“But you will, doubtless, say such a condition is impossible—­the mind of man would break down under such a load of happiness.  And, moreover, whence could such happiness be derived?  What organs could transmit, and where could it find, such a sensation of universal life?

“This, ladies, is a question to which I can give you no answer; but I ask you to listen and then judge.

“The very day I arrived at the chalet I had made a singular remark—­the blind girl was especially uneasy about the bees.

“While the wind was roaring without Raesel sat with her head on her hands listening attentively.

“‘Father,’ said she, ’I think at the end of the apiary the third hive on the right is still open.  Go and see.  The wind blows from the north; all the bees are home; you can shut the hive.’

“And her father having gone out by a side door, when he returned he said—­

“‘It is all right, my child; I have closed the hive.’

“Half an hour afterwards the girl, rousing herself once more from her reverie, murmured—­

“’There are no more bees about, but under the roof of the apiary there are some waiting; they are in the sixth hive near the door; please go and let them in, father.’

“The old man left the house at once.  He was away more than a quarter of an hour; then he came back and told his daughter that everything was as she wished it—­the bees had just gone into their hive.

“The child nodded, and replied—­

“‘Thank you, father.’

“Then she seemed to doze again.

“I was standing by the stove, lost in a labyrinth of reflections; how could that poor blind girl know that from such or such a hive there were still some bees absent, or that such a hive had been left open?  This seemed inexplicable to me; but having been in the house hardly one hour, I did not feel justified in asking my hosts any questions with regard to their daughter, for it is sometimes painful to talk to people on subjects which interest them very nearly.  I concluded that Young gave way to his daughter’s fancies in order to induce her to believe she was of some service in the family, and that her forethought protected the bees from several accidents.  That seemed the simplest explanation I could imagine, and I thought no more about it.

“About seven we supped on milk and cheese, and when it was time to retire Young led me into a goodsized room on the first floor, with a bed and a few chairs in it, panelled in fir, as is generally the case in the greater number of Swiss chalets.  You are only separated from your neighbours by a deal partition, and you can hear every footstep and nearly every word.

“That night I was lulled to sleep by the whistling of the wind and the sound of the rain beating against the window-panes.  The next day the wind had gone down and we were enveloped in mist.  When I awoke I found my windows quite white, quite padded with mist.  When I opened my window the valley looked like an immense stove; the tops of a few fir-trees alone showed their outlines against the sky; below, the clouds were in regular layers down to the surface of the lake; everything was calm, motionless, and silent.