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ialwaysfindparticularamusementinthesehelter…skelters；causedbyasuddenstorm。itseemsasifeachone；whenthustakenbysurprise；losesthefactitiouscharacterthattheworldorhabithasgivenhim；andappearsinhistruecolors。
see；forexample；thatbigmanwithdeliberatestep；whosuddenlyforgetshisindifference；madetoorder；andrunslikeaschoolboy！heisathriftycitygentleman；who；withallhisfashionableairs；isafraidtospoilhishat。
thatprettywomanyonder；onthecontrary；whoselooksaresomodest；andwhosedressissoelaborate；slackensherpacewiththeincreasingstorm。sheseemstofindpleasureinbravingit；anddoesnotthinkofhervelvetcloakspottedbythehail！sheisevidentlyalionessinsheepsclothing。
here；ayoungman；whowaspassing；stopstocatchsomeofthehailstonesinhishand；andexaminesthem。byhisquickandbusiness…likewalkjustnow；youwouldhavetakenhimforatax…gathereronhisrounds；whenheisayoungphilosopher；studyingtheeffectsofelectricity。andthoseschoolboyswholeavetheirrankstorunafterthesuddengustsofamarchwhirlwind；thosegirls；justnowsodemure；butwhonowflywithburstsoflaughter；thosenationalguards；whoquitthemartialattitudeoftheirdaysofdutytotakerefugeunderaporch！thestormhascausedallthesetransformations。
see；itincreases！thehardiestareobligedtoseekshelter。iseeeveryonerushingtowardtheshopinfrontofmywindow；whichabillannouncesistolet。itisforthefourthtimewithinafewmonths。
ayearagoalltheskillofthejoinerandtheartofthepainterwereemployedinbeautifyingit；buttheirworksarealreadydestroyedbytheleavingofsomanytenants；thecornicesofthefrontaredisfiguredbymud；thearabesquesonthedoorwayarespoiledbybillsposteduponthemtoannouncethesaleoftheeffects。thesplendidshophaslostsomeofitsembellishmentswitheachchangeofthetenant。seeitnowempty；andleftopentothepassersby。howmuchdoesitsfateresemblethatofsomanywho；likeit；onlychangetheiroccupationtohastenthefastertoruin！
iamstruckbythislastreflection：sincethemorningeverythingseemstospeaktome；andwiththesamewarningtone。everythingsays：〃takecare！becontentwithyourhappy；thoughhumblelot；happinesscanberetainedonlybyconstancy；donotforsakeyouroldpatronsfortheprotectionofthosewhoareunknown！〃
aretheytheoutwardobjectswhichspeakthus；ordoesthewarningefromwithin？isitnotimyselfwhogivethislanguagetoallthatsurroundsme？theworldisbutaninstrument；towhichwegivesoundatwill。butwhatdoesitsignifyifitteachesuswisdom？thelowvoicethatspeaksinourbreastsisalwaysafriendlyvoice；forittellsuswhatweare；thatistosay；whatisourcapability。badconductresults；forthemostpart；frommistakingourcalling。therearesomanyfoolsandknaves；becausetherearesofewmenwhoknowthemselves。
thequestionisnottodiscoverwhatwillsuitus；butforwhatwearesuited！
whatshouldidoamongthesemanyexperiencedfinancialspeculators？iamonlyapoorsparrow；bornamongthehousetops；andshouldalwaysfeartheenemycrouchinginthedarkcorner；iamaprudentworkman；andshouldthinkofthebusinessofmyneighborswhososuddenlydisappeared；iamatimidobserver；andshouldcalltomindtheflowerssoslowlyraisedbytheoldsoldier；ortheshopbroughttoruinbyconstantchangeofmasters。awayfromme；yebanquets；overwhichhangstheswordofdamocles！iamacountrymouse。givememynutsandhollowtree；andiasknothingbesides鈥斺�攅xceptsecurity。
