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and its expansion floats in a sphere whose limits man does not know. Have you understood me?
    I believe I have, I replied, and, to sum up your revelation in the simplest fashion, I shall say that we have two souls: one which lives within us and does not leave us, the other which lives outside us and which we do not know.The first enables us to live in a fleeting way, and apparently dies with us, the second enables us to live eternally, and is unceasingly renewed with us. Or rather it is the soul which renews us, and which provides for the entire series of our successive existences, without ever becoming exhausted.
    What the devil are you writing there? a harsh, discordant voice cried out beside me.
    The cloud flew away, taking with it the radiant figure of Laura, and I found myself once again in my room, seated before my table, and writing the last lines which Walter was reading over my shoulder.
    Since when, he added, have you been occupying yourself with philosophical nonsense? If you are claiming to make advances in practical science with this new genre of hypotheses, I cannot compliment you on it … Now, leave that fine manuscript, and come and take your place at my engagement dinner.
    Is it possible, my dear Walter, I replied, throwing myself into his arms, that, through friendship for me, you are taking part in a pretence unworthy of a serious man? I know perfectly well that Laura does not love you, and that you have never dreamed of being her husband.
    “Laura told you she didn’t love me?” he answered with a mocking tranquillity. That’s quite possible and, as for me, if I am thinking of marrying her, I certainly haven’t been doing so for long; but your uncle arranged it at a distance with his absent brother-in-law, and, as Laura did not say no, I had to consent to say yes … Do not think that I am smitten with her; I don’t have the time to put my imagination to work and discover fabulous perfections in that goodlittle person. I do not dislike her, and, as she is extremely sensible, she asks no more of me for the moment. Later, when we have lived together for years, and we have allied our wills to run our household and bring up our children properly, I do not doubt that we shall have a good and solid friendship for each other. Until then, it is work to be placed in common with the idea of duty and the feeling of mutual respect. So you can tell me that Laura does not love me without surprising me and without wounding me. I would even be surprised if she did love me, since I have never thought to please her, and I would be a little anxious about her reason, if she saw in me an Amadis. Therefore, see things as they are, and be sure that they are as they must be.
    I found Laura dressed up for dinner; she had a gown of pearl-white taffeta decorated with rose-pink gauze which reminded me confusedly of the soft, warm hue of the cornelian ; but her face seemed to me demoralised, as though it were lifeless.
    Come and give me confidence and courage, she said frankly, calling me to her side. I have wept a great deal today. It is not that I dislike Walter, nor that I am angry about marrying. I had known for a long time that I was destined for him, and I have never had any intention of becoming an old maid; but now the moment has come to leave my family and my home it is still painful. Be cheerful to help me forget all of this a little, or speak to me of reason so that I shall become cheerful, as I believe in the future.
    How different Laura’s language and physiognomy seemed to me from how they had been in the cloudemanating from the cornelian! She was so vulgarly resigned to her fate, that I clearly recognised the illusion of my dream; but, strange to tell, I no longer felt any pain at the thought of her really marrying Walter. I rediscovered the feeling of friendship that her care and her goodness had inspired in me, and I even rejoiced at the thought that I was going to live close by her, since she was leaving her