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 vii
Preface

Connections Forging a link between an essential concept

and everyday life sometimes profits by a more intensive look.
Sprinkled throughout the text are 32 full-page connections written
by the author that create these stronger links. There are four sorts:
Biology and Staying Healthy discusses health issues that impact
each student, such as Working Out, The Paleo Diet (you can see
this one on the right), and Why Don’t Men Get Breast Cancer?;
Today’s Biology examines advances in biology that importantly
affect society, such as the recent discovery that a father’s age criti-
cally affects the risk of mutations in his children—older fathers put
their babies at risk; A Closer Look examines interesting points of
biology in more detail, such as a two-page look at the extinct great
reptiles that fascinated so many of us as children in Dinosaurs, and
an examination of how beer is brewed, of more interest to college
students, in Microbial Bartenders; Author’s Corner takes a more
personal view (the author’s) of how science relates to our everyday
lives, such as Where Are All My Socks Going? These connections
are not intended to provide even more stuff that a student must learn
but rather to build bridges between the concepts treated in the text
and the world of more immediate interest to the student.

Following a Learning Path Students learn best when they are

given a clear idea of what they are supposed to learn. With this in mind,
each chapter is broken into conceptual blocks, each block introduced with
a specific learning objective that pinpoints the concept or process that is
the focus of the block. Listed at the beginning of the chapter to provide an
overview of what is coming, the individual learning objectives are repeated
again within the chapter when that content arises, placing the bull’s-eye
(the learning objective) right on its target (the text to be understood and
learned). At the end of each learning block, the student encounters a
­Putting the Concept to Work question. This question requires the s­ tudent
to draw a conclusion from what he or she has learned—to put the learning
objective to work and in that way reinforce its retention. As the student
moves through the chapter, these blocks of content form a learning path,
a conceptual journey taken one step at a time, each step reinforced as
it is taken.

Inquiry & Analysis One of the most useful things a student

can take away from his or her biology class is the ability to judge sci-
entific claims that they encounter as citizens, long after college is over.
When a new advance is announced on television or trumpeted by a
friend on Facebook, how relevant are the data being advanced to support
this claim? Is the claim justified by these data? Because it is touted on
the media doesn’t make a claim reliable. As an educated citizen who
has completed a biology course, a student should be able to make an
informed ­judgment. As a way of teaching that important after-the-class-
is-over skill, the Inquiry & Analysis features introduced in previous
editions have been expanded. All chapters now end with a full-page
presentation of an actual scientific investigation that requires the student
to analyze the data and reach conclusions. These exercises encourage a
student to think like a scientist does, evaluating alternatives carefully,
assessing the evidence. This is learning that lasts.
About the Author
Dr. George B. Johnson is a researcher, educator,
and author. Born in 1942 in Virginia, he went to college in
New Hampshire (Dartmouth), attended graduate school in
California (Stanford), and is Professor Emeritus of Biol-
ogy at Washington University in St. Louis, where he has
taught freshman biology and genetics to undergraduates for
over 35 years. Also Professor of Genetics at Washington
University’s School of Medicine, Dr. Johnson is a student
of population genetics and evolution, authoring more than
50 scientific journal publications. His laboratory work is
renowned for pioneering the study of previously undis-
closed genetic variability. His field research has centered on
alpine butterflies and flowers, much of it carried out in the
Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Wyoming. Other ecosys-
tems he has explored in recent years include Brazilian and
Costa Rican rainforest, the Florida Everglades, the seacoast
of Maine, coral reefs off Belize, the ice fields and mountains
of Patagonia, and, delightfully, vineyards in Tuscany.
A profilic writer and educator, Dr. Johnson is the
author of seven nationally recognized college texts for
McGraw-Hill, including the hugely successful majors texts
Biology (with botanist Peter Raven) and three nonmajors
texts: Understanding Biology, The Living World, and this
text, Essentials of The Living World. He has also authored
two widely used high school biology textbooks, Holt Biol-
ogy and Biology: Visualizing Life. In the 30 years he has
been authoring biology texts, over 3 million students have
been taught from textbooks Dr. Johnson has written.
Dr. Johnson has been involved in innovative efforts
to incorporate interactive learning and Internet experi-
ences into our nation’s classrooms. He has served on a
National Research Council task force to improve high
school biology teaching and as the founding director of
The Living World, the education center at the St. Louis
Zoo, where he was responsible for developing a broad
range of innovative high-tech exhibits and an array of new
educational programs.
St. Louis students may be familiar with Dr. Johnson as the author of a weekly science column, “On Science,” appearing for many years
in the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Dedicated to educating the general public about today’s science, Dr. Johnson continues to write new columns
regularly on current issues where science plays a key role, issues such as AIDS, the environment, cloning, genetic engineering, and evolution.
The columns, focused on explaining “how” and “why,” are intended to give readers the tools to think about these issues as citizens and voters.
You may follow his columns on Twitter @BiologyWriter.
Dr. Johnson is best known for the clarity of his writing. Most students are very interested in science, he points out, but are put off by the
terminology. When you don’t know what the words mean, its easy to slip into thinking that the matter is difficult, when actually the ideas are
simple, easy to grasp, and fun to consider. It’s the terms that get in the way, that stand as a wall between students and science. In his writing,
Dr. Johnson aims to turn those walls into windows, so that students can peer in and join the fun. Analogies are his tool. In each chapter, he
looks for simple analogies that relate the matter at hand to things we all know. As science, analogies are not exact, trading precision for clarity.
“But if I do my job right,” Johnson explains, “the key idea is not compromised by the analogy I use to explain it, but rather revealed.”
viii