andwhythisinsatiablecravingforriches？doesamandrinkmorewhenhedrinksfromalargeglass？whenceesthatuniversaldreadofmediocrity；thefruitfulmotherofpeaceandliberty？ah！thereistheevilwhich；aboveeveryother；itshouldbetheaimofbothpublicandprivateeducationtoanticipate！ifthatweregotridof；whattreasonswouldbespared；whatbasenessavoided；whatachainofexcessandcrimewouldbeforeverbroken！weawardthepalmtocharity；andtoself…sacrifice；but；aboveall；letusawardittomoderation；foritisthegreatsocialvirtue。evenwhenitdoesnotcreatetheothers；itstandsinsteadofthem。
sixoclock鈥斺�攊havewrittenaletterofthankstothepromotersofthenewspeculation；andhavedeclinedtheiroffer！thisdecisionhasrestoredmypeaceofmind。istoppedsinging；likethecobbler；aslongasientertainedthehopeofriches：itisgone；andhappinessiseback！
obelovedandgentlepoverty！pardonmeforhavingforamomentwishedtoflyfromthee；asiwouldfromwant。stayhereforeverwiththycharmingsisters；pity；patience；sobriety；andsolitude；beyemyqueensandmyinstructors；teachmethesterndutiesoflife；removefarfrommyabodetheweaknessofheartandgiddinessofheadwhichfollowprosperity。holypoverty！teachmetoendurewithoutplaining；toimpartwithoutgrudging；toseektheendoflifehigherthaninpleasure；fartheroffthaninpower。thougivestthebodystrength；thoumakestthemindmorefirm；and；thankstothee；thislife；towhichtherichattachthemselvesastoarock；beesabarkofwhichdeathmaycutthecablewithoutawakeningallourfearsntinuetosustainme；othouwhomchristhathcalledblessed！
CHAPTER IV
letusloveoneanother
april9th
thefineeveningsareeback；thetreesbegintoputforththeirshoots；hyacinths；jonquils；violets；andlilacsperfumethebasketsoftheflower…girls鈥斺�攁lltheworldhavebeguntheirwalksagainonthequaysandboulevards。afterdinner；i；too；descendfrommyattictobreathetheeveningair。
itisthehourwhenparisisseeninallitsbeauty。duringthedaytheplasterfrontsofthehouseswearytheeyebytheirmonotonouswhiteness；heavilyladencartsmakethestreetsshakeundertheirhugewheels；theeagercrowd；takenupbytheonefearoflosingamomentfrombusiness；crossandjostleoneanother；theaspectofthecityaltogetherhassomethingharsh；restless；andflurriedaboutit。but；assoonasthestarsappear；everythingischanged；theglareofthewhitehousesisquenchedinthegatheringshades；youhearnomoreanyrollingbutthatofthecarriagesontheirwaytosomepartyofpleasure；youseeonlytheloungerorthelight…heartedpassingby；workhasgivenplacetoleisure。
noweachonemaybreatheafterthefierceracethroughthebusinessoftheday；andwhateverstrengthremainstohimhegivestopleasure！seetheballroomslightedup；thetheatresopen；theeating…shopsalongthewalkssetoutwithdainties；andthetwinklinglanternsofthenewspapercriers。decidedlyparishaslaidasidethepen；theruler；andtheapron；afterthedayspentinwork；itmusthavetheeveningforenjoyment；likethemastersofthebes；ithasputoffallseriousmattertilltomorrow。
ilovetotakepartinthishappyhour；nottomixinthegeneralgayety；buttocontemplateit。iftheenjoymentsofothersembitterjealousminds；theystrengthenthehumblespirit；theyarethebeamsofsunshine；whichopenthetwobeautifulflowerscalledtrustandhope。
althoughaloneinthemidstofthesmilingmultitude；idonotfeelmyselfisolatedfromit；foritsgayetyisreflecteduponme：itismyownkind；myownfamily；whoareenjoyinglife；anditakeabrothersshareintheirhappiness。weareallfellow…soldiersinthisearthlybattle；andwhatdoesitmatteronwhomthehonorsofthevictoryfall？
iffortunepassesbywithoutseeingus；andpoursherfavorsonothers；letusconsoleourselves；likethefriendofparmenio；bysaying；〃those；too；arealexanders。〃
