Pagina 275 di 483

"It was evening when I arrived, and I retired to a hiding-place

among the fields that surround it to meditate in what manner I

should apply to you. I was oppressed by fatigue and hunger and

far too unhappy to enjoy the gentle breezes of evening or the

prospect of the sun setting behind the stupendous mountains of

Jura.

"At this time a slight sleep relieved me from the pain of

reflection, which was disturbed by the approach of a beautiful

child, who came running into the recess I had chosen, with all

the sportiveness of infancy. Suddenly, as I gazed on him, an idea

seized me that this little creature was unprejudiced and had

lived too short a time to have imbibed a horror of deformity. If,

therefore, I could seize him and educate him as my companion and

friend, I should not be so desolate in this peopled earth.