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positivelyrefusedtosellhisbusinessunlessonehalfofthetwothousandfrancswerefirstpaiddown。itwasinthehopesofobtainingthissumthathehadgonetoworkwiththecontractoratversailles；hehadhadanopportunityoftryinghisinvention；andoffindingapurchaser。thankstothemoneyhereceivedforit；hehadjustconcludedthebargainwithbenoit；andhadbroughthisfatherthekeyofthenewwork…yard。
thisexplanationwasgivenbytheyoungworkmanwithsomuchmodestyandsimplicitythatiwasquiteaffectedbyit。genevievecried；michaelpressedhissontohisheart；andinalongembraceheseemedtoaskhispardonforhavingunjustlyaccusedhim。
allwasnowexplainedwithhonortorobert。theconductwhichhisparentshadascribedtoindifferencereallysprangfromaffection；hehadneitherobeyedthevoiceofambitionnorofavarice；noreventhenoblerinspirationofinventivegenius：hiswholemotiveandsingleaimhadbeenthehappinessofgenevieveandmichael。thedayforprovinghisgratitudehade；andhehadreturnedthemsacrificeforsacrifice！
aftertheexplanationsandexclamationsofjoywereover；allthreewereabouttoleaveme；but；theclothbeinglaid；iaddedthreemoreplaces；andkeptthemtobreakfast。
themealwasprolonged：thefarewasonlytolerable；buttheover…flowingsofaffectionmadeitdelicious。neverhadibetterunderstoodtheunspeakablecharmoffamilylove。whatcalmenjoymentinthathappinesswhichisalwayssharedwithothers；inthatmunityofinterestswhichunitessuchvariousfeelings；inthatassociationofexistenceswhichformsonesinglebeingofsomany！whatismanwithoutthosehomeaffections；which；likesomanyroots；fixhimfirmlyintheearth；andpermithimtoimbibeallthejuicesoflife？energy；happiness鈥斺�攄onotalltheseefromthem？withoutfamilylifewherewouldmanlearntolove；toassociate；todenyhimself？amunityinlittle；isitnotthiswhichteachesushowtoliveinthegreatone？
suchistheholinessofhome；that；toexpressourrelationwithgod；wehavebeenobligedtoborrowthewordsinventedforourfamilylife。menhavenamedthemselvesthesonsofaheavenlyfather！
ah！letuscarefullypreservethesechainsofdomesticunion。donotletusunbindthehumansheaf；andscatteritsearstoallthecapricesofchanceandofthewinds；butletusratherenlargethisholylaw；letuscarrytheprinciplesandthehabitsofhomebeyondsetbounds；and；ifitmaybe；letusrealizetheprayeroftheapostleofthegentileswhenheexclaimedtothenewbornchildrenofchrist：〃beyelike…minded；havingthesamelove；beingofoneaccord；ofonemind。〃
CHAPTER X
ourcountry
october12th；sevenoclocka。m。
thenightsarealreadybeecoldandlong；thesun；shiningthroughmycurtains；nomorewakensmelongbeforethehourforwork；andevenwhenmyeyesareopen；thepleasantwarmthofthebedkeepsmefastundermycounterpane。everymorningtherebeginsalongargumentbetweenmyactivityandmyindolence；and；snuglywrappeduptotheeyes；iwaitlikethegascon；untiltheyhavesucceedediningtoanagreement。
thismorning；however；alight；whichshonefrommydooruponmypillow；awokemeearlierthanusual。invainiturnedonmyside；theperseveringlight；likeavictoriousenemy；pursuedmeintoeveryposition。atlast；quiteoutofpatience；isatupandhurledmynightcaptothefootofthebed！
（iwillobserve；bywayofparenthesis；thatthevariousevolutionsofthispacificheadgearseemtohavebeen；fromtheremotesttime；symbolsofthevehementemotionsofthemind；forourlanguagehasborroweditsmostmonimagesfromthem。）
butbethisasitmay；igotupinaverybadhumor；grumblingatmynewneighbor；whotookitintohisheadtobewakefulwheniwishedtosleep。
