alleries of the Museum, they viewed the stuffed quadrupeds with
amazement, the butterflies with delight, and the metals with
indifference; the fossils made them dream; the conchological specimens
bored them. They examined the hot-houses through the glass, and groaned
at the thought that all these leaves distilled poisons. What they
admired about the cedar was that it had been brought over in a hat.

At the Louvre they tried to get enthusiastic about Raphael. At the great
library they desired to know the exact number of volumes.

On one occasion they attended at a lecture on Arabic at the College of
France, and the professor was astonished to see these two unknown
persons attempting to take notes. Thanks to Barberou, they penetrated
into the green-room of a little theatre. Dumouchel got them tickets for
a sitting at the Academy. They inquired about discoveries, read the
prospectuses, and this curiosity developed their intelligence. At the
end of a horizon, growing every day more remote, they perceived things
at the same time confused and marvellous.

When they admired an old piece of furniture they regretted that they had
not lived at the period when it was used, though they were absolutely
ignorant of what period it was. In accordance with certain names, they
imagined countries only the more beautiful in proportion to their utter
lack of definite information about them. The works of which the titles
were to them unintelligible, appeared to their minds to contain some
mysterious knowledge.

And the more ideas they had, the more they suffered. When a mail-coach
crossed them in the street, they felt the need of going off with it. The
Quay of Flowers made them sigh for the country.

One Sunday they started for a walking tour early in the morning, and,
passing through Meudon, Bellevue, Suresnes, and Auteuil, they wandered
about all day amongst the vineyards, tore up wild poppies by the sides
of fields, slept on the grass, drank milk, ate under the acacias in the
gardens of country inns, and got home very late--dusty, worn-out, and
enchanted.

They often renewed these walks. They felt so sad next day that they
ended by depriving themselves of them.

The monotony of the desk became odious to them. Always the eraser and
the sandarac, the same inkstand, the same pens, and the same companions.
Looking on the latter as stupid fellows, they talked to them less and
less. This cost them some annoyances. They came after the reg