"I was not allowed to read and my only distraction was the study of the
objects in my immediate neighborhood.

"The pattern of a screen made a particular impression upon me with its
clusters of flowers and its bouquets of roses.

"I passed hours in the contemplation of it.

"At first I merely followed the outlines with my eye, finding in them no
more than an artistic reproduction of nature. But, little by little, the
clusters of flowers were transformed into gardens, the rose-trees took
on the imposing aspect of forests. In these gardens my dreams created a
princess, and in the forest a company of warriors.

"Then the romance began.

"Every new line I observed became the pretext for creating a new
character. The princess was very soon taken captive by a giant--whom I
saw perfectly--and the warriors undertook the task of rescue.

"Every day a panorama moved before me of changing personalities, who
reenacted the events of the story. Finally the obsession took such a
strong hold of me that I began to talk about it in a manner that aroused
the fears of my parents.

"The screen was banished from my room and when, a few days later, it was
brought back for me to see, I was able to discover nothing more in it
than the designs with which it was adorned."

This example, taken directly from life, shows us better than the most