The Mason-Wasps 



Never have I effected a removal which 

 called for such nice precautions. An acci- 

 dental movement might easily break the 

 suspension-thread, which is so delicate that 

 it needs the magnifying-glass to distinguish 

 it; excessive oscillation might bruise the egg 

 against the walls of the cell: I had to be- 

 ware of turning it into a sort of bell-clapper 

 dashing against its bronze prison. I 

 walked, therefore, with the stiffness of an 

 automaton, all of one piece, with steps 

 methodically calculated. What a misfor- 

 tune should some acquaintance appear and 

 make me stop a moment, for a chat or a 

 shake of the hand: the least distraction on 

 my part would perhaps ruin my schemes! 

 Still more embarrassing would it be should 

 Bull, who cannot endure a black look, find 

 himself muzzle to muzzle with a rival and 

 try to get quits with him by flying at his 

 throat. I should have to put an end to the 

 fray, to avoid the scandal of a well- 

 brought-up Dog showing intolerance of the 

 village cur. The squabble would end in the 

 breakdown of all my experimental scaffold- 

 ing. And to think that the eager pre- 

 occupations of a person not entirely devoid 

 of sense may sometimes be dependent on a 

 Dog-fight ! 



48 