weareallmadethus；wedonotunderstandthatothersmayliveontheirownaccount。eachoneofusisliketheearth；accordingtotheoldsystemofptolemy；andthinkshecanhavethewholeuniverserevolvearoundhimself。onthispoint；tomakeuseofthemetaphoralludedto：
tousleshommesontlatetedanslememebonnet。
ihadforthetimebeing；asihavealreadysaid；thrownminetotheotherendofmybed；andislowlydisengagedmylegsfromthewarmbedclothes；whilemakingahostofevilreflectionsupontheinconvenienceofhavingneighbors。
formorethanamonthihadnothadtoplainofthosewhomchancehadgivenme；mostofthemonlycameintosleep；andwentawayagainonrising。iwasalmostalwaysaloneonthistopstory鈥斺�攁lonewiththecloudsandthesparrows！
butatparisnothinglasts；thecurrentoflifecarriesusalong；liketheseaweedtornfromtherock；thehousesarevesselswhichtakemerepassengers。howmanydifferentfaceshaveialreadyseenpassalongthelanding…placebelongingtoourattics！howmanypanionsofafewdayshavedisappearedforever！somearelostinthatmedleyofthelivingwhichwhirlscontinuallyunderthescourgeofnecessity；andothersinthatresting…placeofthedead；whosleepunderthehandofgod！
peterthebookbinderisoneoftheselast。wrappedupinselfishness；helivedaloneandfriendless；andhediedashehadlived。hislosswasneithermournedbyanyone；nordisarrangedanythingintheworld；therewasmerelyaditchfilledupinthegraveyard；andanatticemptiedinourhouse。
itisthesamewhichmynewneighborhasinhabitedforthelastfewdays。
tosaytruly（nowthatiamquiteawake；andmyillhumorisgonewithmynightcap）鈥斺�攖osaytruly；thisnewneighbor；althoughrisingearlierthansuitsmyidleness；isnotthelessaverygoodman：hecarrieshismisfortunes；asfewknowhowtocarrytheirgoodfortunes；withcheerfulnessandmoderation。
butfatehascruellytriedhim。fatherchaufourisbutthewreckofaman。intheplaceofoneofhisarmshangsanemptysleeve；hisleftlegismadebytheturner；andhedragstherightalongwithdifficulty；butabovetheseruinsrisesacalmandhappyface。whilelookinguponhiscountenance；radiantwithasereneenergy；whilelisteningtohisvoice；thetoneofwhichhas；sotospeak；theaccentofgoodness；weseethatthesoulhasremainedentireinthehalf…destroyedcovering。thefortressisalittledamaged；asfatherchaufoursays；butthegarrisonisquitehearty。
decidedly；themoreithinkofthisexcellentman；themoreireproachmyselfforthesortofmaledictionibestowedonhimwheniawoke。
wearegenerallytooindulgentinoursecretwrongstowardourneighbor。
allill…willwhichdoesnotpasstheregionofthoughtseemsinnocenttous；and；withourclumsyjustice；weexcusewithoutexaminationthesinwhichdoesnotbetrayitselfbyaction！
butarewethenboundtoothersonlybytheenforcementoflaws？besidestheseexternalrelations；istherenotarealrelationoffeelingbetweenmen？dowenotowetoallthosewholiveunderthesameheavenasourselvestheaidnotonlyofouractsbutofourpurposes？oughtnoteveryhumanlifetobetouslikeavesselthatweacpanywithourprayersforahappyvoyage？itisnotenoughthatmendonotharmoneanother；theymustalsohelpandloveoneanother！thepapalbenediction；urbietorbi！shouldbetheconstantcryfromallhearts。
tocondemnhimwhodoesnotdeserveit；eveninthemind；evenbyapassingthought；istobreakthegreatlaw；thatwhichhasestablishedtheunionofsoulsherebelow；andtowhichchristhasgiventhesweetnameofcharity。
thesethoughtscameintomymindasifinisheddressing；andisaidtomyselfthatfatherchaufourhadarighttoreparationfromme。tomakeamendsforthefeelingofill…willihadagainsthimjustnow；iowedhimsomeexplicitproofofsympathy。iheardhimhummingatuneinhisroom；hewasatwork；andideterminedthatiwouldmakethefirstneighborlycall。
