The Last Heights 



venges " to be taken for the injustice which 

 Fabre had suffered. 



We have spoken of his early struggles in 

 the University, of his career, first hampered, 

 then shattered, of the jealousies and persecu- 

 tions evoked by this " irregular " self-taught 

 pioneer; no doubt the work of a triumphant 

 clique, which eventually drove him from the 

 house and slammed the door. This was, as 

 the reader may remember, on the occa- 

 sion of his lecture to young girls at Saint- 

 Martial. 



But now, on the 23rd of April 1911, a 

 fresh invasion of young girls, almost all 

 pupils of the University, burst into the 

 harmas. 1 And what had they to say? That 

 they came from Paris to visit the glories of 

 Provence, and that next to Mistral they had 

 wished to see Fabre, after the " emperor of 

 poetry," the " king of science," and they made 

 it clear that it was not only to the scientist, 

 but still more to the pioneer, the initiator 

 or why not say, with them, to the most 

 illustrious of " cronies " 2 that the girl 

 " cronies," as they called one another in their 

 group, had come to present their heart-felt 



1 This was the pilgrimage of the young girls of the 

 Universite des Annales politiques et litleraires. 



- The French words are " Cousins,"" Cousines." Cousin 

 trcousin, good friend, crony. B. M. 



367 



