100 A TOUR ROUND MY GARDEN. 



When in love, I felt myself covered with, the enchanted 

 armour which rendered knights invulnerable. My strength 

 appeared to me invincible, and my courage above my strength. 

 The thought of her I loved was a talisman; her name, a 

 magic word which triumphed over obstacles and rendered 

 everything powerless before me. 



One day, I plunged into the water to endeavour to save 

 an unfortunate man who was drowning ; he seized me, and 

 clung around me like a serpent; I was on the point of 

 perishing with him — I pronounced the name of Magdeleine, 

 and, animated by a supernatural strength, I regained the 

 surface of the water, bearing the drowning man with one arm, 

 and swimming with the other. 



At another time I wrote to her : — 



" They want to marry you ; that happiness which another 

 promises you I will give you. Do you wish for riches, gold? 

 — I shall have them; speak, what do you wish for? — there is 

 nothing above me or my powers. Do you wish for palaces 

 of marble, or gold, to tread under your feet? Do you wish 

 for honours? Do you wish to be a queen? Magdeleine, 

 everything is yours! everything the world contains; for, I 

 feel it, no one will be able to dispute with me that by which 

 I may attain you. Wait a year, wait a month, wait a day, 

 and I wiU bestow a crown upon you." . . . 



And I was true ; I felt that I had the power to do all this. 

 And, another day, when she had told me that she loved me, 

 I left her abode so exalted, so lofty, that I stooped as I went 

 for fear of unhooking some star, or setting fire to my hair; 

 and I endeavoured to avoid running against the persons I 

 met with, for fear of breaking them to shivers like glass. 



The flowers began to talk to me: the white rose had 

 nothing but perfumes for others ; for me it had soft words 

 which it breathed into my heart; the honeysuckle had for 

 my lips sweet kisses, and exhaled for me alone, not its ordi- 

 nary perfume, but the odour of the breath of her I loved. 

 The winds even brought me soft and mysterious voices. 



And then, all at once, I don't know what wicked enchanter 

 intruded himself among so many miracles. Magdeleine' be- 

 came a woman very like other women ; and I, — I was changed 

 into I don't know what stupid animal. Mowers were nothing 



