“Is that your opinion of yourself, Mr. Herder?” said Rufus.

“Certainly.  I do know very little; —­ I will know more, I hope.”

“O Mr. Herder, you know enough,” said Rose.  “I shouldn’t think you would want to study any more.”

“If I was to say, I know enough, —­ that would be to say that I do not know nozing at all.”

“Mr. Winthrop, you don’t seem as interested as the rest of us,” said Elizabeth, perhaps with a little curiosity; for he had stood quietly by, letting even Mr. Satterthwaite push himself in between.

“O he,” said the naturalist, —­ “he knows it all before.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me!” said Elizabeth.

“I wasn’t asked,” said Winthrop smiling.

“Wint’rop comes to my room the nights,” Mr. Herder went on, —­ “and he knows pretty well all what is in it, by this time.  When he is tired himself wiz work at his books and his writings, he comes and gets rested wiz my stones and my preparations.  If you will come there, Miss Elisabet’, I will shew you crystals of quartz, and onyx, and all the kinds of chalcedony, and ozer things.”

“And I too, Mr. Herder?” said Rose.

“Wiz pleasure, Miss Rose, —­ if you like.”

“Mr. Herder,” said the young lady, “don’t you love everything very much?”

“I love you very much, Miss Rose,” said the naturalist, turning his good-humoured handsome face full upon her, —­ “I do not know about everyzing.”

“No, but I mean all animals and insects, and everything that lives?”

“I do not love everyzing that lives,” said the naturalist smiling.  “I do not love Mr. Heinfelt.”

“Who is Mr. Heinfelt?” said Rose.

“He is a man what I do not love.”

“No, but Mr. Herder, I mean, don’t you love other things very much —­ animals, and such things?  You have so much to do with them.”

“No —­ I have no love to spare for animals,” he said with a grave face.

“Don’t you love birds and animals, that you are always after and busy with?”

“No,” said the naturalist, —­ “I do not love them —­ I love what is back of all that —­ not the animals.  I keep my love for men.”

“Do you think you have any more in that direction, for keeping it from the others?” said Elizabeth.

“I do not understand —­”

“Do you think you love men any better because you don’t give animals any love at all?”

“I do love some animals,” said Mr. Herder.  “I had a horse once, when I lived in Germany, that I did love.  I loved him so well, that when a man did insult my horse, I made him fight me.”

Rose exclaimed; Elizabeth smiled significantly; and Winthrop remarked,

“So that’s the way your love for men shews itself!”

“No,” said the naturalist, —­ “no, —­ I never did ask a man to meet me more than that one time.  And I did not hurt him much.  I only want to punish him a little.”