Chapter 1 The Science of Biology
• The Biology of Aging: In 2015, the antiaging protein GDF11 is shown to reverse
aging (p. 17)
• Denisovan: genome of an unsuspected human ancestor (p. 32)
Chapter 2 The Chemistry of Life
• How cyanide poisoned Kentucky racehorse foals (p. 35)
Chapter 3 Molecules of Life
• Baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez and anabolic steroids (p. 51)
• New feature: Prions and Mad Cow Disease (p. 58)
• Chemical structures of sex hormones contrasted (p. 64)
Chapter 4 Cells
• Internal structure of single-celled protist Dileptus (p. 67)
• Role of gradients in directional cell-cell interactions (p. 90)
Chapter 5 Energy and Life
• Vegetarian and vegan diets (p. 93)
• Analysis of the diet of a cow (p. 102)
Chapter 6 Photosynthesis: Acquiring Energy from the Sun
• Attacking global warming by Fe fertilization of oceans (p. 105)
Chapter 7 How Cells Harvest Energy from Food
• New feature: Evaluation of the Paleo Diet (p. 131)
• The human body’s “set point” for controlling weight (p. 132)
Chapter 8 Mitosis
• How tanning causes skin cancer (p. 135)
• Curing cancer by disabling immune system inhibitors (p. 145)
• Role of UV in blocking p53 and so kick-starting cancer (p. 146)
Chapter 9 Meiosis
• Solving the evolutionary puzzle of the origin of sex (p. 149)
• Why parthenogenesis is common in nature (p. 158)
Chapter 10 Foundations of Genetics
• Public policy and childhood intelligence (p. 186)
Chapter 11 DNA: The Genetic Material
• Using DNA in crime scene investigations (p. 189)
• Revising the role of Wilkins in DNA studies (p. 192, 193)
• New feature: Father’s Age Affects Risk of Mutation (p. 199)
• DNA forensics from a single hair (p. 202)
Chapter 12 How Genes Work
• Editing your genes with CRISPR (p. 205)
• Role of RNA scaffolding in positioning the catalytic proteins of a
ribosome (p. 209)
• New feature: Can CRISPR Eliminate Malaria? (p. 219)
• Using CRISPR to edit sperm and eggs (p. 220)
Chapter 13 The New Biology
• Frankenfoods (p. 223)
• Are insect pests developing resistance to GM crops? (p. 237)
• Epigenetics (p. 239)
Chapter 14 Evolution and Natural Selection
• Your dog’s inner wolf (p. 249)
• Roles of genomic and mitochondrial DNA in evolution (p. 282)
Chapter 15 Exploring Biological Diversity
• How the platypus sees with its eyes shut (p. 285)
• Echidnas (p. 298)
Chapter 16 Evolution of Microbial Life
• Ebola epidemic of 2014 in Central Africa (p. 301)
ix
New to This Edition
• Potentially-habitable planet orbits distant star (p. 304)
• New feature: Microbial Bartenders (p. 307)
• Total revision of phylogeny of the protists to reflect new DNA genome sequence
analyses (p. 314)
• Total revision of phylogeny of the fungi to reflect
new DNA genome sequence analysis (p. 318)
Chapter 17 Evolution of Plants
• Account of primary succession on a new volcanic island (p. 323)
Chapter 18 Evolution of Animals
• Discovery of two previously unknown human species (p. 341)
• Our genome contains genes of three human species (p. 372)
Chapter 19 Populations and Communities
• Resource Partitioning Among Darwin’s Finches (p. 391)
• How Africanized bees outcompete Texas bees (p. 400)
Chapter 20 Ecosystems
• Is the ivory-billed woodpecker really extinct? (p. 403)
Chapter 21 Behavior and the Environment
• Human sex pheromones (p. 429)
• Menstrual synchrony and EST in sweat (p. 448)
Chapter 22 Human Influences on the Living World
• Polar bears lose their home to global warming (p. 451)
Chapter 23 The Animal Body and How It Moves
• Why osteoporosis is a woman’s problem (p. 473)
• Shifting the parathyroid hormone–calcitonin balance (p. 486)
Chapter 24 Circulation
• Vampires and vampire bats (p. 489)
Chapter 25 Respiration
• How whales live and breathe in the sea (p. 503)
• Lung cancer statistics updated (p. 511)
• Myoglobin and hemoglobin contrasted (p. 512)
Chapter 26 The Path of Food Through the Animal Body
• Causes of today’s type II diabetes epidemic (p. 515)
• Fecal transplants (p. 528)
Chapter 27 Maintaining the Internal Environment
• Why kangaroo rats never drink (p. 531)
• How camels and migrating birds conserve water (p. 540)
Chapter 28 How the Animal Body Defends Itself
• Promising new approach to AIDS vaccine (p. 543)
• AIDS statistics updated (p. 557)
• Combining broadly neutralizing HIV antibodies (p. 558)
Chapter 29 The Nervous System
• E-cigarettes and nicotine addiction (p. 561)
Chapter 30 Chemical Signaling Within the Animal Body
• The hormonal link between obesity and diabetes (p. 583)
• Endocrine disruptors, BPA, and breast cancer (p. 593)
Chapter 31 Reproduction and Development
• Gardasil: Should boys get a vaccine for cervical cancer? (p. 597)
• Genital warts (p. 614)
Chapter 32 Plant Form and Function
• Maple sap as squirrel candy (p. 617)
Chapter 33 Plant Reproduction and Growth
• Analysis of how redwood trees are able to grow so tall (p. 635)
• There are two different kinds of great redwood trees (p. 648)
 ® ® ® ® ®

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Acknowledgments
Every author knows that he or she labors on the
shoulders of many others. The text you see is the
result of hard work by an army of behind-the-
scenes editors, spelling and grammar checkers,
photo researchers, and artists who perform their
magic on my manuscript and an even larger army of
production managers and staff who then transform
this manuscript into a bound book. I thank them all.
The key players: Anne Winch was my devel-
opmental editor, as she has been on many of my
past books; she continues to be a delight to work
with, a strong but cheerful guide, experienced,
patient—and quietly inflexible when I am trying to
do something stupid.
Chris Loewenberg was my editor—what they
now call a “brand manager”—with whom I worked
every day. His background is in marketing, so he is
very sensitive to the audience for whom I am writ-
ing and doesn’t let me forget it. The strong approach
this edition takes to relevance in its Chapter Open-
ers reflects this. In the best of all possible worlds,
editors are supposed to guide authors; while after all these years another Texan. This edition involved the selection of a great many
authoring I don’t steer very easily, Chris has proven to be very good new photos, and Emily made this process a joy, while giving me a
at it, as the book shows. chance to create a stronger visual book.
Publisher Michael Hackett (what they now call Managing The work of my long-time, off-site developmental editors and
Director) solved the many management problems his author inad- right arms, Megan Berdelman and Liz Sievers, can be seen in every
vertently created in his excess of enthusiasm and provided valuable page of this book, years after they have ceased to actively work
advice and support. Mike has a clear vision of what tomorrow’s revising it. Every Connect and SmartBook question associated
digital textbooks will be like and never takes his eyes off of where with this text has Megan’s fingerprints on it. Liz’s intelligence and
he wants to go. In over 30 years of authoring textbooks, I don’t perseverance shape the layout of every chapter. Their creative con-
think I have ever enjoyed working with a publisher as much. tributions continue to play a major role in the quality of this book.
Marty Lange (General Manager) and Kurt Strand (Senior The marketing of this new edition was planned and supervised
Vice President) oversaw all of this with humor and consistent sup- by Marketing Manager Chris Ho, a new but more-than-eager war-
port. When I occasionally explode with irritation over paperwork rior working fist and glove with my editorial team while fighting
issues, Marty and Kurt calm me down—and then solve my prob- long hours in the trenches alongside the many able sales reps who
lem. I suspect there are few publishing companies where upper present my book to instructors. She was joined by Market Develop-
management is so hands-on involved with supporting their authors. ment Manager Jenna Paleski, whose incisive questioning revealed
This is one author who appreciates it. much new information about the needs of students and instructors
Kelly Heinrichs and Vicki Krug spearheaded our production across the country.
team, which for several editions now has made a habit of working Finally, I have authored other texts, and all of my writing
miracles with a tight schedule. Copy editors Emily Nelson (work- efforts have taught me the great value of reviewers in improving my
ing all the way from Texas) and Marilynn Taylor spent many texts. Scientific colleagues from around the country have provided
hours carefully trying to teach me, after all my years of writing, numerous suggestions on how to improve the content, and many
how to use a comma. I don’t easily learn new tricks—but it is instructors and students using previous editions have suggested
sometimes possible to teach me old ones. Thank you, Emily and ways to clarify explanations, improve presentations, and expand on
Marilynn, for your patience. important topics. I have tried to listen carefully to all of you. Every
The photo program was carried out by Lori Hancock, who as one of you has my thanks.
always has done a super job, with photos selected by Emily Tietz, George Johnson
xii
 Contents

