He　has　got　up　and　sat　down　just　twenty　times。　　He　now　rises　for　the　twenty…first　time；　and；　as　he　has　not　been　able　to　see　Jeanne；　he　goes　away　feeling　as　unhappy　as　possible。
  The　moment　he　has　gone；　Jeanne　comes　into　the　City　of　Books；　under　the　pretext　of　looking　for　Hannibal。　　She　is　also　quite　unhappy；　and　her　voice　becomes　singularly　plaintive　as　she　calls　her　pet　to　give　him　some　milk。　　Look　at　that　sad　little　face；　Bonnard！　　Tyrant；　gaze　upon　thy　work！　　Thou　hast　been　able　to　keep　them　from　seeing　each　other；　but　they　have　now　both　of　them　the　same　expression　of　countenance；　and　thou　mayest　discern　from　that　similarity　of　expression　that　in　spite　of　thee　they　are　united　in　thought。　　Cassandra；　be　happy！　　Bartholo；　rejoice！　　This　is　what　it　means　to　be　a　guardian！　　Just　see　her　kneeling　down　there　on　the　carpet　with　Hannibal's　head　between　her　hands！
  Yes；　caress　the　stupid　animal！pity　him！moan　over　him！we　know　very　well；　you　little　rogue；　the　real　cause　of　all　these　sighs　and　plaints！　　Nevertheless；　it　makes　a　very　pretty　picture。　　I　look　at　it　for　a　long　time；　then；　throwing　a　glance　around　my　library；　I　exclaim；
  〃Jeanne；　I　am　tired　of　all　those　books；　we　must　sell　them。〃
  September　20。
  It　is　done！they　are　betrothed。　　Gelis；　who　is　an　orphan；　as　Jeanne　is；　did　not　make　his　proposal　to　me　in　person。　　He　got　one　of　his　professors；　an　old　colleague　of　mine；　highly　esteemed　for　his　learning　and　character；　to　come　to　me　on　his　behalf。　　But　what　a　love　messenger！　　Great　Heavens！　　A　bearneat　a　bear　of　the　Pyrenees；　but　a　literary　bear；　and　this　latter　variety　of　bear　is　much　more　ferocious　than　the　former。
  〃Right　or　wrong　（in　my　opinion　wrong）　Gelis　says　that　he　does　not　want　any　dowry；　he　takes　your　ward　with　nothing　but　her　chemise。　Say　yes；　and　the　thing　is　settled！　　Make　haste　about　it！　　I　want　to　show　you　two　or　three　very　curious　old　tokens　from　Lorraine　which　I　am　sure　you　never　saw　before。〃
  That　is　literally　what　he　said　to　me。　　I　answered　him　that　I　would　consult　Jeanne；　and　I　found　no　small　pleasure　in　telling　him　that　my　ward　had　a　dowry。
  Her　dowrythere　it　is　in　front　of　me！　　It　is　my　library。　　Henri　and　Jeanne　have　not　even　the　faintest　suspicion　about　it；　and　the　fact　is　I　am　commonly　believed　to　be　much　richer　than　I　am。　　I　have　the　face　of　an　old　miser。　　It　is　certainly　a　lying　face；　but　its　untruthfulness　has　often　won　for　me　a　great　deal　of　consideration。　There　is　nobody　so　much　respected　in　this　world　as　a　stingy　rich　man。
  I　have　consulted　Jeanne；but　what　was　the　need　of　listening　for　her　answer？　　It　is　done！　　They　are　betrothed。
  It　would　ill　become　my　character　as　well　as　my　face　to　watch　these　young　people　any　longer　for　the　mere　purpose　of　noting　down　their　words　and　gestures。　　Noli　me　tangere：that　is　the　maxim　for　all　charming　love　affairs。　　I　know　my　duty。　　It　is　to　respect　all　the　little　secrets　of　that　innocent　soul　intrusted　to　me。　　Let　these　children　love　each　other　all　they　can！　　Never　a　word　of　their　fervent　outpouring　of　mutual　confidences；　never　a　hint　of　their　artless　self…betrayals；　will　be　set　down　in　this　diary　by　the　old　guardian　whose　authority　was　so　gentle　and　so　brief。
