remembrances revive and imprint themselves on my heart, with a force
and charm that every day acquires fresh strength; as if, feeling
life flee from me, I endeavored to catch it again by its commencement.
The most trifling incidents of those happy days delight me, for no
other reason than being of those days, I recall every circumstance
of time, place, and persons; I see the maid or footman busy in the
chamber, a swallow entering the window, a fly settling on my hand
while repeating my lesson. I see the whole economy of the apartment;
on the right hand Mr. Lambercier's closet, with a print representing
all the popes, a barometer, a large almanac, the windows of the
house (which stood in a hollow at the bottom of the garden) shaded
by raspberry shrubs, whose shoots sometimes found entrance; I am
sensible the reader has no occasion to know all this, but I feel a
kind of necessity for relating it. Why am I not permitted to recount
all the little anecdotes of that thrice happy age, at the recollection
of whose joys I even tremble with delight? Five or six particularly-
let us compromise the matter- I will give up five, but then I must
have one, and only one, provided I may draw it out to its utmost
length, in order to prolong my satisfaction.
If I only sought yours, I should choose that of Miss Lambercier's
backside, which, by an unlucky fall at the bottom of the meadow, was
exposed to the view of the King of Sardinia, who happened to be
passing by; but that of the walnut tree on the terrace is more amusing
to me, since here I was an actor, whereas, in the above-mentioned
scene I was only a spectator, and I must confess I see nothing that
should occasion risibility in an accident, which, however laughable in
itself, alarmed me for a person I loved as a mother, or perhaps
something more.
Ye curious readers, whose expectations are already on the stretch
for the noble history of the terrace, listen to the tragedy, and
abstain from trembling, if you can, at the horrible catastrophe.
At the outside of the courtyard door, on the left hand, was a
terrace; here they often sat after dinner; but it was subject to one
inconvenience, being too much exposed to the rays of the sun; to
obviate this defect, Mr. Lambercier had a walnut tree set there, the
planting of which was attended with great solemnity. The two
boarders were godfathers, and while the earth was replacing round
the root, each held the tree with one hand, singing songs of
triumph. In order to water it with more effect, they formed a kind
of luson around its foot: myself and cousin, who were every day ardent
spectators of this watering, confirmed each other in the very
natural idea, that it was nobler to plant trees on the terrace than
colors on a breach, and this glory we were resolved to procure without
dividing it with any one.
In pursuance of this resolution, we cut a slip off a willow, and
planted it on the terrace, at about eight or ten feet distance from
the august walnut tree. We did not forget to make a hollow round it,
but the difficulty was how to procure a supply of water, which was
brought from a considerable distance, and we not permitted to fetch
it: but water was absolutely necessary for our willow, and we made use
