326 The Hunting Wasps 



cry of surprise, almost of alarm. Favier, for 

 his part, remained unmoved ; and, as he skil- 

 fully seized the terrible Spider struggling to get 

 away, he said : 



' I know that thing ; I Ve eaten it at Vasna. 

 It 's first-rate.' 



And he looked round at the bystanders with 

 an air of humorous mockery which was meant 

 to convey : 



' You 've never been out of your hole, you 

 people.' 



One more story of him, to have done. A 

 woman living in his nciglibourhood had been, 

 by the doctor's advice, to take the sea-baths 

 at Cette. She returned from her trip bringing 

 with her a curious thing, a strange fruit on which 

 she based high hopes. When held to the ear 

 and shaken, it rattled, proving that it con- 

 tained seeds. It was round and prickly. At 

 one end was a sort of bud, closed with a little 

 white flower ; at the other, a slight cavity was 

 pierced with a few holes. 



The neighbour ran round to Favier to show 

 him her find and asked him to mention it to 

 me. She would make me a present of the 

 precious seeds, the idea being that some wonder- 

 ful shrub would grow from them and beautify 

 my garden. 



' Vaqui la flou, vaqiii lou pecou : here is the 