Preface iv Water: Cradle of Life 44

2.4 Unique Properties of Water 44
0 Studying Biology 2 2.5 Water Ionizes 46

Learning 4 3 Molecules of Life 50

0.1 How to Study 4 Forming Macromolecules 52
0.2 Using Your Textbook 7
3.1 Building Big Molecules 52
0.3 Using Your Textbook's Internet Resources 9
Types of Macromolecules 54
Putting What You Learn to Work 11
3.2 Proteins 54
0.4 Science Is a Way of Thinking 11
3.3 Nucleic Acids 59
0.5 How to Read a Graph 13
3.4 Carbohydrates 61
3.5 Lipids 63

Part 1 4 Cells 66
The Study of Life The World of Cells 68
4.1 Cells 68
1 The Science of Biology 16 Kinds of Cells 71
Biology and the Living World 18 4.2 Prokaryotic Cells 71
1.1 The Diversity of Life 18 4.3 Eukaryotic Cells 72
1.2 Properties of Life 19
1.3 The Organization of Life 20 Tour of a Eukaryotic Cell 74
1.4 Biological Themes 22 4.4  he Plasma Membrane 74
T
4.5 The Nucleus: The Cell’s Control Center 76
The Scientific Process 24 4.6 The Endomembrane System 78
1.5 Stages of a Scientific Investigation 24 4.7 Organelles That Harvest Energy 80
1.6 Theory and Certainty 26 4.8 The Cytoskeleton: Interior Framework of the Cell 82
Core Ideas of Biology 28 Transport Across Plasma Membranes 84
1.7 Four Theories Unify Biology as a Science 28 4.9 Diffusion and Osmosis 84
4.10 Bulk Passage into and out of Cells 86
4.11 Selective Permeability 87
Part 2
The Living Cell 5 Energy and Life 92
Cells and Energy 94
2 The Chemistry of Life 34 5.1 T he Flow of Energy in Living Things 94
5.2 The Laws of Thermodynamics 95
Some Simple Chemistry 36
2.1 Atoms 36 Cell Chemistry 96
2.2 Ions and Isotopes 38 5.3 Chemical Reactions 96
2.3 Molecules 39

xiii
xiv Contents

Enzymes 97
5.4 How Enzymes Work 97
9 Meiosis 148
5.5 How Cells Regulate Enzymes 99 Meiosis 150
9.1 Discovery of Meiosis 150
How Cells Use Energy 100 9.2 The Sexual Life Cycle 151
5.6 ATP: The Energy Currency of the Cell 100 9.3 The Stages of Meiosis 152

6 Photosynthesis: Acquiring Energy

Comparing Meiosis and Mitosis 156
9.4 How Meiosis Differs from Mitosis 156
from the Sun 104
Photosynthesis 106 10 Foundations of Genetics 160
6.1 A n Overview of Photosynthesis 106 Mendel 162
6.2 How Plants Capture Energy from Sunlight 110
10.1  endel and the Garden Pea 162
M
6.3 How Photosystems Convert Light to Chemical
10.2 W hat Mendel Observed 164
Energy 112
10.3 Mendel Proposes a Theory 166
6.4 Building New Molecules 114
10.4 Mendel’s Laws 169
Photorespiration 115
From Genotype to Phenotype 170
6.5 P
 hotorespiration: Putting the Brakes on
10.5 H ow Genes Influence Traits 170
Photosynthesis 115
10.6 W hy Some Traits Don’t Show Mendelian

7 How Cells Harvest Energy from

Inheritance 172

Chromosomes and Heredity 175

Food 118
An Overview of Cellular Respiration 120
7.1 Where Is the Energy in Food? 120
Respiration without Oxygen: Glycolysis 122
7.2 Using Coupled Reactions to Make ATP
Respiration with Oxygen: The Krebs Cycle 123
7.3 Harvesting Electrons from Chemical Bonds
7.4 Using the Electrons to Make ATP 126
10.7 C
 hromosomes Are the Vehicles of Mendelian
Inheritance 175
10.8 Human Chromosomes 177
Human Hereditary Disorders 179
122 10.9 Studying Pedigrees 179
10.10 The Role of Mutations
in Human Heredity 181
123
10.11 Genetic Counseling and Therapy 185

Harvesting Electrons without Oxygen: 11 DNA: The Genetic Material 188

Fermentation 129
7.5 Cells Can Metabolize Food without Oxygen
Other Sources of Energy 130
7.6 Glucose Is Not the Only Food Molecule
Genes Are Made of DNA 190
129
11.1 The Griffith Experiment 190
11.2 The Hereditary Material 191
130 11.3 Discovering the Structure of DNA 192

DNA Replication 194

11.4 How DNA Copies Itself 194
Part 3 Altering the Genetic Message 198
The Continuity of Life 11.5 Mutation 198

8 Mitosis 134 12 How Genes Work 204

Cell Division 136 From Gene to Protein 206
8.1  rokaryotes Have a Simple Cell Cycle 136
P 12.1 The Central Dogma 206
8.2 Eukaryotic Cell Cycle 137 12.2 Transcription 207
8.3 Chromosomes 138 12.3 Translation 208
8.4 Cell Division 140 12.4 Gene Expression 211

Cancer and the Cell Cycle 143 Regulating Gene Expression 214
8.5 What Is Cancer? 143 12.5 T ranscriptional Control in Prokaryotes 214
12.6 Transcriptional Control in Eukaryotes 216
12.7 RNA-Level Control 218
 xv
Contents

15.3 Higher Categories 288

13 The New Biology 222 15.4 What Is a Species? 289
Sequencing Entire Genomes 224
Inferring Phylogeny 290
13.1 Genomics 224
15.5 How to Build a Family Tree 290
13.2 The Human Genome 226

Genetic Engineering 228 Kingdoms and Domains 294

15.6 The Kingdoms of Life 294
13.3 A Scientific Revolution 228
15.7 Domain: A Higher Level of Classification 296
13.4 Genetic Engineering and Medicine 231
13.5 Genetic Engineering and Agriculture 235

The Revolution in Cell Technology 238

16 Evolution of Microbial Life 300
Origin of Life 302
13.6 Reproductive Cloning 238
16.1 How Cells Arose 302
13.7 Stem Cell Therapy 240
13.8 Therapeutic Cloning 242 Prokaryotes 305
13.9 Gene Therapy 244 16.2 The Simplest Organisms 305

Viruses 308
16.3 Structure of Viruses 308
Part 4 16.4 How Viruses Infect Organisms 310
The Evolution and Diversity of Life
Protists 312
14 Evolution and Natural 16.5 General Biology of Protists
16.6 Kinds of Protists 314
312

Selection 248
Fungi 316
Evolution 250
16.7 A Fungus Is Not a Plant 316
14.1 D arwin’s Voyage on HMS Beagle 250
16.8 Kinds of Fungi 318
14.2 Darwin’s Evidence 252
14.3 The Theory of Natural Selection 253

