170 Life of Auduhon. 



label, he bowed his body in acquiescence. ' Come and 

 breakfast with me, Mr. Parker, on Thursday next, at ten 

 o'clock, and I will be your man ;'_ and on he went quizzing 

 more lizards. 



" September 18. Went with Parker to Baron Cuvier's. 

 We met Miss Cuvier, who had made all preparations to re- 

 ceive us. The Baron came in and seated himself in a 

 comfortable arm-chair. Great men, as well as great 

 women, have their share of vanity, and I soon discovered 

 that the Baron thinks himself a fine-looking man. His 

 daughter seemed to understand this, and remarked more 

 than once, that her father had his under lip much more 

 swelled than usual ; and she added that the line of his 

 nose was extremely fine. I passed my fingers over mine, 

 and, lo ! I thought just the same. I see the Baron now 

 quite as plainly as I did this morning, an old green 

 surtout about him, a neckcloth, that would have wrapped 

 his whole body if unfolded, loosely tied about his chin, 

 and his silver locks looking like those of a man who 

 loves to study books better than to visit barbers. His 

 fine eye glistened from under his thick eyebrows, and he 

 smiled as he spoke to me. Miss Cuvier is a most agree- 

 able lady, and opening a book, she asked to read aloud 

 to us all ; and on she went in a clear, well-accented tone, 

 from a comic play, well calculated to amuse us for the 

 time, and during the monotony of sitting for a portrait, 

 which is always a great bore. Mrs. Cuvier joined us, and 

 I noticed her expression was one of general sadness, and 

 she listened with a melancholy air that depressed my own 

 spirits. The Baron soon expressed himself fatigued, and 

 went out, and I advised Parker to keep him as short a 

 time as possible. We were in one of his libraries, and 

 he asked his daughter to show us two portraits of himself, 

 painted some ten years ago. They were only so so. 

 Meanwhile the Baron named next Thursday for another 

 sitting. 



