my pen. I was w^riting of '93. Its heroic 

 primeval history enveloped, possessed, shall I say consumed, me. All 

 the elements of happiness which surrounded me, which I sacrificed to 

 work, adjourning them for a time that, according to all appearances, 



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might never be mine, I regretted daily, and incessantly cast back 

 upon them a look of sorrow. It was a daily battle of affection and 

 nature, against the sombre thoughts of the human world. 



That battle for me will be always a powerful souvenir. The 

 scene hiis remained sacred in my thought. Elsewhere it no longer 

 exists. The house is destroyed — another built on its site. And it 

 is for this reason that I have dallied here a little. My cedar, how- 

 ever, has survived ; a notable thing, for architects now-a-days hate 

 trees. 



When, however, I drew near the end of my task, some glimpses 

 of light enlivened the wild darkness. My sorrows were less keen, 

 when I felt sure that I should thenceforth enjoy this memorial of a 

 cruel but fertile experience. Once more I began to hear the voices 



