What rendered the study of music more agreeable to me at that time, was, being able to practise it with Madam de Warrens.

In other respects our tastes were widely different: this was a point of coincidence, which I loved to avail myself of.

She had no more objection to this than myself.

I knew at that time almost as much of it as she did, and after two or three efforts, we could make shift to decipher an air.

Sometimes, when I saw her busy at her furnace, I have said, "Here now is a charming duet, which seems made for the very purpose of spoiling your drugs;" her answer would be, "If you make me burn them, I'll make you eat them:" thus disputing, I drew her to the harpsichord; the furnace was presently forgotten, the extract of juniper or wormwood calcined (which I cannot recollect without transport), and these scenes usually ended by her smearing my face with the remains of them.
It may easily be conjectured that I had plenty of employment to fill up my leisure hours; one amusement, however, found room, that was well worth all the rest.
We lived in such a confined dungeon, that it was necessary sometimes to breathe the open air; Anet, therefore, engaged Madam de Warrens to hire a garden in the suburbs, both for this purpose and the convenience of rearing plants, etc.; to this garden was added a summer--house, which was furnished in the customary manner; we sometimes dined, and I frequently slept, there.