n the floor." And at night he stretched himself, with the old
man, on the bear skin. Then Dea wept. She cried for her bed-fellow; but
Gwynplaine, become restless because he had begun to love, decided to
remain where he was. From that time he always slept by the side of Ursus
on the planks. In the summer, when the nights were fine, he slept
outside with Homo.

When thirteen, Dea had not yet become resigned to the arrangement. Often
in the evening she said, "Gwynplaine, come close to me; that will put me
to sleep." A man lying by her side was a necessity to her innocent
slumbers.

Nudity is to see that one is naked. She ignored nudity. It was the
ingenuousness of Arcadia or Otaheite. Dea untaught made Gwynplaine wild.
Sometimes it happened that Dea, when almost reaching youth, combed her
long hair as she sat on her bed--her chemise unfastened and falling off
revealed indications of a feminine outline, and a vague commencement of
Eve--and would call Gwynplaine. Gwynplaine blushed, lowered his eyes,
and knew not what to do in presence of this innocent creature.
Stammering, he turned his head, feared, and fled. The Daphnis of
darkness took flight before the Chloe of shadow.

Such was the idyll blooming in a tragedy.

Ursus said to them,--"Old brutes, adore each other!"

CHAPTER VI.

URSUS AS TUTOR, AND URSUS AS GUARDIAN.

Ursus added,--

"Some of these days I will play them a nasty trick. I will marry them."

Ursus taught Gwynplaine the theory of love. He said to him,--

"Do you know how the Almighty lights the fire called love? He places
the woman underneath, the devil between, and the man at the top. A
match--that is to say, a look--and behold, it is all on fire."

"A look is unnecessary," answered Gwynplaine, thinking of Dea.

And Ursus replied,--

"Booby! Do souls require mortal eyes to see each other?"

Ursus was a good fellow at times. Gwynplaine, sometimes madly in love
with Dea, became melancholy, and made use of the presence of Ursus as a
guard on himself. One day Ursus said to him,--

"Bah! do not put yourself out. When in love, the cock shows himself."

"But the eagle conceals himself," replied Gwynplaine.

At other times Ursus would say to himself, apart,--

"It is wise to put spokes in the wheels of the Cytherean car. They love
each other too much. This may have its disadvantages. Let us avoid a
fire. Let us moderate these hearts."

Then Ursus had recourse to warnings of this natur