whilemakingthesereflections；iwasgoingonaschancetookme。icrossedfromonepavementtoanother；iretracedmysteps；istoppedbeforetheshopsortoreadthehandbills。howmanythingstherearetolearninthestreetsofparis！whatamuseumitis！unknownfruits；foreignarms；furnitureofoldtimesorotherlands；animalsofallclimates；statuesofgreatmen；costumesofdistantnations！itistheworldseeninsamples！
letusthenlookatthispeople；whoseknowledgeisgainedfromtheshop…windowsandthetradesmansdisplayofgoods。nothinghasbeentaughtthem；buttheyhavearudenotionofeverything。theyhaveseenpineapplesatchevets；apalm…treeinthejardindesplantes；sugar…canessellingonthepont…neuf。theredskins；exhibitedinthevalentinehall；havetaughtthemtomimicthedanceofthebison；andtosmokethecalumetofpeace；theyhaveseencarterslionsfed；theyknowtheprincipalnationalcostumescontainedinbabinscollection；goupilsdisplayofprintshasplacedthetiger…huntsofafricaandthesittingsoftheenglishparliamentbeforetheireyes；theyhavebeeacquaintedwithqueenvictoria；theemperorofaustria；andkossuth；attheoffice…dooroftheillustratednews。wecancertainlyinstructthem；butnotastonishthem；fornothingispletelynewtothem。youmaytaketheparisragamuffinthroughthefivequartersoftheworld；andateverywonderwithwhichyouthinktosurprisehim；hewillsettlethematterwiththatfavoriteandconclusiveanswerofhisclass鈥斺�敗╥know。〃
butthisvarietyofexhibitions；whichmakesparisthefairoftheworld；doesnotoffermerelyameansofinstructiontohimwhowalksthroughit；itisacontinualspurforrousingtheimagination；afirststepoftheladderalwayssetupbeforeusinavision。whenweseethem；howmanyvoyagesdowetakeinimagination；whatadventuresdowedreamof；whatpicturesdowesketch！ineverlookatthatshopnearthechinesebaths；withitstapestryhangingsoffloridajessamine；andfilledwithmagnolias；withoutseeingtheforestgladesofthenewworld；describedbytheauthorofatala；openingthemselvesoutbeforeme。
then；whenthisstudyofthingsandthisdiscourseofreasonbegintotireyou；lookaroundyou！whatcontrastsoffiguresandfacesyouseeinthecrowd！whatavastfieldfortheexerciseofmeditation！ahalf…seenglance；orafewwordscaughtasthespeakerpassesby；openathousandvistastoyourimagination。youwishtoprehendwhattheseimperfectdisclosuresmean；and；astheantiquaryendeavorstodecipherthemutilatedinscriptiononsomeoldmonument；youbuildupahistoryonagestureoronaword！thesearethestirringsportsofthemind；whichfindsinfictionarelieffromthewearisomedullnessoftheactual。
alas！asiwasjustnowpassingbythecarriage…entranceofagreathouse；inoticedasadsubjectforoneofthesehistories。amanwassittinginthedarkestcorner；withhisheadbare；andholdingouthishatforthecharityofthosewhopassed。histhreadbarecoathadthatlookofneatnesswhichmarksthatdestitutionhasbeenmetbyalongstruggle。hehadcarefullybuttonedituptohidethewantofashirt。
hisfacewashalfhidunderhisgrayhair；andhiseyeswereclosed；asifhewishedtoescapethesightofhisownhumiliation；andheremainedmuteandmotionless。thosewhopassedhimtooknonoticeofthebeggar；whosatinsilenceanddarkness！theyhadbeensoluckyastoescapeplaintsandimportunities；andweregladtoturnawaytheireyestoo。
suddenlythegreatgateturnedonitshinges；andaverylowcarriage；lightedwithsilverlampsanddrawnbytwoblackhorses；cameslowlyout；andtooktheroadtowardthefaubourgst。germain。icouldjustdistinguish；within；thesparklingdiamondsandtheflowersofaball…dress；theglareofthelampspassedlikeabloodystreakoverthepalefaceofthebeggar；andshowedhislookashiseyesopenedandfollowedtherichmansequipageuntilitdisappearedinthenight。
