A YOUNG NATURALIST. 



445 



After dinner, when Lucien was going towards his pets 

 to give them some fruit, he saw an unfortunate tortoise 

 between Master Job's paws. The monkey was turning it 

 over, smelling at it, and then depositing it on the ground, 

 persistently poking his fingers into its shell, a proceeding 

 which by no means tended to enliven the melancholy ani- 

 mal. According to l'Encuerado's advice, Lucien stuck up 

 some branches near the water, and put the tortoise into 

 this miniature inclosure. 



Night came on, and Lucien was still teaching the birds 

 to say "Hortense" and "Emile." To our great astonish- 

 ment, Gringalet went and stretched himself close to Master 

 Job, who, without hesitation, commenced freeing him from 

 the vermin which were lodged among his hair; then the 

 two friends went to sleep side by side. About nine o'clock, 

 when I was making up the fire before going to rest myself, 

 Janet opened one of her eyes and chattered a short sen- 

 tence; but l'Encuerado was much too fast asleep to answer 

 her. 



