274 A TOTm RomJD my gabden. 



her hand on the following Friday, and I was more happy 

 in doing that than I had ever been in my life. 



Every day fresh encroachments were made upon our mutual 

 agreements. 



At first, I was at liberty every evening. Then, one day, 

 he wanted to go out, and hegged me to remain at home for 

 this once. It was not a Friday, so I did not care much 

 about it. 



A few days after, came the same prayer and the same 

 success. On the morrow it was the lady who came to me, 

 and said with a smile, if I was disposed to be very amiaile, 

 I should allow them to go to the theatre that night. I stayed 

 at home. 



The next day they went out without saying anything, and 

 I stayed at home. 



The following day was Friday. 



You will ask me, my dear friend, what made me hold 

 Friday so sacred ? I will tell you. That day was my evei^- 

 thing — it was all my life, aU my hope, all my courage. On 

 that day I saw Magdeleine. 



Some speculators, I don't remember who, had established 

 a theatre near the city gates. They had applied for aid to 

 M. Muller, who had advanced them some money, and as his 

 principal interest, I believe, had the right of having a weekly 

 box at this theatre. And he took this box generally on a Friday. 



Upon this day I cleaned a pair of boots which I reserved 

 exclusively for this great day ; I beat, brushed, re-beat and 

 re-brushed my coat ; I rubbed ink upon the whitened seams ; 

 I stitched on some loose buttons (I had taken pains all the 

 week to secure myself clean linen); I had a pair of gloves 

 which I mended and cleaned over and over again with India- 

 rubber. In spite of aU these labours and the strictest economy, 

 there was always some trifling expense to be incurred. M. 

 Levasseur gave me no money ; I procured a supply by copy- 

 ing some writings in my moments of leisure; but these 

 moments were now very few, and besides, I wanted to read 

 a little, and then I was under the absolute necessity of writing 

 a large volume, in the shape of letters, which I sometimes 

 succeeded in conveying to Magdeleine on a Friday, in addition 

 to verses. But still I managed to earn by my writing about 



