26 THE CAUSE AND THE CAUSER,

she found Dr. Earwig in the way, who, under
pretence of apologizing for his accidental presence
there, took the opportunity of eyeing her proboscis
very carefully. And there assuredly was the
foreign body exactly like those he had seen before
—only not in the same position. Those on the
hee and the moth had lain in a very nearly hori-
zontal line—this stood as nearly upright. Stop
though! it was upright when he first looked at it,
but now moment by moment it was lowering
itself. “Tt’s falling off! Attached does not mean
stuck fast in this case,” thought the professor to
himself. But no! it only went on lowering till it
lay in an almost horizontal line like the others.
Then it stopped.

““ Allow me, madam,” cried Dr. Harwig in sheer
desperation. “A little something has fallen on
your proboscis, [ think,” and he whisked a feeler
against the foreign body as he spoke. He might
as well have whisked it against a rock.

“You see double this morning I fear, doctor,”
smiled the butterfly. ‘“‘My proboscis has only
dipped into a few nectaries of these charming