Page:Twenty Thousand Verne Frith 1876.pdf/74

 Diderot has justly maintained that man’s gesture is metaphorical, and this little man was the living proof of that statement. One had a sort of feeling that his habitual discourse was made up of prosopopœia, metanymus, and hypallages. But I was not able to verify this, as he always used a peculiar and utterly incomprehensible idiom.

The second arrival deserves a more detailed description. A pupil of Gratiolet or Engel would have read his face like a book. I can easily recall his characteristics. Confidence in himself, for his head rose nobly from the arc formed by the line of his shoulders, and his dark eyes regarded you with a cool assurance. He was composed, for his face, more pale than ruddy, betokened a dispassionate nature. Energy he possessed, as demonstrated by the rapid contraction of the eyebrows. Finally, he was courageous, for his deep breathing denoted great vitality.

I should add that this man was proud, his firm and composed look seemed to reflect elevated thoughts, and, added to all this, the homogeneity of expression in the movements of his body and face, according to the observation of physiognomists, resulted in an indisputable open-heartedness.

I felt myself involuntarily reassured in his presence, and I augured well of our interview. This person might have been any age between thirty-five and fifty. He was tall, a wide forehead, straight nose, a well-shaped mouth, beautiful teeth, long, thin, and very muscular hands, worthy to serve an elevated and passionate mind. This was certainly the most admirable type of individual that