MY ADOPTED CHILD LEAVES GUELMA. 329 



go. Then he ate his breakfast, which usually consisted of a 

 beefsteak of about ten pounds, and having completed his 

 ablutions and made his toilette, he would lay down in the 

 sun to take a nap. When the hour of recreation was passed, 

 he entered his cell, deafening us a little with his complaints 

 against the narrowness of his berth, and then awaited very 

 patiently his dinner time. 



In this manner passed the last happy days of his life. 



Upon reaching Toulon we separated, he to go to Marseilles 

 and I to Cuers to see my family. I was soon in the arms of 

 those I loved best on earth, and yet all the while, in spite of 

 my occupations and pleasures, I felt a void that nothing- 

 could till. Hubert was ever at my side, if not in person, at 

 least in spirit, and I constantly mistook the sound of the 

 mountain torrents for the first low tones of his voice. I could 

 not stay away from him any longer, and returned to Mar- 

 seilles. Althought it had been only a few weeks since I had 

 left my child, I could not help feeling shocked at the change 

 that was apparent in his whole bearing ; he was no longer 

 the same being. After the first joy of meeting, that ani- 

 mated every lineament of his beautiful head, had passed, he 

 relapsed into the same mournful indifference. His look 

 seemed to say to me, " Why did you leave me ? Where am 

 I ? Where are they taking me to ? You have come back, 

 but will you stay ?" 



I was so much moved by his mute eloquence, that I could 

 not stay in the room with him, but left brusquely. As I 

 went out I heard him bounding in his cage, roaring with 

 anger. I hastened back to his side, when he became calm 

 and laid himself down against the bars, where I could pat 

 him with my hand. In a little while he went to sleep with 

 my arm resting on his head, and I stole away on tiptoe, so as 

 not to trouble his repose. Sleep is the great oblivion, as well 

 for the lion as for man. 



