Twilight excites the mad. I remembered 
that I myself have had two friends that twilight 
positively afflicted; for the first, he lost under-
standing of all the relations of friendship and 
politeness and ill-treated the first-comer as a 
savage does. I have seen him throw an excel-
lent fowl at the waiter’s head because he 
thought he saw in it some insulting hiero-
glyph—how should I say what? The evening, 
forerunner of profoundest pleasures, spoilt the 
most toothsome things for him. 
The second, a man of wounded ambition, 
became, as the day fell, more bitter, more 
gloomy, more teasing; indulgent and sociable 
enough all day, in the evening he was pitiless, 
and it was not only upon others, but upon him-
self also, that his twilight mania was wont to 
wreak its rage. 
The first died insane, unable to recognize 
his wife and child; the second bears in himself 
the inquietude of everlasting little-ease, and 
though he were dowered with all the honours 
that republics can bestow, I think that the twi-
light would still inflame in him a burning desire 
of imaginary distinctions. The night which 
brings shadows, which brought shadows into 
their minds, makes light in mine. And though it 
is not so rare to see the same cause beget two