“I remembered everything, as you see. By 
and by they each drank a glass of brandy and 
went to sleep, their foreheads turned up to the 
stars. I wanted so much to ask them to take 
me away with them and teach me to play on 
their instruments, but I did not dare; no doubt 
because it is always very difficult to decide to 
do anything, whatever it is, and also because I 
was afraid of being caught before getting out-
side France.” 
His three comrades showed little interest, 
which gave me to think “This little fellow is al-
ready an unintelligible.” I looked at him atten-
tively; in his eye and upon his brow there sate 
some precocious hint of doom, a thing which 
generally disarms, so to say, and which, I 
know not why, excited me to the point that for 
an instant I had a bizarre idea that I might 
have a brother unknown to myself. 
The sun was set. The solemn night was fal-
ling; the children parted, each one going, un-
known to himself, the prey of chance and cir-
cumstance, to ripen his destiny, to scandalize 
his neighbours, to gravitate towards glory or 
towards shame.