idroppedasmallpieceofmoneyintothehathewasholdingout；andpassedonquickly。
ihadjustfallenunexpectedlyuponthetwosaddestsecretsofthediseasewhichtroublestheagewelivein：theenvioushatredofhimwhosufferswant；andtheselfishforgetfulnessofhimwholivesinaffluence。
alltheenjoymentofmywalkwasgone；ileftofflookingaboutme；andretiredintomyownheart。theanimatedandmovingsightinthestreetsgaveplacetoinwardmeditationuponallthepainfulproblemswhichhavebeenwrittenforthelastfourthousandyearsatthebottomofeachhumanstruggle；butwhicharepropoundedmoreclearlythaneverinourdays。
iponderedontheuselessnessofsomanycontests；inwhichdefeatandvictoryonlydisplaceeachotherbyturns；andonthemistakenzealotswhohaverepeatedfromgenerationtogenerationthebloodyhistoryofcainandabel；and；saddenedwiththesemournfulreflections；iwalkedonaschancetookme；untilthesilenceallaroundinsensiblydrewmeoutfrommyownthoughts。
ihadreachedoneoftheremotestreets；inwhichthosewhowouldliveinfortandwithoutostentation；andwholoveseriousreflection；delighttofindahome。therewerenoshopsalongthedimlylightedstreet；oneheardnosoundsbutofdistantcarriages；andofthestepsofsomeoftheinhabitantsreturningquietlyhome。
iinstantlyrecognizedthestreet；thoughihadbeenthereonlyoncebefore。
thatwastwoyearsago。iwaswalkingatthetimebythesideoftheseine；towhichthelightsonthequaysandbridgesgavetheaspectofalakesurroundedbyagarlandofstars；andihadreachedthelouvre；wheniwasstoppedbyacrowdcollectedneartheparapettheyhadgatheredroundachildofaboutsix；whowascrying；andiaskedthecauseofhistears。
〃itseemsthathewassenttowalkinthetuileries；〃saidamason；whowasreturningfromhisworkwithhistrowelinhishand；〃theservantwhotookcareofhimmetwithsomefriendsthere；andtoldthechildtowaitforhimwhilehewenttogetadrink；butisupposethedrinkmadehimmorethirsty；forhehasnoteback；andthechildcannotfindhiswayhome。〃
〃whydotheynotaskhimhisname；andwherehelives？〃
〃theyhavebeendoingitforthelasthour；butallhecansayis；thatheiscalledcharles；andthathisfatherismonsieurduval鈥斺�攖herearetwelvehundredduvalsinparis。〃
〃thenhedoesnotknowinwhatpartofthetownhelives？〃
〃ishouldnotthink；indeed！dontyouseethatheisagentlemanschild？hehasnevergoneoutexceptinacarriageorwithaservant；hedoesnotknowwhattodobyhimself。〃
herethemasonwasinterruptedbysomeofthevoicesrisingabovetheothers。
〃wecannotleavehiminthestreet；〃saidsome。
〃thechild…stealerswouldcarryhimoff；〃continuedothers。
〃wemusttakehimtotheoverseer。〃
〃ortothepolice…office。〃
〃thatsthethinge；littleone！〃
butthechild；frightenedbythesesuggestionsofdanger；andatthenamesofpoliceandoverseer；criedlouder；anddrewbacktowardtheparapet。invaintheytriedtopersuadehim；hisfearsmadehimresistthemore；andthemosteagerbegantogetweary；whenthevoiceofalittleboywasheardthroughtheconfusion。
〃iknowhimwell鈥斺�攊do；〃saidhe；lookingatthelostchild；〃hebelongsinourpartofthetown。〃
〃whatpartisit？〃
〃yonder；ontheothersideoftheboulevards鈥斺�攔uedesmagasins。〃
〃andyouhaveseenhimbefore？〃
〃yes；yes！hebelongstothegreathouseattheendofthestreet；wherethereisanirongatewithgiltpoints。〃
thechildquicklyraisedhishead；andstoppedcrying。thelittleboyansweredallthequestionsthatwereputtohim；andgavesuchdetailsasleftnoroomfordoubt。theotherchildunderstoodhim；forhewentuptohimasiftoputhimselfunderhisprotection。
〃thenyoucantakehimtohisparents？〃askedthemason；whohadlistenedwithreali