She opened her piano and began to play with such feeling, that the Spiders remained pensive in their webs on Granarius’ ceiling, and the flowers put their heads in at the window to listen.
“Ah me!” said Anna, “animals have more sense than the wise men who preserve them in glass-cases.”
Jules left the room, sad at heart, for the talent, beauty, and brightness of this good soul was struggling with the concert of vulgar coins which his red-haired bride was bringing to his door.
“Ah!” exclaimed Professor Granarius, “what have we here in the papers? Listen, Anna.
“ ‘Thanks to the efforts of the learned Professor Granarius, assisted by his clever pupil Jules Sauval, ten grains of cochineal have been obtained on the Nopal in the great palm-house. Doubtless this culture will flourish in our African possessions, and will free us from the tribute we pay to the new world. Thus the expense of the great palm-house has been justified—against which opposition was not slow to make itself heard—but the costly structure will yet render many valuable services to French commerce and agriculture. M. J. Sauval is named Chevalier of the Legion of Honour.’ ”
“M. Jules behaves badly to us,” said Anna, “for you have commenced the history of the Coccus cacti, and he has impudently taken up”——
“Bah!” said the professor, “he is my pupil.”
