He lends me his sight and hearing, and I in return make him free of my thoughts, which he welcomes attentively, raising his wide blue eyes questioningly to mine.
What an adorable thing is the first blossoming of the intellect! Best of all ages is that when the candid curiosity awakens and commences to acquire knowledge of every kind.

Little Paul has his own insectorium, in which the Scarabaeus makes his balls; his garden, the size of a handkerchief, in which he grows haricot beans, which are often dug up to see if the little roots are growing longer; his plantation, containing four oak-trees an inch in height, to which the acorns still adhere.
These serve as diversions after the arid study of grammar, which goes forward none the worse on that account.
What beautiful and useful knowledge the teaching of natural history might put into childish heads, if only science would consider the very young; if our barracks of universities would only combine the lifeless study of books with the living study of the fields; if only the red tape of the curriculum, so dear to bureaucrats, would not strangle all willing initiative.

Little Paul and I will study as much as possible in the open country, among the rosemary bushes and arbutus.

There we shall gain vigour of body and of mind; we shall find the true and the beautiful better than in school-books.
To-day the blackboard has a rest; it is a holiday.

We rise early, in view of the intended expedition; so early that we must set out fasting.
But no matter; when we are hungry we shall rest in the shade, and you will find in my knapsack the usual viaticum--apples and a crust of bread.