Raphael, the student and
man of science, looked respectfully at the naturalist, who devoted his
nights to enlarging the limits of human knowledge, and whose very
errors reflected glory upon France; but a she-coxcomb would have
laughed, no doubt, at the break of continuity between the breeches and
striped waistcoat worn by the man of learning; the interval, moreover,
was modestly filled by a shirt which had been considerably creased,
for he stooped and raised himself by turns, as his zoological
observations required.
After the first interchange of civilities, Raphael thought it
necessary to pay M. Lavrille a banal compliment upon his ducks.
"Oh, we are well off for ducks," the naturalist replied. "The genus,
moreover, as you doubtless know, is the most prolific in the order of
palmipeds. It begins with the swan and ends with the zin-zin duck,
comprising in all one hundred and thirty-seven very distinct
varieties, each having its own name, habits, country, and character,
and every one no more like another than a white man is like a negro.
Really, sir, when we dine off a duck, we have no notion for the most
part of the vast extent----"
He interrupted himself as he saw a small pretty duck come up to the
surface of the pond.
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