THE GREAT PEACOCK 199 



Noon struck as we were sitting down to table, when 

 little Paul, delayed by his absorption in the expected 

 event, suddenly ran to rejoin us, his cheeks glowing. 

 Between his fingers we saw the fluttering wings of a 

 handsome butterfly, caught but a moment before, while 

 it was hovering in front of my study. He showed it me, 

 questioning me with his eyes. 



" Aha ! " I cried, " this is precisely the pilgrim we are 

 waiting for. Fold your napkin and come and see what 

 happens. We will dine later." 



Dinner was forgotten before the marvels that came 

 to pass. With inconceivable punctuality the butterflies 

 hastened to meet the magical call of the captive. With 

 tortuous flight they arrived one by one. All came from 

 the north. This detail is significant. A week earlier 

 there had been a savage return of the winter. The bise 

 blew tempestuously, killing the early almond blossom. 

 It was one of those ferocious storms which in the South 

 commonly serve as a prelude to the spring. But the 

 temperature had now suddenly softened, although the 

 wind still blew from the north. 



Now on this first occasion all the butterflies hastening 

 to the prisoner entered the garden from the north. They 

 followed the direction of the wind ; not one flew against 

 it. If their guide was a sense of smell like ours, if they 

 were guided by fragrant atoms suspended in the air, they 

 should have arrived in the opposite direction. Coming 

 from the south, we might believe them to be warned by 

 effluvia carried on the wind ; coming from the north 

 in time of mistral, that resistless sweeper of earth and air, 

 how can we suppose that they had perceived, at a remote 

 distance, what we will call an odour ? The idea of st 



