CHAPTER XI 



THE DWARFS 



A PROVENCAL proverb says: 

 "Chasque toupin trobo sa cubercello; 

 Chasque badan, sa badarello." 



It is true; every pot finds its lid, everyjack 

 his Jill. The hunchbacked, the blind, the 

 bandy-legged, the physically or morally de- 

 formed: one and all have their attractions 

 which render them acceptable in certain eyes. 



Insects too, no less than men and stew- 

 pans, always find their natural complement, 

 though it mate the faultless with the faulty. 

 Of this Minotaurus Typhceus furnishes a 

 splendid example. The hazards of excava- 

 tion present me with a curious couple, keep- 

 ing house at the bottom of a burrow. The 

 female calls for no special remark: she is 

 just a handsome matron. But the male! 

 What a sorry creature, what an abortion ! 

 The middle point of his trident is reduced 

 to a mere spiked granule; those at the side 

 come just level with the eyes, whereas in nor- 

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