Darwin’s Finches: Evolution in Action 255

17 Evolution of Plants 322
Plants 324
14.4 T he Beaks of Darwin’s Finches 255
17.1 Adapting to Terrestrial Living 324
14.5 How Natural Selection Produces Diversity 257
17.2 Plant Evolution 326
The Theory of Evolution 258
Seedless Plants 328
14.6 The Evidence for Evolution 258
17.3 Nonvascular Plants 328
14.7 Evolution’s Critics 262
17.4 The Evolution of Vascular Tissue 329
How Populations Evolve 266 17.5 Seedless Vascular Plants 330
14.8 Genetic Change in Populations 266 The Advent of Seeds 332
14.9 Agents of Evolution 268
17.6 Evolution of Seed Plants 332
Adaptation Within Populations 272 17.7 Gymnosperms 334
14.10 S ickle-Cell Disease 272 The Evolution of Flowers 336
14.11 P  eppered Moths and Industrial Melanism 274
17.8 Rise of the Angiosperms 336
14.12 Selection on Color in Guppies 276

How Species Form 279 18 Evolution of Animals 340

14.13 The Biological Species Concept
14.14 Isolating Mechanisms 280
15 Exploring Biological Diversity
The Classification of Organisms 286
15.1 The Invention of the Linnaean System 286
15.2 Species Names 287
279 Introduction to the Animals 342
18.1 G eneral Features of Animals 342
18.2 Six Key Transitions in Body Plan 344
284 18.3 The Animal Family Tree 346
Evolution of the Animal Phyla 348
18.4 T he Simplest Animals 348
18.5 Advent of Bilateral Symmetry 350
xvi Contents

18.6 C hanges in the Body Cavity 352 20.7 Latitude and Elevation 415
18.7 Redesigning the Embryo 357 20.8 Patterns of Circulation in the Ocean 416

The Parade of Vertebrates 360 Major Kinds of Ecosystems 418

18.8  verview of Vertebrate Evolution 360
O 20.9 Ocean Ecosystems 418
18.9 Fishes Dominate the Sea 362 20.10 Freshwater Ecosystems 420
18.10 Amphibians and Reptiles Invade the Land 364 20.11 Land Ecosystems 422
18.11 Birds Master the Air 368
18.12
18.13
Mammals Adapt to Colder Times 369
Human Evolution 370
21 Behavior and the Environment 428
Some Behavior Is Genetically Determined 430
21.1 A pproaches to the Study of Behavior 430
21.2 Instinctive Behavioral Patterns 431
Part 5 21.3 Genetic Effects on Behavior 432
The Living Environment Behavior Can Also Be Influenced by
Learning 433
19 Populations and 21.4 How Animals Learn 433
Communities 374 21.5 Instinct and Learning Interact to Determine
Ecology 376 Behavior 434
21.6 Animal Cognition 435
19.1 What Is Ecology? 376
Evolutionary Forces Shape Behavior 436
Populations 378
21.7 Behavioral Ecology 436
19.2 Population Range 378
21.8 A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Behavior 437
19.3 Population Distribution 379
21.9 Migratory Behavior 438
19.4 Population Growth 381
21.10 Reproductive Behaviors 440
19.5 The Influence of Population Density 384
19.6 Life History Adaptations 385 Social Behavior 442
19.7 Population Demography 386 21.11  ommunication Within Social Groups 442
C
How Competition Shapes Communities 387 21.12 Altruism and Group Living 444
21.13 Animal Societies 446
19.8 Communities 387
21.14 Human Social Behavior 447
19.9 The Niche and Competition 388

Species Interact in Many Ways 392 22 Human Influences

19.10  oevolution and Symbiosis 392
C on the Living World 450
19.11 Predation 394
19.12 Plant and Animal Defenses 396 Global Change 452
19.13 Mimicry 397 22.1 Pollution 452
22.2 Acid Precipitation 453
Community Stability 399 22.3 Global Warming 454
19.14 Ecological Succession 399 22.4 Loss of Biodiversity 455
22.5 The Ozone Hole 457
20 Ecosystems 402 Saving Our Environment 458
The Energy in Ecosystems 404 22.6 Reducing Pollution 458
20.1 Energy Flows Through Ecosystems 404 22.7 Preserving Nonreplaceable Resources 459
20.2 Ecological Pyramids 408 22.8 Curbing Population Growth 461
Materials Cycle Within Ecosystems 409 Solving Environmental Problems 464
20.3 The Water Cycle 409 22.9 P reserving Endangered Species 464
20.4 The Carbon Cycle 411 22.10 Finding Cleaner Sources of Energy 467
20.5 The Nitrogen and Phosphorus Cycles 412 22.11 Individuals Can Make the Difference 469
How Weather Shapes Ecosystems 414
20.6 The Sun and Atmospheric Circulation 414
 xvii
Contents

Part 6 27 Maintaining the Internal

Animal Life Environment 530
Homeostasis 532
23 The Animal Body 27.1 How the Animal Body Maintains Homeostasis 532
and How It Moves 472 Osmoregulation 534
The Animal Body Plan 474 27.2 R egulating the Body’s Water Content 534
23.1 Organization of the Vertebrate Body 474 27.3 The Mammalian Kidney 536
Tissues of the Vertebrate Body 476 27.4 Eliminating Nitrogenous Wastes 539
23.2 E pithelium Is Protective Tissue 476
23.3 Connective Tissue Carries Out Various 28 How the Animal
Functions 477 Body Defends Itself 542
23.4 Muscle Tissue Lets the Body Move 479 Three Lines of Defense 544
23.5 Nerve Tissue Conducts Signals Rapidly 480
28.1 S kin: The First Line of Defense 544
The Skeletal and Muscular Systems 481 28.2 Cellular Counterattack: The Second Line of
23.6 Types of Skeletons 481 Defense 546
23.7 Muscles and How They Work 483 28.3 Specific Immunity: The Third Line of Defense 548

The Immune Response 549

24 Circulation 488 28.4 I nitiating the Immune Response 549
Circulation 490 28.5 T Cells: The Cellular Response 550
24.1 O pen and Closed Circulatory Systems 490 28.6 B Cells: The Humoral Response 551
24.2 Architecture of the Vertebrate Circulatory 28.7 Active Immunity Through Clonal Selection 553
System 492 28.8 Vaccination 554
24.3 Blood 495 28.9 Antibodies in Medical Diagnosis 555
24.4 Human Circulatory System 497
Defeat of the Immune System 556

25 Respiration 502
28.10 O veractive Immune System 556
28.11 AIDS: Immune System Collapse 557
Respiration 504
25.1  ypes of Respiratory Systems 504
T 29 The Nervous System 560
25.2 Respiration in Aquatic Vertebrates 505
Neurons and How They Work 562
25.3 The Mammalian Respiratory System 506
29.1 T he Animal Nervous System 562
25.4 How Respiration Works: Gas Exchange 508
29.2 Neurons and Nerve Impulses 563
Lung Cancer and Smoking 510 29.3 The Synapse 565
25.5 The Nature of Lung Cancer 510
The Central Nervous System 567