eightoclockp。m鈥斺�攊foundfatherchaufouratatablelightedbyalittlesmokylamp；withoutafire；althoughitisalreadycold；andmakinglargepasteboardboxes；hewashummingapopularsonginalowtone。ihadhardlyenteredtheroomwhenheutteredanexclamationofsurpriseandpleasure。
〃eh！isityou；neighbor？ein；then！ididnotthinkyougotupsoearly；soiputadamperonmymusic；iwasafraidofwakingyou。〃
excellentman！whileiwassendinghimtothedevilhewasputtinghimselfoutofhiswayforme！
thisthoughttouchedme；andipaidmyplimentsonhishavingbeemyneighborwithawarmthwhichopenedhisheart。
〃faith！youseemtometohavethelookofagoodchristian；〃saidheinavoiceofsoldierlikecordiality；andshakingmebythehand。〃idonotlikethosepeoplewholookonalanding…placeasafrontierline；andtreattheirneighborsasiftheywerecossacks。whenmensnuffthesameair；andspeakthesamelingo；theyarenotmeanttoturntheirbackstoeachother。sitdownthere；neighbor；idontmeantoorderyou；onlytakecareofthestool；ithasbutthreelegs；andwemustputgood…willinplaceofthefourth。〃
〃itseemsthatthatisatreasurewhichthereisnowantofhere；〃iobserved。
〃good…will！〃repeatedchaufour；〃thatisallmymotherleftme；anditakeitnosonhasreceivedabetterinheritance。thereforetheyusedtocallmemonsieurcontentinthebatteries。〃
〃youareasoldier；then？〃
〃iservedinthethirdartilleryundertherepublic；andafterwardintheguard；throughallthemotions。iwasatjemappesandatwaterloo；soiwasatthechristeningandattheburialofourglory；asonemaysay！〃
ilookedathimwithastonishment。
〃andhowoldwereyouthen；atjemappes？〃askedi。
〃somewhereaboutfifteen；〃saidhe。
〃howcameyoutothinkofbeingasoldiersoearly？〃
〃ididnotreallythinkaboutit。ithenworkedattoy…making；andneverdreamedthatfrancewouldaskmeforanythingelsethantomakeherdraught…boards；shuttlecocks；andcupsandballs。butihadanolduncleatvincenneswhomiwenttoseefromtimetotime鈥斺�攁fontenoyveteraninthesamerankoflifeasmyself；butwithabilityenoughtohaverisentothatofamarshal。unluckily；inthosedaystherewasnowayformonpeopletogeton。myuncle；whoseserviceswouldhavegothimmadeaprinceundertheother；hadthenretiredwiththemererankofsub…lieutenant。butyoushouldhaveseenhiminhisuniform；hiscrossofst。louis；hiswoodenleg；hiswhitemoustaches；andhisnoblecountenance。youwouldhavesaidhewasaportraitofoneofthoseoldheroesinpowderedhairwhichareatversailles！
〃everytimeivisitedhim；hesaidsomethingwhichremainedfixedinmymemory。butonedayifoundhimquitegrave。
〃jerome；saidhe；doyouknowwhatisgoingononthefrontier？
〃no；lieutenant；repliedi。
〃well；resumedhe；ourcountryisindanger！
〃ididnotwellunderstandhim；andyetitseemedsomethingtome。
〃perhapsyouhaveneverthoughtwhatyourcountrymeans；continuedhe；placinghishandonmyshoulder；‘itisallthatsurroundsyou；allthathasbroughtyouupandfedyou；allthatyouhaveloved！thisgroundthatyousee；thesehouses；thesetrees；thosegirlswhogoalongtherelaughing鈥斺�攖hisisyourcountry！thelawswhichprotectyou；thebreadwhichpaysforyourwork；thewordsyouinterchangewithothers；thejoyandgriefwhichetoyoufromthemenandthingsamongwhichyoulive鈥斺�攖hisisyourcountry！thelittleroomwhereyouusedtoseeyourmother；theremembrancesshehasleftyou；theearthwheresherests鈥斺�攖hisisyourcountry！youseeit；youbreatheit；everywhere！thinktoyourself；myson；ofyourrightsandyourduties；youraffectionsandyourwants；yourpastandyourpresentblessings；writethemallunderasinglename鈥斺�攁ndthatnamewillbeyourcountry！
