In the month of March, as the shadows of twilight gathered, two little children were seated very close together upon a low footstool--two little ones, between the ages of five and six, dressed in short trousers with white pinafores over them, as was the fashion of the time.

After having played wildly they were now quietly amusing themselves with paper and pencils.

The dim light seemed to fill them with a vague fear, and it troubled their spirits.
Of the two children only one was drawing--it was I.The other, a friend invited over for the day, an exceptional thing, was watching me with great attention.

With some difficulty (trusting me meantime) he followed the fantastic movements of my pencil whose intention I took care to explain to him at some length.

And my oral interpretation was necessary, for I was busy executing two drawings that I entitled respectively, "The Happy Duck" and "The Unhappy Duck." The room in which we were seated must have been furnished about the year 1805, at the time of the marriage of my now-very-old grandmother, who still occupied it, and who this evening was seated in the chair of the Directory period; she was singing to herself and she took no notice of us.
My memories of my grandmother are indistinct for her death occurred shortly after this time; but as I will never again, in the course of this recital, have a more vivid impression of her, I will here insert what I know of her history.
It seems that in the stress of all sorts of troubles she had been a brave and noble mother.