THE WALKS ABROAD OF 



men were already, by glances, inquiring from one 

 another what was to be done. From time to time 

 Eene went into the workroom to consult Cassandra. 



Cassandra gave no indication of. rising. 



"Mother Goose, loto, or dominoes?" said Le*on, 

 without preface, to his cousin. 



"A truce to unpleasant joking," said the Parisian. 

 " Certainly it is not worth while being a learned man 

 if you have nothing to amuse your friends with on 

 wet days, except some games borrowed from the 

 ancient Greeks, and by the Greeks very probably 

 from the Boeotians. I am suprised you do not make 

 the absurd proposal of showing me some toys or 

 picture books." 



" Exactly ! Why not ? " cried Leon, pretending 

 that an idea had all at once occurred to him, though 

 the sly fellow had been thinking of it for at least 

 ten minutes. "Fortunately I have quite handy a 

 book very curious to read, and all the more amusing 

 inasmuch as both text and illustrations can be con- 

 stantly varied. 



"Here it is : the microscope. With a good micro- 

 scope and appliances, and some knowledge of their 

 use, one may ensure never being lonely, even were 

 one in an out-of-the-way place in the country, and rain 

 should fall during forty days successively, as in the 

 time of the Deluge." 



The microscope was taken out of its case. 



