The Life of the Weevil 



the emerald to the pearl? The whole 

 necklace throws me into an ecstasy of admi- 

 ration.' 



" 'Well, as for me, there is something of 

 which I am prouder than of all my sonnets, 

 something which has done more than my 

 verses to establish my fame.' 



"I open my eyes wide: 



'"What is that?' I ask. 



"The master gives me a mischievous 

 glance; then, with that fine light in his eyes 

 which fires his youthful features, he exclaims, 

 triumphantly : 



" 'I have discovered the etymology of the 

 word haricot.' 



"I was too much astounded even to laugh. 



" 'What I tell you is perfectly serious.' 



" 'My dear master, I knew your reputa- 

 tion for profound scholarship; but from that 

 to imagining that you owed your fame to 

 discovering the etymology of the word 

 haricot: ah no, I should never have expected 

 that ! Can you tell me how you made the 

 discovery?' 



"'With pleasure. It was like this: I 

 found some particulars about haricots when 

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