26 The Path of Food Through the

29.4 How the Brain Works 567
29.5 The Spinal Cord 570
Animal Body 514
The Peripheral Nervous System 571
Food Energy and Essential Nutrients 516
29.6 T
 he Voluntary and Autonomic
26.1 Food for Energy and Growth 516 Nervous Systems 571
Digestion 518 The Sensory Nervous System 573
26.2  ypes of Digestive Systems 518
T 29.7  ensing the Internal Environment 573
S
26.3 Vertebrate Digestive Systems 519 29.8 Sensing Gravity and Motion 574
26.4 The Mouth and Teeth 520 29.9 Sensing Chemicals: Taste and Smell 575
26.5 The Esophagus and Stomach 522 29.10 Sensing Sounds: Hearing 576
26.6 The Small and Large Intestines 524 29.11 Sensing Light: Vision 577
26.7 Accessory Digestive Organs 526
xviii Contents

30 Chemical Signaling
The Plant Body 622
32.3 Roots 622
Within the Animal Body 582 32.4 Stems 624
The Neuroendocrine System 584 32.5 Leaves 626
30.1 Hormones 584
Plant Transport and Nutrition 628
30.2 How Hormones Target Cells 586
32.6 Water Movement 628
The Major Endocrine Glands 588 32.7 Carbohydrate Transport 631
30.3 T he Hypothalamus and the Pituitary 588
30.4 The Pancreas 590 33 Plant Reproduction and Growth 634
30.5 The Thyroid, Parathyroid, and Adrenal Glands 591
Flowering Plant Reproduction 636

31 Reproduction and Development 596

33.1
33.2
 ngiosperm Reproduction
A
Seeds 639
636

Modes of Reproduction 598 33.3 Fruit 640

31.1 Asexual and Sexual Reproduction 598 33.4 Germination 641

The Human Reproductive System 600 Regulating Plant Growth 642

31.2 Males 600 33.5 Plant Hormones 642
31.3 Females 602 33.6 Auxin 644
31.4 Hormones Coordinate the Reproductive Cycle 604
Plant Responses to Environmental Stimuli 646
The Course of Development 606 33.7 Photoperiodism and Dormancy 646
31.5 E mbryonic Development 606 33.8 Tropisms 647
31.6 Fetal Development 610

Birth Control and Sexually Transmitted

Glossary 650
Diseases 612
Credits 664
31.7 C
 ontraception and Sexually Transmitted
Subject Index 667
Diseases 612

Application Index 685

Part 7
Plant Life

32 Plant Form and

Function 616
Structure and Function of Plant Tissues 618
32.1 Organization of a Vascular Plant 618
32.2 Plant Tissue Types 619
0
Studying
Biology

HER SUCCESS WILL depend not only on how much she

studies, but also on when.
 Pulling an All-Nighter LE A R N I N G PATH ▼

A t some point in the next months you will face that scary rite, the first exam in this
course. Many students face the challenge of exams by cramming. They live and die
by the all-nighter, black coffee their closest friend during exam week and sleep a
luxury they can’t afford. Trying to cram enough in to meet any possible question, they feel they
can’t waste time sleeping.
Learning
1. How to Study
0.1.1 Explain why it is important to
If you take this approach, you won’t have much luck. Why doesn’t the hard work of cramming recopy your lecture notes promptly.
give good grades? Because of how humans learn. Researchers have demonstrated that memory of 0.1.2 Name two things you can do to
newly learned information improves only after hours of sleeping. If you wanted to do well on an exam, slow down the forgetting process.
you could not have chosen a poorer way to prepare than an all-nighter. 0.1.3 List three general means of
Learning is, in its most basic sense, a matter of forming memories. Research shows that a person rehearsal.
trying to learn something does not improve his or her knowledge until after they have had more than 0.1.4 Describe three strategies to
six hours of sleep (preferably eight). It seems the brain needs time to file new information away in the improve studying efficiency.
proper slots so they can be retrieved later. Without enough sleep to do this filing, new information
2. Using Your Textbook
does not get properly encoded into the brain’s memory circuits.
To sort out the role of sleep in learning, Harvard Medical School researchers used undergrads as
0.2.1 Describe how you can use your
guinea pigs. The undergraduates were trained to look for particular visual targets on a computer screen text to reinforce and clarify what you
and to push a button as soon as they were sure they had seen one. At first, responses were relatively learn in lecture.
sluggish—it typically took 400 milliseconds for a target to reach a student’s conscious awareness. With 0.2.2 Review the assessment tools
an hour’s training, however, many students were hitting the button correctly in 75 milliseconds. that your text provides to help you
How well had they learned? When retested from 3 to 12 hours later on the same day, there was master the material.
no further improvement past a student’s best time in the training session. If the researchers let a 3. Using Your Textbook’s
student get a little sleep, but less than six hours, then retested the next day, the student still showed Internet Resources
no improvement in performing the target identification.
For students who slept more than six hours,
0.3.1 Describe the five kinds of
the story was very different. Sleep greatly improved
interactive questions encountered
performance. Students who achieved 75 millisec- in Connect.
onds in the training session would reliably perform 0.3.2 Describe how LearnSmart and
the target identification in 62 milliseconds after a SmartBook test how well you have
good night’s sleep! After several nights of ample learned.
sleep, they often got even more proficient.
Why six or eight hours, and not four or five? Putting What You Learn to Work
The sort of sleeping you do at the beginning of a 4. Science Is a Way of Thinking
night’s sleep and the sort you do at the end are 0.4.1 Analyze how biological
different, and both, it appears, are required for scientists have come to a conclusion
efficient learning.
when confronted with problems of
The first two hours of sleeping are spent in deep sleep, what psychiatrists call slow-wave sleep.
major public importance.
During this time, certain brain chemicals become used up, which allows information that has been
gathered during the day to flow out of the memory center of the brain, the hippocampus, and into the
5. How to Read a Graph
cortex, the outer covering of the brain where long-term memories are stored. Like moving information 0.5.1 Explain why correlation of
in a computer from active memory to the hard drive, this process preserves experience for future dependent variables does not prove
reference. Without it, long-term learning cannot occur. causation.
Over the next hours, the cortex sorts through the information it has received, distributing it to 0.5.2 Discriminate between arithmetic
various locations and networks. Particular connections between nerve cells become strengthened and logarithmic scales.
as memories are preserved, a process that is thought to require the time-consuming manufacturing 0.5.3 Explain how a regression line
of new proteins. If you halt this process before it is complete, the day’s memories do not get fully
is drawn.
“transcribed,” and you don’t remember all that you would have, had you allowed the process to
0.5.4 List and discuss the four distinct
continue to completion. A few hours are just not enough time to get the job done. Four hours, the
Harvard researchers estimate, is a minimum requirement.
steps scientists use to analyze a graph.
The last two hours of a night’s uninterrupted sleep are spent in rapid-eye-movement (rem) sleep.
This is when dreams occur. The brain shuts down the connection to the hippocampus and runs through
the data it has stored over the previous hours. This process is also important to learning, as it reinforces
and strengthens the many connections between nerve cells that make up the new memory. Like a child
repeating a refrain to memorize it, the brain goes over what it has learned, until practice makes perfect.
That’s why getting by on three or four hours of sleep during exam week and crashing for 12 hours
on weekends doesn’t work. After a few days, all of the facts memorized during “all-nighters” fade away,

never given a chance to integrate properly into memory circuits. 3
4 Chapter 0 Studying Biology

