“Unfortunately!” I said, with a sigh.  “During an illness I lost my hair, nails, and shadow.  The hair and nails have grown again, but the shadow won’t.”

“That must have been a bad illness,” said the peasant, and walked on in silence till we reached the nearest side-road, when he turned off without saying another word.  I wept bitter tears, and my good spirits had vanished.  And so I wandered on sadly, avoiding all villages till nightfall, and often waiting for hours to pass a sunny patch unobserved.  I wanted to find work in a mine to save me from my thoughts.

My boots began to be worn out.  My slender means made me decide to buy a strong pair that had already been used; new ones were too dear.  I put them on at once, and walked out of the village, scarcely noticing the way, since I was thinking deeply of the mine I hoped to reach the same night, and of the manner in which I was to obtain employment.  I had scarcely walked two hundred steps, when I noticed that I had lost the road.  I was in a wild virginal forest.  Another few steps and I was on an endless ice-field.  The cold was unbearable, and I had to hasten my steps.  I ran for a few minutes, and found myself in rice-fields where Chinese labourers were working.  There could be no doubt; I had seven-league boots on my feet!

I fell on my knees, shedding tears of gratitude.  Now my future was clear.  Excluded from society, study and science were to be my future strength and hope.  I wandered through the whole world from east to west, from north to south, comparing the fauna and flora of the different regions.  To reduce the speed of my progress, I found I had only to pull a pair of slippers over my boots.  When I wanted money, I just took an ivory tusk to sell in London.  And finally I made a home in the ancient caves of the desert near Thebes.

Once in the far north I encountered a polar bear.  Throwing off my slippers, I wanted to step upon an island facing me.  I firmly placed my foot on it, but on the other side I fell into the sea, as the slipper had not come off my boot.  I saved my life and hurried to the Libyan desert to cure my cold in the sun; but the heat made me ill.  I lost consciousness, and when I awoke again I was in a comfortable bed among other beds, and on the wall facing me I saw inscribed in golden letters my own name.

To cut things short—­the institution which had received me had been founded by Bendel and the widowed Mina with my money, and in my honour had been called the Schlemihlium.  As soon as I felt strong enough, I returned to my desert cave, and thus I live to this day.

You, my dear Chamisso, are to be the keeper of my strange history, which may contain useful advice for many.  You, if you will live among men, honour first the shadow, then the money.  But, if you live only for your better self, you will need no advice.

* * * * *

CHATEAUBRIAND