nds and
enemies.... And lo! now he had not a crust of bread, and every one had
abandoned him, his friends even more promptly than his enemies.... Could
he possibly humble himself to the point of asking alms? And he felt
bitter and ashamed at heart.

And the tears still dripped and dripped, mottling the grey dust.

Suddenly he heard some one calling him by name. He raised his weary
head and beheld in front of him a stranger: a face calm and dignified,
but not stern; eyes not beaming, but bright; a gaze penetrating, but not
evil.

"Thou hast given away all thy wealth," an even voice made itself
heard.... "But surely thou art not regretting that thou hast done good?"

"I do not regret it," replied the old man, with a sigh, "only here am I
dying now."

"And if there had been no beggars in the world to stretch out their
hands to thee," pursued the stranger, "thou wouldst have had no one to
whom to show thy beneficence; thou wouldst not have been able to
exercise thyself therein?"

The old man made no reply, and fell into thought.

"Therefore, be not proud now, my poor man," spoke up the stranger again.
"Go, stretch out thy hand, afford to other good people the possibility
of proving by their actions that they are good."

The old man started, and raised his eyes ... but the stranger had
already vanished,--but far away, on the road, a wayfarer made his
appearance.

The old man approached him, and stretched out his hand.--The wayfarer
turned away with a surly aspect and gave him nothing.

But behind him came another, and this one gave the old man a small alms.

And the old man bought bread for himself with the copper coins which had
been given him, and sweet did the bit which he had begged seem to him,
and there was no shame in his heart--but, on the contrary, a tranquil
joy overshadowed him.

May, 1878.

THE INSECT

I dreamed that a score of us were sitting in a large room with open
windows.

Among us were women, children, old men.... We were all talking about
some very unfamiliar subject--talking noisily and unintelligibly.

Suddenly, with a harsh clatter, a huge insect, about three inches and a
half long, flew into the room ... flew in, circled about and alighted on
the wall.

It resembled a fly or a wasp.--Its body was of a dirty hue; its flat,
hard wings were of the same colour; it had extended, shaggy claws and a
big, angular head, like that of a dragon-fly; and that head and the
claws were