232 The Life of the Spider 



counter-agents, produces an empty space, wide 

 enough for three fingers to pass through. 



The Spider retreats to her cable and looks on, 

 without being greatly frightened. When I have 

 done, she quietly returns. She takes her stand 

 on one of the halves, at the spot which was the 

 centre of the original orb ; but, as her legs find 

 no footing on one side, she soon realizes that the 

 snare is defective. Thereupon, two threads are 

 stretched across the breach, two threads, no 

 more ; the legs that lacked a foothold spread 

 across them ; and henceforth the Epeira moves 

 no more, devoting her attention to the incidents 

 of the chase. 



When I saw those two threads laid, joining the 

 edges of the rent, I began to hope that I was to 

 witness a mending-process : 



* The Spider,' said I to myself, ' will increase 

 the number of those cross-threads from end to 

 end of the breach ; and, though the added piece 

 may not match the rest of the work, at least it 

 will fill the gap and the continuous sheet will be 

 of the same use practically as the regular web.' 



The reality did not answer to my expectation. 

 The spinstress made no further endeavour all 