Learning
Take
0.1 How to Study
Get a good night’s sleep before the exam exam
Taking Notes
Revisit notes & text where indicated
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 0.1.1 Explain why it is important to
Quiz yourself
Review revised notes recopy your lecture notes promptly.
Learning

for exams

Recopy notes Listening to lectures and reading the text are only the first steps in
Link notes to text
soon after lecture learning enough to do well in a biology course. The key to mastering
Attend Take comprehensive notes
the mountain of information and concepts you are about to encounter is
lecture to take careful notes. Studying from poor-quality notes that are sparse,
disorganized, and barely intelligible is not a productive way to approach
Read assigned
text before lecture preparing for an exam.
There are three simple ways to improve the quality of your notes:
Time
1. Take many notes. Always attempt to take the most complete notes
Figure 0.1 A learning timeline.
possible during class. If you miss class, take notes yourself from a tape
of the lecture, if at all possible. It is the process of taking notes that
promotes learning. Using someone else’s notes is but a poor substitute.
When someone else takes the notes, that person tends to do most of the
learning as well.
2. Take paraphrased notes. Develop a legible style of abbreviated
note taking. Obviously, there are some things that cannot be easily
paraphrased (referred to in a simpler way), but using abbreviations
and paraphrasing will permit more comprehensive notes. Attempting
to write complete organized sentences in note taking is frustrating and
too time-consuming—people just talk too fast!
3. Revise your notes. As soon as possible after lecture, you should deci-
pher and revise your notes. Nothing else in the learning process is more
important, because this is where most of your learning will take place.
By revising your notes, you meld the information together and put it into
a context that is understandable to you. As you revise your notes, orga-
nize the material into major blocks of information with simple “heads”
to identify each block. Add ideas from your reading of the text and note
links to material in other lectures. Clarify terms and concepts that might
be confusing with short notes and definitions. Thinking through the ideas
of the lecture in this organized way will crystallize them for you, which
is the key step in learning. Also, simply rewriting your notes to make
them legible, neat, and tidy can be a tremendous improvement that will
further enhance your ease of learning (figure 0.1).

BIOLOGY & YOU Remembering and Forgetting

Improving Memory. There is an active mar-
ket on the Internet for commercial products that claim to
improve your memory. Many of these products involve repetitive
games or other gimmicks; few have any lasting impact on
memory. Psychologists have carried out considerable research
on this subject and have found that the best way to improve
memory seems to be to increase the supply of oxygen to the
brain. How do you do this? These researchers recommend aero-
bic exercise. Walking for three hours each week significantly
increases brain oxygen levels, as does swimming or cycling.
One study found that chewing gum while studying will supply the
brain with enough oxygen to improve memorizing items simply
because of the muscle movement.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 0.1.2 Name two things you can do to
slow down the forgetting process.
Learning is the process of placing information in your memory. Just as
in your computer, there are two sorts of memory. The first, short-term
memory, is analogous to the RAM (random access memory) of a computer,
holding information for only a short period of time. Like in your computer,
this memory is constantly being “written over” as new information comes
in. The second kind of memory, long-term memory, consists of information
that you have stored in your memory banks for future retrieval, like storing
files on your computer’s hard drive. In its simplest context, learning is the
process of transferring information to your hard drive.
 Chapter 0 Studying Biology5

Forgetting is the loss of information stored in memory. Most of what

we forget when taking exams is the natural consequence of short-term
memories not being effectively transferred to long-term memory. Forget-
ting occurs very rapidly, dropping to below 50% retention within one hour
after learning and leveling off at about 20% retention after 24 hours.
There are many things you can do to slow down the forgetting process.
Here are two important ones:
1. Recopy your notes as soon as possible after lecture. Remember,
there is about a 50% memory loss in the first hour. You should use your
textbook as well when recopying your notes.
2. Establish a purpose for reading. When you sit down to study your
textbook, have a definite goal to learn a particular concept. Each chap-
ter begins with a preview of its key concepts—let them be your guides.
Do not try and learn the entire contents of a chapter in one session;
break it up into small pieces that are “easily digested.”

Learning
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 0.1.3 List three general means of
rehearsal.

Learning may be viewed as the efficient transfer of information from your

short-term memory to your long-term memory. Learning strategists refer
to this transfer as rehearsal. As its name implies, rehearsal always involves
some form of repetition. There are four general means of rehearsal in the
jargon of education called “critical thinking skills” (figure 0.2).
Repeating. The most obvious form of rehearsal is repetition. To learn
facts, the sequence of events in a process, or the names of a group of things,
you write them down, say them aloud, and mentally repeat them over and
over until you have “memorized” them. This often is a first step on the
road to learning. Many students mistake this as the only step. It is not, as
it involves only rote memory instead of understanding. If all you do in this Figure 0.2 Learning requires work.
course is memorize facts, you will not succeed. Learning is something you do, not something that happens to you.

Organizing. It is important to organize the information you are attempt- IMPLICATION FOR YOU If you are honest with yourself, how
ing to learn, because the process of sorting and ordering increases reten- many of the four rehearsal techniques (critical thinking skills) do you
tion. For example, if you place a sequence of events in order, such as the use when you take a science course like this one? Do you think they
stages of mitosis, you will be able to recall the entire sequence if you can are as important in nonscience classes like English or history? Why?
remember what gets the sequence started.
Linking. Biology has a natural hierarchy of information, with terms and
concepts nested within other terms and concepts. You will learn facts and
concepts more easily if you attempt to connect them with something you
already know, linking them to some information that is already stored in
your memory. Throughout this textbook, you will see arrows, like the one
in figure 0.3, indicating such links. Use them to check back over concepts
and processes you have already learned. You will be surprised how much
doing this will help you learn the new material. Throughout the text, these arrows
will direct you back to related infor-
Connecting. You will learn biology much more effectively if you relate mation presented in an earlier
what you are learning to the world around you. The many challenges of chapter.

