eping mothers are trampled to
death by the hoofs of horses:--where they throw the first-born's mangled
remains into the common burying-pit: perhaps there the son will find
what the father sought in vain:--those who fled from before the
resting-chamber of that melancholy house, on the facade of which was to
be read the inscription, covered by the creepers since days long gone
by.

"Ne nos inducas in tentationem."

CHAPTER IX

AGED AT SEVENTEEN

How beautiful it is to be young! How fair is the spring! Yours is life,
joy, hope; the meadows lavish flowers upon you; the earth's fair halo of
love surrounds you with glory: a nation, a fatherland, mankind entrusts
to you its future; old men are proud of you; women love you: every
brightening day of heaven is yours.

Oh, how I love the spring! how I love youth! In spring I see the fairest
work of God, the earth, take new life; in youth I see the fairest work
of man, his nation, reviving.

"In those days" I did not yet belong to the "youth:" I was a child.

Never do I remember a brighter promise of spring, than in that year;
never were the eyes of the old men gladdened by the sight of a more
spirited "youth" than was that of those days.

Spring began very early: even at the end of February the fields were
green, parks hastened to bedeck themselves in their leafy wings, the
blossoms hastened to bloom and fall; the opening days of May saw fruit
on the apple-trees; and prematurely ripe cherries were "hawked" in the
streets, beside bouquets of late blooming violets.

Of the "youths" of that year the historian has written: "These youths
were in general very serious, very lavish in patriotic feeling, fiery
and spirited in the defence of freedom and national dignity. The new
tendency which manifested itself so vividly in our country was reflected
by their impetuous and susceptible natures with all its noble yearnings,
its virtues and excesses exaggerated. The frivolous pastimes, the
senseless or dissolute amusements that were so fashionable in those days
were abandoned for serious reading, gathering of information and
investigation of current events. They had already opinions of their own,
which not rarely they could utter with striking audacity."--I could only
envy these lines of gold; not one word of them had any reference to me:
for I was still but a child. During a night that followed a lovely May
day, the weather suddenly changed: winter, who was during the days