"It washard and anxious work at first, and we worked strenuously, both of us. Everyday I was up at dawn, clearing, planting, working on my house, and at nightwhen I threw myself on my bed it was to sleep like a log till morning. My wifeworked as hard as I did. Then children were born to us, first a son and then adaughter. My wife and I have taught them all they know. We had a piano sent outfrom France, and she has taught them to play and to speak English, and I havetaught them Latin and mathematics, and we read history together. They can saila boat. They can swim as well as the natives. There is nothing about the landof which they are ignorant. Our trees have prospered, and there is shell on myreef. I have come to Tahiti now to buy a schooner. I can get enough shell tomake it worth while to fish for it, and, who knows? I may find pearls. I havemade something where there was nothing. I too have made beauty. Ah, you do notknow what it is to look at those tall, healthy trees and think that every one Iplanted myself. ""Let meask you the question that you asked Strickland. Do you never regret France andyour old home in Brittany?""Some day,when my daughter is married and my son has a wife and is able to take my placeon the island, we shall go back and finish our days in the old house in which Iwas born. ""You willlook back on a happy life, " I said.“开始一段日子工作非常艰苦。我们两个人拚死拚活地干活儿。每天天一亮我就起来，除草、种树、盖房子，晚上一倒在床上，我总是象条死狗似地一觉睡到天亮。我的妻子同我一样毫不吝惜自己的力气。后来我们有了孩子，先是一个男孩儿，后来又生了个女儿。我和我的妻子教他们读书。他们知道的一点儿知识都是我俩教的。我们托人从国内运来一架钢琴。我妻子教他们弹琴、说英语，我教他们拉丁文和数学；我们一起读历史。两个孩子还学会了驾船，游泳的本领也一点儿不比土人差。岛上的事儿他们样样都很精通。我们的椰子林长得很好，此外，我们那里的珊瑚礁上还盛产珠蚌。我这次到塔希提来是为了买一艘双桅帆船。我想用这艘船打捞蚌壳，准能把买船的钱赚回来。谁能说准，我也许真会捞获一些珍珠呢。我干的每一件事都是白手起家的。我也创造了美。在我瞧着那些高大、挺拔的椰子树，心里想到每一棵都是自己亲手培植出米的，你真不知道我那时是什么心情啊。”“让我问你一个问题：这个问题你过去也问过思特里克兰德。你离开了法国，把布列塔尼的老家抛在脑后，从来也没有后悔过吗？”“将来有一天，等我女儿结了婚，我儿子娶了妻子，能够把我在岛上的一番事业接过去以后，我就和我妻子回去，在我出生的那所老房子里度过我们的残年。”“你那时回顾过去，会感到这一辈子是过得很幸福的。”