asked M. Quiès. "We must find out how they got in. It is not natural."

"Oh, Theodore, do look here!" cried Mme. Quiès, presently, as she pointed out to her husband a huge ant-hill which had been deposited in a china-closet opening into the dining-room.

"What an extraordinary thing!"

I was in the china-closet to-day at noon, and there was nothing there then."

"It is not in one night that—”

"This is a trick that somebody has played us. Look, the ant-hill is stuck upon a board!"

"We have no ill-wishers that I know of."

"One is always more sure of having enemies than friends."

With this profound remark M. Quiès carried off the corpus delicti, in order to throw it into the wood on the far side of the garden, and afterwards returned with all speed to assist his wife in sweeping and brushing away the legions in occupation.

The next morning a strict inquiry was instituted. The servants, the gardener, and the under-gardener were questioned in vain. M. Quiès was about to have recourse to the juge de paix to claim the aid of his intelligence and the authority of his name in obtaining justice, when Baptistin entered the salon in which the court of inquiry had been held, in tears.

M. Quiès, who was exceedingly irritated, felt a sudden inclination to turn on the child and make him pay for the damage done, but the mother again interposed, fortunately, and said to the little fellow,

"What are you crying for?"

They-they-they are gone," sobbed out Baptistin. "Who are gone?"

"My ants."

M. Quiès made a spring into the air, and coming down

on his feet in front of his son, with his legs apart and a terrific frown upon his brow, shouted at him,—

You little wretch!"

So intense was his rage that he was unable to utter another word.

Baptistin, whose tears had been suddenly arrested by

this strange demonstration on the part of his father, stared at him with distended eyes.

"Question him, madame, question him."

"Tell me," said Mme. Quiès to the child, "was it you who brought the ant-hill into the house and put it in the china-closet?"

"Yes, ma."

"And what did you do it for?"

"I wanted to look at the ants."

"But you could look at them in the little wood where you got them."

"It's too far off, ma."

With this Baptistin fell a-crying once more, and nothing further could be elicited from him. After M. Quiès had recovered his temper, he drew the following sound conclusions from this adventure: That his son had an extraordinary taste for study; that he was gifted with precocious intelligence, because he had bethought him of placing the anthill on a board in order to carry it to the house; that such talents ought not to be left uncultivated; and finally, that it was his duty to send Baptistin to school.

He acted upon the latter conclusion the very next day; but three months after the departure of Baptistin there still remained ants in the house.

CHAPTER IV.

SAINT-PIGNON LES GIROUETTES.

THE process of dislodging the tenacious and exasperating insects proved to be so difficult and so costly-for the operation was only to be effected by extensive repairs-that the occurrence above related made a profound impression upon both the feelings and the pocket of M. Quiès. The result was that Baptistin was kept in a sort of perpetual disgrace, lest he should think proper to break out a second time. His visits to the town during the eight years of his life at school were few and brief. His studies did not suffer in consequence, nor did he suffer either. His indolent disposition led him to bestow little; it also hindered him from exacting much. He was well content with the amount of affection which his parents bestowed upon him once a week, and for the slight annoyance of feeling himself, so to speak, a prisoner, he was amply compensated by not having to walk five hundred yards in order to go from the school to his home, and five hundred yards more in order to do the return distance. The total of one thousand yards filled him with dread and repugnance. He therefore resigned himself to durance more readily than could have been supposed, and devoted to his studies all the time that the other boys passed in the fields.

So assiduous was the lad that he carried off all the prizes at every distribution, and one fine day, in spite of the ants which still lingered in his resentful memory, M. Quiès was obliged to acknowledge that he had a son of whom he might be proud, and to restore him to his heart and home.

Baptistin accepted the favour without either ingratitude or enthusiasm. With this revival of paternal affection a new feeling took possession of M. Quiès, from the very day on which Baptistin, having completed his studies, resumed his place by the paternal fireside. By dint of hearing it constantly said in the town, "Young Quiès is a wonderful boy!" or "The lad will do great things!" and even, "Baptistin will be an honour to the department!" M. Quiès had become convinced that his son's future distinction was a thing proper and personal to him, M. Quiès, and that one day a statue would be erected to him for the sole reason that he had been clever enough to be the father of his son.

This hallucination is not so extravagant as it seems at first sight; there are many people who seriously regard themselves as distinguished persons because they have occasionally shaken hands with an illustrious individual.

M. Quiès then resolved to extract as much advantage as possible from the talents of Baptistin, and for the furtherance of this object he made up his mind to send his son to Paris, there to qualify for the dignity of a licentiate and doctor of science.

The title of "Doctor" was all in all in his estimation.

We need not say, considering the disposition of the future laureate, that he turned a deaf ear to this proposal so long as he possibly could. At length his father resorted to the use of authority, simply ordering him to set out for the capital.

Baptistin took his place in the diligence, much against the grain, and travelled the twelve leagues with many and deep sighs. So long did the way seem that he asked himself very seriously whether he would not do well to settle down in some fixed post in the capital, so as to avoid the fatigue of the return journey.

He answered his own query first in the affirmative, then in the negative: he could not make up his mind to