THE STUDY OF NATURE. 



past which then occupied my pen. I was writing of ' 9 3. 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, 



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 has 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 



