The Life of the Fly 



gress of science drawn up for the International 

 Exhibition of 1867, which had just closed. 



'Those books are for you,' continued the 

 minister. 'Take them with you. You can 

 look through them at your leisure : they may 

 interest you. There is something about your 

 insects in them. You're to have this too: it 

 will pay for your journey. The trip which I 

 made you take must not be at your own ex- 

 pense. If there is anything over, spend it on 

 your laboratory.' 



And he handed me a roll of twelve hundred 

 francs. In vain I refused, remarking that my 

 journey was not so burdensome as all that; be- 

 sides, his embrace and his bit of ribbon were 

 of inestimable value compared with my dis- 

 bursements. He insisted : 



'Take it,' he said, 'or I shall be very 

 angry. There's something else: you must 

 come to the emperor's with me to-morrow, to 

 the reception of the learned societies.' 



Seeing me greatly perplexed and as though 

 demoralized by the prospect of an imperial in- 

 terview : 



'Don't try to escape me,' he said, 'or look 



out for the gendarmes of my letter! You saw 



the fellows in the bearskin caps on your way 



up. Mind you don't fall into their hands. In 



466 



