[To Madame Michelet.]
I dedicate to thee what is really thine own: three books of the fireside, sprung from our sweet evening talk,—
THE BIRD—THE INSECT—THE SEA.
Thou alone didst inspire them. Without thee I should have pursued, ever in my own track, the rude path of human history.
Thou alone didst prepare them. I received from thy hands the rich harvest of Nature.
And thou alone didst crown them, placing on the accomplished work the sacred flower which blesses them.
J. MICHELET.
