m the grass, lift it up, roll it together, fold it, and, finally,
pocket it. He arose, made me another obeisance, and retreated toward
the rosary. I fancied that I heard him there softly laughing to
himself; but I held the purse fast by the strings; all round me lay
the clear sunshine, and within me was yet no power of reflection.

CHAPTER II

At length I came to myself, and hastened to quit the place where I had
nothing more to expect. In the first place I filled my pockets with
gold; then I secured the strings of the purse fast round my neck, and
concealed the purse itself in my bosom. I passed unobserved out of the
park, reached the highway and took the road to the city. As, sunk
in thought, I approached the gate, I heard a cry behind me--"Young
gentleman! eh! young gentleman! hear you!" I looked round, an old
woman called after me. "Do take care, sir, you have lost your shadow!"
"Thank you, good mother!" I threw her a gold piece for her well-meant
information, and stopped under the trees.

At the city gate I was compelled to hear again from the
sentinel--"Where has the gentleman left his shadow?" And immediately
again from some women--"Jesus Maria! the poor fellow has no shadow!"
That began to irritate me, and I became especially careful not to walk
in the sun. This could not, however, be accomplished everywhere--for
instance, over the broad street which I next must cross, actually, as
mischief would have it, at the very moment that the boys came out
of school. A cursed hunch-backed rogue, I see him yet, spied out
instantly that I had no shadow. He proclaimed the fact with a loud
outcry to the whole assembled literary street youth of the suburb,
who began forthwith to criticise me, and to pelt me with mud. "Decent
people are accustomed to take their shadows with them, when they go
into the sunshine." To defend myself from them I threw whole handfuls
of gold amongst them and sprang into a hackney-coach, which some
compassionate soul procured for me.

As soon as I found myself alone in the rolling carriage I began to
weep bitterly. The presentiment must already have arisen in me that,
far as gold on earth transcends in estimation merit and virtue,
so much higher than gold itself is the shadow valued; and as I had
earlier sacrificed wealth to conscience, I had now thrown away the
shadow for mere gold. What in the world could and would become of me!

I was still greatly discomposed as the carriage stopped b