living in today’s world are often related to the information presented in

this course, and understanding these relationships will help you learn. In Figure 0.3 Linking concepts.
each chapter of this textbook you will encounter several Apps (Application These linking arrows, found throughout the text, will help you to form
dialogs) in the outer margins (there is a “BIOLOGY & YOU” App on the connections between seemingly discrete topics covered earlier in
facing page) that allow you to briefly explore a “real-world” topic related the text.
to what you are learning. Read them. You may not be tested on these Apps,
but reading them will provide you with another “hook” to help you learn
the material on which you will be tested.
6 Chapter 0 Studying Biology
Figure 0.4 Critical learning occurs in the classroom.
Learning occurs in at least four distinct stages: doing assigned
textbook readings before lecture; attending class; listening and
taking notes during lecture; and recopying notes shortly after lecture.
If you are diligent in these steps, then studying lecture notes and
text assignments before exams is much more effective. Skipping any
of these stages makes it far less likely that you will learn successfully.
Studying to Learn
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 0.1.4 Describe three strategies to
improve studying efficiency.
If I have heard it once, I have heard it a thousand times, “Gee, Professor John-
son, I studied for 20 hours straight and I still got a D.” By now, you should be
getting the idea that just throwing time at the material does not ensure a favor-
able outcome. Many students treat studying for biology like penance: If you
do it, you will be rewarded for having done so. Not always.
The length of time spent studying and the spacing between study or
reading sessions directly affect how much you learn. If you had 10 hours
to spend studying, you would be better off if you broke it up into 10 one-
hour sessions than to spend it all in one or two sessions. There are two
good reasons for this:
First, we know from formal cognition research (as well as from our
everyday life experiences) that we remember “beginnings” and “endings”
but tend to forget “middles.” Thus, the learning process can benefit from
many “beginnings” and “endings.”
Second, unless you are unusual, after 30 minutes or an hour your abil-
ity to concentrate is diminished. Concentration is a critical component of
studying to learn. Many short, topic-focused study sessions maximize your
ability to concentrate effectively. For most of us, effective concentration
also means a comfortable, quiet environment with no outside distractions
like loud music or conversations.
It is important to realize that learning biology is not something you can do
passively. Many students think that simply possessing a lecture video or a set
of class notes will get them through. In and of themselves, videos and notes
are no more important than the Nautilus machine an athlete works out on. It
is not the machine per se, but what happens when you use it effectively, that
is of importance.
Common sense will have a great deal to do with your success in learn-
ing biology, as it does in most of life’s endeavors. Your success in this
biology course will depend on simple, obvious things (figure 0.4):
•• Attend class. Go to all the lectures and be on time.
•• Read the assigned readings before lecture. If you have done so, you
will hear things in lecture that will be familiar to you, a recognition
that is a vital form of learning reinforcement. Later you can go back
to the text to check details.
•• Take comprehensive notes. Recognizing and writing down lecture
points is another form of recognition and reinforcement. Later, study-
ing for an exam, you will have already forgotten lecture material you
did not record, and so even if you study hard, you will miss exam
questions on this material.
•• Revise your notes soon after lecture. Actively interacting with your class
notes while you still hold much of the lecture in short-term memory
provides perhaps the most powerful form of reinforcement, and will be
a key to your success.
As you proceed through this textbook, you will encounter a blizzard
of terms and concepts. Biology is a field rich with ideas and the technical
jargon needed to describe them. What you discover reading this textbook
is intended to support the lectures that provide the core of your biology
course. Integrating what you learn here with what you learn in lecture will
provide you with the strongest possible tool for successfully mastering the
basics of biology. The rest is just hard work.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Les Peterkins
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
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under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
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you are located before using this eBook.

Title: Les Peterkins

Author: Mark Twain

Translator: François de Gaïl

Release date: December 23, 2023 [eBook #72486]

Language: French

Original publication: Paris: Mercure de France, 1910

Credits: Véronique Le Bris, Laurent Vogel and the Online Distributed

Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
produced from images generously made available by the
Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica))

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LES

PETERKINS ***
 LES PETERKINS
DU MÊME AUTEUR
Contes choisis, traduits par Gabriel de Lautrec et précédés d’une
étude sur l’humour 1 vol.
Exploits de Tom Sawyer détective, et autres nouvelles,
traduits par François de Gail 1 vol.
Un Pari de Milliardaires, et autres nouvelles, traduits par
François de Gail 1 vol.
Le Prétendant américain, roman traduit par François de Gail 1 vol.
Plus fort que Sherlock Holmès, traduit par François de Gail 1 vol.
Le Capitaine Tempête, et autres contes, traduit par Gabriel de
Lautrec 1 vol.

MARK TWAIN

Les Peterkins
ET AUTRES CONTES

TRADUITS PAR

FRANÇOIS DE GAIL

PARIS
MERCVRE DE FRANCE
XXVI, RVE DE CONDÉ, XXVI
 MCMX

JUSTIFICATION DU TIRAGE:

Droits de traduction et de reproduction réservés pour tous pays.

TABLE
 LES PETERKINS

(D’APRÈS PEABODY HALE)