  At　all　events；　I　am　not　going　to　remain　with　my　arms　folded；　and　if　they　have　their　business　to　attend　to；　I　have　mine　also。　　I　am　preparing　a　catalogue　of　my　books；　with　a　view　to　having　them　all　sold　at　auction。　　It　is　a　task　which　saddens　and　amuses　me　at　the　same　time。　　I　linger　over　it；　perhaps　a　good　deal　longer　than　I　ought　to　do；　turning　the　leaves　of　all　those　works　which　have　become　so　familiar　to　my　thought；　to　my　touch；　to　my　sighteven　out　of　all　necessity　and　reason。　　But　it　is　a　farewell；　and　it　has　ever　been　in　the　nature　of　man　to　prolong　a　farewell。
  This　ponderous　volume　here；　which　has　served　me　so　much　for　thirty　long　years；　how　can　I　leave　it　without　according　it　every　kindness　that　a　faithful　servant　deserves？　　And　this　one　again；　which　has　so　often　consoled　me　by　its　wholesome　doctrines；　must　I　not　bow　down　before　it　for　the　last　time；　as　to　a　Master？　　But　each　time　that　I　meet　with　a　volume　which　led　me　into　error；　which　ever　afflicted　me　with　false　dates；　omissions；　lies；　and　other　plagues　of　the　archaeologist；　I　say　to　it　with　bitter　joy：　　〃Go！　imposter；　traitor；　false…witness！　flee　thou　far　away　from　me　for　ever；vade　retro！　all　absurdly　covered　with　gold　as　thou　art！　and　I　pray　it　may　befall　theethanks　to　thy　usurped　reputation　and　thy　comely　morocco　attire　to　take　thy　place　in　the　cabinet　of　some　banker…bibliomaniac；　whom　thou　wilt　never　be　able　to　seduce　as　thou　has　seduced　me；　because　he　will　never　read　one　single　line　of　thee。〃
  I　laid　aside　some　books　I　must　always　keepthose　books　which　were　given　to　me　as　souvenirs。　　As　I　placed　among　them　the　manuscript　of　the　〃Golden　Legend；〃　I　could　not　but　kiss　it　in　memory　of　Madame　Trepof；　who　remained　grateful　to　me　in　spite　of　her　high　position　and　all　her　wealth；　and　who　became　my　benefactress　merely　to　prove　to　me　that　she　felt　I　had　once　done　her　a　kindness。。。。　　Thus　I　had　made　a　reserve。　　It　was　then　that；　for　the　first　time；　I　felt　myself　inclined　to　commit　a　deliberate　crime。　　All　through　that　night　I　was　strongly　tempted；　by　morning　the　temptation　had　become　irresistible。　　Everybody　else　in　the　house　was　still　asleep。　　I　got　out　of　bed　and　stole　softly　from　my　room。
  Ye　powers　of　darkness！　ye　phantoms　of　the　night！　if　while　lingering　within　my　home　after　the　crowing　of　the　cock；　you　saw　me　stealing　about　on　tiptoe　in　the　City　of　Books；　you　certainly　never　cried　out；　as　Madame　Trepof　did　at　Naples；　〃That　old　man　has　a　good…natured　round　back！〃　　I　entered　the　library；　Hannibal；　with　his　tail　perpendicularly　erected；　came　to　rub　himself　against　my　legs　and　purr。　　I　seized　a　volume　from　its　shelf；　some　venerable　Gothic　text　or　some　noble　poet　of　the　Renaissancethe　jewel；　the　treasure　which　I　had　been　dreaming　about　all　night；　I　seized　it　and　slipped　it　away　into　the　very　bottom　of　the　closet　which　I　had　reserved　for　those　books　I　intended　to　retain；　and　which　soon　became　full　almost　to　bursting。　　It　is　horrible　to　relate：　　I　was　stealing　from　the　dowry　of　Jeanne！　　