“‘Oh! la, la, la, la, la!—Oh! la, la, la, la, la!’ and then a succession of screams in altissimo, which woke up the children and brought out the neighbours to see what could be the matter.
“‘Oh, monsieur a rapporté un sourd!’
“‘Un sourd!’ cried one.
“‘Un sourd!’ echoed another.
“‘UN S-O-U-R-D!!!’ cried they all in chorus; and then followed a succession of shrieks.
“When they calmed down into a mild sample of hysterics, they began to explain that I had brought home the most venomous animal in creation.
“‘Oh! le vilaín bête!’ cried Phyllis.
“‘Oh! le méchant!’ chimed in Abigail; ‘he kills everybody that comes near him; I have known fifty people die of his bite, and no remedy in the world can save them. As soon as they are bitten they gonflent, gonflent, and keep on swelling till they burst, and are dead in a quarter of an hour.’
“Here I transferred my curiosity from the basket to a glass jar, and put a saucer on the top to keep it safe.
“‘O Monsieur! don’t leave him so; if he puts himself in a rage, nothing can hold him. He has got such force that he can jump up to the ceiling; and wherever he fastens himself he sticks like death.’