〃iwastremblingwithemotion；andgreattearswereinmyeyes。
〃ah！iunderstand；criedi；itisourhomeinlarge；itisthatpartoftheworldwheregodhasplacedourbodyandoursoul。
〃youareright；jerome；continuedtheoldsoldier；soyouprehendalsowhatweoweit。
〃truly；resumedi；weoweitallthatweare；itisaquestionoflove。
〃andofhonesty；myson；concludedhe。thememberofafamilywhodoesnotcontributehisshareofworkandofhappinessfailsinhisduty；andisabadkinsman；thememberofapartnershipwhodoesnotenrichitwithallhismight；withallhiscourage；andwithallhisheart；defraudsitofwhatbelongstoit；andisadishonestman。itisthesamewithhimwhoenjoystheadvantagesofhavingacountry；anddoesnotaccepttheburdensofit；heforfeitshishonor；andisabadcitizen！
〃andwhatmustonedo；lieutenant；tobeagoodcitizen？askedi。
〃doforyourcountrywhatyouwoulddoforyourfatherandmother；saidhe。
〃ididnotansweratthemoment；myheartwasswelling；andthebloodboilinginmyveins；butonreturningalongtheroad；myuncleswordswere；sotospeak；writtenupbeforemyeyes。irepeated；doforyourcountrywhatyouwoulddoforyourfatherandmother。andmycountryisindanger；anenemyattacksit；whilei鈥斺�攊turncupsandballs！
〃thisthoughttormentedmesomuchallnightthatthenextdayireturnedtovincennestoannouncetothelieutenantthatihadjustenlisted；andwasgoingofftothefrontier。thebravemanpresseduponmehiscrossofst。louis；andiwentawayasproudasanambassador。
〃thatishow；neighbor；ibecameavolunteerundertherepublicbeforeihadcutmywisdomteeth。〃
allthiswastoldquietly；andinthecheerfulspiritofhimwholooksuponanacplisheddutyneitherasameritnoragrievance。
whilehespoke；fatherchaufourgrewanimated；notonaccountofhimself；butofthegeneralsubject。evidentlythatwhichoccupiedhiminthedramaoflifewasnothisownpart；butthedramaitself。
thissortofdisinterestednesstouchedme。iprolongedmyvisit；andshowedmyselfasfrankaspossible；inordertowinhisconfidenceinreturn。inanhourstimeheknewmypositionandmyhabits；iwasonthefootingofanoldacquaintance。
ievenconfessedtheill…humorthelightofhislampputmeintoashorttimebefore。hetookwhatisaidwiththetouchingcheerfulnesswhichesfromaheartintherightplace；andwhichlooksuponeverythingonthegoodside。heneitherspoketomeofthenecessitywhichobligedhimtoworkwhileicouldsleep；norofthedeprivationsoftheoldsoldierparedtotheluxuryoftheyoungclerk；heonlystruckhisforehead；accusedhimselfofthoughtlessness；andpromisedtoputlistroundhisdoor！
ogreatandbeautifulsoul！withwhomnothingturnstobitterness；andwhoartperemptoryonlyindutyandbenevolence！
october15th鈥斺�攖hismorningiwaslookingatalittleengravingihadframedmyself；andhungovermywriting…table；itisadesignofgavarnis；inwhich；inagravemood；hehasrepresentedaveteranandaconscript。
byoftencontemplatingthesetwofigures；sodifferentinexpression；andsotruetolife；bothhavebeelivinginmyeyes；ihaveseenthemmove；ihaveheardthemspeak；thepicturehasbeearealscene；atwhichiampresentasspectator。
theveteranadvancesslowly；hishandleaningontheshoulderoftheyoungsoldier。hiseyes；closedforever；nolongerperceivethesunshiningthroughthefloweringchestnut…trees。intheplaceofhisrightarmhangsanemptysleeve；andhewalkswithawoodenleg；thesoundofwhichonthepavementmakesthosewhopassturntolook。
atthesightofthisancientwreckfromourpatrioticwars；thegreaternumbershaketheirheadsinpity；andiseemtohearasighoranimprecation。
〃seetheworthofglory！〃saysaportlymercha