“Taking any trouble at all;—but that, my dear Agnes, surpasses the lot of humanity. It is true that some persons are more highly gifted than others; but there is generally some serious drawback that reduces their lot to the level of that of other people; and, generally speaking, no talents are so useful as those which are in a great measure the result of our own industry.”
“But why did you wish to see the church, Agnes?” said her father.
“Because, papa, they say the stones of which it is built would not lie still in the valley where the people first wished to build the church; but ran rolling and tumbling along up hill as though they had been mad.”
“And the people must be mad who could believe so absurd a story.”
“Look, Agnes,” said Mrs. Merton, “at that butterfly! Is it not beautiful?”
“Oh, yes!” cried Agnes; “and there is another more beautiful still. How I should like to catch them.”
“We can admire them without catching them,” said her mother; “for I don’t like to torment poor innocent creatures merely because they are beautiful. Besides, that is a butterfly, called the Purple Emperor, which it is very difficult to catch, from the great height to which it flies.”
“Even if it were not, mamma,” said Agnes, laughing, “I do not think the Undercliffe would be a good place for a butterfly chase! But see, there is another butterfly of the same kind.—No, I see it is not, for it has red upon its wings.”
“That butterfly,” said Mrs. Merton, “is called the Alderman, I suppose partly from his gravity, and partly from his scarlet cloak, which you see he wears with great dignity. The caterpillar of this butterfly feeds on the nettle; and, generally, about July the female butterfly lays a single egg upon each leaf of the plant. The egg to the naked eye is scarcely bigger than the point of a pin; but when examined in a microscope, it is found to be curiously ribbed, almost like a melon cactus. As soon as the caterpillar is hatched, which it is by the heat of the sun, it begins to spin a kind of web, by means of which it draws the leaf together into a roundish hollow shape, so as to form a kind of boat, open at both ends. In this boat, or tent, the caterpillar lives; and it feeds on the lower part of the leaf, till, in a little time, it becomes perforated with holes.”
“How very much I should like to see some of these caterpillars, mamma!” said Agnes, “but no doubt I may some day, as I suppose if ever I find a caterpillar upon a nettle that this will be it.”