“A death’s-head!” echoed Legrand—­“oh—­yes—­well, it has something of that appearance upon paper, no doubt.  The two upper black spots look like eyes, eh? and the longer one at the bottom like a mouth—­and then the shape of the whole is oval.”

“Perhaps so,” said I; “but, Legrand, I fear you are no artist.  I must wait until I see the beetle itself, if I am to form any idea of its personal appearance.”

“Well, I don’t know,” said he, a little nettled, “I draw tolerably—­should do it at least—­have had good masters, and flatter myself that I am not quite a blockhead.”

“But, my dear fellow, you are joking then,” said I; “this is a very passable skull,—­indeed, I may say that it is a very excellent skull, according to the vulgar notions about such specimens of physiology—­and your scarabaeus must be the queerest scarabaeus in the world if it resembles it.  Why, we may get up a very thrilling bit of superstition upon this hint.  I presume you will call the bug scarabaeus caput hominis[*] or something of that kind—­there are many similar titles in the Natural Histories.  But where are the antennae you spoke of?”

[* Scarabaeus caput hominis, “death’s-head beetle.”]

“The antennae!” said Legrand, who seemed to be getting unaccountably warm upon the subject; “I am sure you must see the antennae.  I made them as distinct as they are in the original insect, and I presume that is sufficient.”

“Well, well,” I said, “perhaps you have—­still I don’t see them”; and I handed him the paper without additional remark, not wishing to ruffle his temper; but I was much surprised at the turn affairs had taken; his ill humor puzzled me—­and as for the drawing of the beetle, there were positively no antennae, visible, and the whole did bear a very close resemblance to the ordinary cuts of a death’s-head.

He received the paper very peevishly, and was about to crumple it, apparently to throw it in the fire, when a casual glance at the design seemed suddenly to rivet his attention.  In an instant his face grew violently red—­in another as excessively pale.  For some minutes he continued to scrutinize the drawing minutely where he sat.  At length he arose, took a candle from the table, and proceeded to seat himself upon a sea-chest in the farthest corner of the room.  Here again he made an anxious examination of the paper; turning it in all directions.  He said nothing, however, and his conduct greatly astonished me; yet I thought it prudent not to exacerbate the growing moodiness of his temper by any comment.  Presently he took from his coat pocket a wallet, placed the paper carefully in it, and deposited both in a writing-desk, which he locked.  He now grew more composed in his demeanor; but his original air of enthusiasm had quite disappeared.  Yet he seemed not so much sulky as abstracted.  As the evening wore away he became more and more absorbed in revery, from which no sallies of mine could arouse him.  It had been my intention to pass the night at the hut, as I had frequently done before, but, seeing my host in this mood, I deemed it proper to take leave.  He did not press me to remain, but, as I departed, he shook my hand with even more than his usual cordiality.