_Enfin_, life seemed
bright, beautiful, and cheerful.

"After all, I really think hope is a higher satisfaction than
possession.

"But I stray from the subject.

"Let me see, you left me in bed trying to get warm, and waiting for
someone to provide the necessary number of coppers for a dinner.

"In 1861, I at last found a sufficiently remunerative situation at
Hachette's, the publishers.

"I began at 200 francs a month. I did my work so thoroughly that I was
soon raised. After a certain time I was placed in the advertising
department, and there came in contact with the writers and newspaper
men, who, in my first literary efforts, gave me a helping hand.

"During my stay in that office, I never ceased writing.

"You must know that I was all my life a very hard and conscientious
worker.

"After my day's work at the office, I used to read and write for hours
at home by candlelight. In fact, the habit of writing at night became so
inveterate that, long afterwards, when I had time in the day, I pulled
down the blinds in my room and lit the lamp in order to work.

"Towards this epoch I met my two college friends again. One had gained
some notoriety as a painter, the other was a student at the _ecole
polytechnique_. We resumed our rambles in the woods and our discussions.
This, I am convinced, was of great use to me, as our different ways of
looking at things enabled me to judge of characters, and to appreciate
differing opinions.

"Before I left college, viz., when I was 17, I had written the '_Contes
a Ninon_.' These I retouched a little, and determined to try my luck as
a writer with them.

"As usual, with young and unknown writers, publishers received me and
politely returned my manuscript. I tried my employer, but, although he
encouraged me, and showed his sense of appreciation, by giving me a
more responsible position, he refused to publish my story. Finally, I
presented it to Mr. Hetzel, and to my indescribable joy he accepted it.

"The book was very favourably reviewed, but sold very poorly.

"Soon afterwards, I began contributing to the _Vie Parisienne_ and the
_Petit Journal_, and thus got launched in journalism.

[Illustration: THE BEDROOM.]

"As my evenings alone did not enable me to do all the work I had in
hand, I resigned my situation in 1867, and devoted myself exclusively to
literature.

"This did not improve my position, and I was obliged, for a certain
time, to suffer new hardships and