And　when　the　crime　had　been　consummated　I　set　myself　again　sturdily　to　the　task　of　cataloguing；　until　Jeanne　came　to　consult　me　in　regard　to　something　about　a　dress　or　a　trousseau。　　I　could　not　possibly　understand　just　what　she　was　talking　about；　through　my　total　ignorance　of　the　current　vocabulary　of　dress…making　and　linen…drapery。　　Ah！　if　a　bride　of　the　fourteenth　century　had　come　to　talk　to　me　about　the　apparel　of　her　epoch；　then；　indeed；　I　should　have　been　able　to　understand　her　language！　　But　Jeanne　does　not　belong　to　my　time；　and　I　have　to　send　her　to　Madame　de　Gabry；　who　on　this　important　occasion　will　take　the　place　of　her　mother。
  。。。Night　has　come！　　Leaning　from　the　window；　we　gaze　at　the　vast　sombre　stretch　of　the　city　below　us；　pierced　with　multitudinous　points　of　light。　　Jeanne　presses　her　hand　to　her　forehead　as　she　leans　upon　the　window…bar；　and　seems　a　little　sad。　　And　I　say　to　myself　as　I　watch　her：　　All　changes　even　the　most　longed　for；　have　their　melancholy；　for　what　we　leave　behind　us　is　a　part　of　ourselves：　we　must　die　to　one　life　before　we　can　enter　into　another！
  And　as　if　answering　my　thought；　the　young　girl　murmurs　to　me；
  〃My　guardian；　I　am　so　happy；　and　still　I　feel　as　if　I　wanted　to　cry！〃
  The　Last　Page
  August　21；　1869。
  Page　eighty…seven。。。。　　Only　twenty　lines　more　and　I　shall　have　finished　my　book　about　insects　and　flowers。　　Page　eighty…seventh　and　last。。。。　　〃As　we　have　already　seen；　the　visits　of　insects　are　of　the　utmost　importance　to　plants；　since　their　duty　is　to　carry　to　the　pistils　the　pollen　of　the　stamens。　　It　seems　also　that　the　flower　itself　is　arranged　and　made　attractive　for　the　purpose　of　inviting　this　nuptial　visit。　　I　think　I　have　been　able　to　show　that　the　nectary　of　the　plant　distils　a　sugary　liquid　which　attracts　the　insects　and　obliges　it　to　aid　unconsciously　in　the　work　of　direct　or　cross　fertilisation。　　The　last　method　of　fertilisation　is　the　more　common。　　I　have　shown　that　flowers　are　coloured　and　perfumed　so　as　to　attract　insects；　and　interiorly　so　constructed　as　to　offer　those　visitors　such　a　mode　of　access　that　they　cannot　penetrate　into　the　corolla　without　depositing　upon　the　stigma　the　pollen　with　which　they　have　been　covered。　　My　most　venerated　master　Sprengel　observes　in　regard　to　that　fine　down　which　lines　the　corolla　of　the　wood…　geranium：　　'The　wise　Author　of　Nature　has　never　created　a　single　useless　hair！'　　I　say　in　my　turn：　　If　that　Lily　of　the　Valley　whereof　the　Gospel　makes　mention　is　more　richly　clad　than　King　Solomon　in　all　his　glory；　its　mantle　of　purple　is　a　wedding…garment；　and　that　rich　apparel　is　necessary　to　the　perpetuation　of　the　species。〃
  〃Brolles；　August　21；　1869。〃
  ＇Monsieur　Sylvestre　Bonnard　was　not　aware　that　several　very　illustrious　naturalists　were　making　researches　at　the　same　time　as　he　in　regard　to　the　relation　between　insects　and　plants。　　He　was　not　acquainted　with　the　labours　of　Darwin；　with　those　of　Dr。　Hermann　Muller；　nor　with　the　observations　of　Sir　John　Lubbock。　　It　is　worthy　of　note　that　the　conclusions　of　Monsieur　Sylvestre　Bonnard　are　v