C’était bien le moment de se livrer à l’étude des langues. Les Peterkins
venaient d’entrer dans leur nouvelle maison, beaucoup plus confortable que
la précédente; ils devaient avoir la place pour toute chose et toute chose à sa
place.
Elisabeth-Elisa n’oubliait pas combien leur ancienne installation était
peu pratique; pendant longtemps, en effet, pour jouer du piano, elle avait été
obligée de s’asseoir dans la galerie de l’autre côté de la fenêtre. Mᵐᵉ
Peterkins se souvenait des difficultés qu’elle éprouvait au sujet des nappes
de table.
La nappe supérieure se trouvait dans une malle rangée contre la porte
d’une grande armoire située sous l’escalier; la nappe du dessous était
renfermée dans un tiroir de la grande armoire; de sorte que, lorsqu’il
s’agissait de changer les nappes, il fallait retirer et mettre de côté la malle
pour pouvoir ouvrir l’armoire, car on devait d’abord se servir de la nappe
du dessous; après cela, il fallait remettre en place la malle pour l’ouvrir et
en extraire la nappe supérieure.
Après tous ces déplacements, il était encore nécessaire de déplacer la
malle pour dégager la porte de l’armoire qui contenait la boîte à couteaux.
Ces déménagements successifs occasionnaient naturellement une grande
perte de temps.
Maintenant que la nouvelle maison des Peterkins était suffisamment
grande, ils trouveraient le moyen de tout loger. Agamemnon se réjouissait
surtout de l’installation de la nouvelle bibliothèque. Dans leur ancienne
maison, il n’y avait pas de pièce spéciale pour les livres: les dictionnaires
étaient au premier étage, chose fort incommode, et les volumes de
l’encyclopédie répartis en plusieurs endroits. Ainsi, les volumes de A
jusqu’à P se trouvaient au rez-de-chaussée, tandis que tous ceux de Q
jusqu’à Z étaient classés dans différentes chambres du premier étage.
Malheureusement on ne pouvait jamais se rappeler si la section de A à P
comprenait la lettre P.
—Je montais toujours au premier étage pour chercher P, disait
Agamemnon, et je m’apercevais que le volume se trouvait en bas; à chaque
instant c’était une nouvelle confusion.
Naturellement, maintenant, la nouvelle maison des Peterkins se prêtait
mieux à la vie studieuse. En ayant tous les livres dans la même pièce, on
évitait une grande perte de temps pour les chercher.
M. Peterkins suggéra à chacun des siens d’apprendre une langue
différente. S’ils voyageaient un jour à l’étranger ce serait on ne peut plus
commode: Elisabeth-Elisa pourrait parler français avec les Parisiens,
Agamemnon allemand avec les Allemands, Salomon-John italien avec les
Italiens; Mᵐᵉ Peterkins parlerait espagnol en Espagne; quant à lui, il
aborderait à la fois toutes les langues orientales en commençant par le russe.
Mᵐᵉ Peterkins n’était pas très décidée à apprendre l’espagnol; car toute
sa famille avait juré qu’elle n’irait jamais en Espagne à cause de son horreur
pour l’Inquisition. Mᵐᵉ Peterkins d’ailleurs partageait cette horreur avec ses
enfants.
Les voyages à l’étranger lui souriaient peu et elle avait toujours déclaré
qu’elle ne quitterait pas le sol natal avant qu’un pont fût jeté sur
l’Atlantique! (Or il n’en était pas encore question.) Agamemnon déclarait
qu’il ne fallait jurer de rien, que chaque jour on faisait de nouvelles
découvertes et qu’un pont ne serait assurément pas plus difficile à inventer
qu’un téléphone; dans les temps anciens on se servait déjà de ponts. La
question des professeurs vint alors sur le tapis. On pourrait certainement en
trouver à Boston. S’ils venaient tous le même jour il serait facile de
transporter trois d’entre eux dans le petit break. Agamemnon irait au-devant
d’eux, puis les reconduirait; de cette façon il s’habituerait à leur
conversation à l’aller comme au retour.
Monsieur Peterkins se documenta sur les langues orientales: on lui apprit
que le sanscrit était la base de toutes ces langues; aussi proposa-t-il à toute
sa famille de commencer par le sanscrit; ils n’auraient ainsi besoin au début
que d’un seul professeur et pourraient ensuite bifurquer sur les autres
langues.
Mais sa famille préféra apprendre des langues différentes. Elisabeth-
Elisa savait déjà un peu de français; elle avait essayé, sans grand succès,
d’en placer quelques mots à l’exposition du centenaire, mais elle s’était
aperçue qu’elle venait de lier conversation avec un Maure qui ne
comprenait pas le français.
M. Peterkins objecta qu’il leur faudrait plusieurs pièces pour leurs études
si tous les professeurs venaient à la même heure; mais Agamemnon lui fit
remarquer qu’ils se serviraient de dictionnaires différents. M. Peterkins était
d’avis qu’il vaudrait mieux avoir tous les professeurs en même temps, car
chaque élève pourrait, en plus de la langue qu’il étudierait, attraper des
bribes des autres langues; d’après lui le meilleur moyen d’apprendre à
parler une langue étrangère était d’entendre parler les autres autour de soi.
Mᵐᵉ Peterkins objecta que sa maison ressemblerait à une tour de Babel;
elle en prit cependant son parti.
Agamemnon signala une autre difficulté: naturellement il leur fallait des
professeurs étrangers qui parleraient chacun leur langue maternelle; mais,
dans ce cas, comment faire pour les inviter à venir à la maison, leur
expliquer la combinaison de la voiture, et arranger la répartition des heures
de leçon? Agamemnon se demandait comment on pouvait se tirer d’affaire
avec un étranger lorsqu’on était incapable de lui exposer ce qu’on désirait.
Elisabeth-Elisa répondit qu’en pareil cas les signes et la pantomime
devaient rendre de grands services. Salomon-John et les jeunes garçons se
mirent aussitôt à mimer. Elisabeth-Elisa expliqua que le mot «langue»
signifiait à la fois «langage et organe de la parole»; ils pouvaient donc
montrer leur langue pour se faire comprendre.
Comme exercice pratique, les jeunes garçons figurèrent les professeurs
étrangers parlant chacun leur langue maternelle; Agamemnon et Salomon-
John firent semblant de les inviter à venir instruire la famille au moyen
d’une série de signes.
M. Peterkins déclara que leur succès était admirable, et qu’ils pourraient
presque aller à l’étranger sans étudier les langues; il encouragea ses enfants
à se faire comprendre par signes. Pourtant, comme le pont n’était pas
encore construit, il vaudrait peut-être mieux attendre et cultiver les langues.
Mᵐᵉ Peterkins craignait que les professeurs étrangers ne se considérassent
comme invités au lunch: Salomon-John, en effet, n’avait cessé de montrer
sa bouche en l’ouvrant, la fermant et en sortant sa langue; il semblait plus
par là vouloir les inviter à manger que leur demander des leçons de langues.
Agamemnon suggéra qu’ils pourraient emporter avec eux les divers
dictionnaires lorsqu’ils iraient trouver les professeurs; cela exprimerait
qu’ils désiraient des leçons et les professeurs n’y verraient pas une
invitation au lunch.
Mᵐᵉ Peterkins trouvait plus prudent de préparer un lunch pour les
professeurs au cas où ils prendraient la visite pour une invitation, seulement
elle ignorait ce qu’ils mangeaient d’habitude. M. Peterkins pensa qu’il
serait très bon d’apprendre ce détail en fréquentant des étrangers, car, avant
de quitter leur pays natal, ils auraient ainsi l’occasion de s’habituer aux
plats étrangers. Les petits garçons se réjouissaient beaucoup à l’idée de
manger de nouveaux mets. Agamemnon avait entendu dire que la soupe à la
bière était le régal favori des Allemands et il se proposait, dès sa première
leçon, de s’en faire expliquer la préparation.
Salomon-John savait que tous les étrangers aiment beaucoup l’ail, aussi
pensa-t-il que les professeurs seraient enchantés de sentir une odeur d’ail
dans la maison dès leur première leçon, et qu’ils apprécieraient beaucoup
cette délicate attention.
Elisabeth-Elisa voulait faire à une de ses parentes habitant Philadelphie
la surprise de lui parler français. Aussi désirait-elle commencer ses leçons
avant la visite annuelle de sa famille de Philadelphie. Il y eut un léger retard
dans l’exécution de ces projets: M. Peterkins préférait trouver des
professeurs établis depuis peu dans la région, car il ne voulait pas subir la
tentation de parler anglais avec eux; il désirait des professeurs récemment
débarqués en Amérique, et il revint un soir chez lui avec une liste complète
des étrangers nouvellement arrivés. La famille Peterkins décida qu’elle
emprunterait aux Bromwicks leur break pour le premier jour, et M.
Peterkins et Agamemnon partirent en voiture à la ville pour ramener tous
les professeurs. L’un était un Russe, qui voyageait pour son plaisir et n’avait
nullement l’intention de donner des leçons; peut-être y consentirait-il, mais
dans tous les cas il ne savait pas un mot d’anglais.
M. Peterkins avait dans son porte-cartes les cartes des messieurs qui lui
avaient recommandé les différents professeurs; accompagné
d’Agamemnon, il alla d’hôtel en hôtel pour les convoquer. Il les trouva tous
très polis, tous prêts à venir après les explications données au moyen des
signaux convenus. Ils avaient oublié les dictionnaires, mais Agamemnon
possédait un guide qui pouvait les remplacer et qui sembla très approprié
aux étrangers.
 M. Peterkins dut se contenter d’un professeur russe, car il ne trouva
aucun maître de sanscrit nouvellement débarqué dans le pays.
Mais voici qu’une difficulté inattendue surgit lorsqu’ils mirent dans la
même voiture le professeur russe et le professeur d’arabe; ce dernier était
Turc et portait un fez sur sa tête; il s’assit au fond de la voiture! Ils se
regardèrent de travers et s’invectivèrent chacun dans leur langue sans que
M. Peterkins pût comprendre un traître mot. Etait-ce du russe, était-ce de
l’arabe? En tout cas il sautait aux yeux (ou plutôt aux oreilles) que les
individus ne voulaient à aucun prix se trouver dans la même voiture. M.
Peterkins était au désespoir; il avait oublié la guerre turco-russe! Quelle
gaffe énorme il venait de commettre en invitant le Turc!
Une foule de curieux s’était groupée devant l’hôtel. Le professeur
français pria très poliment le Russe de monter avec lui dans la première
voiture; mais une autre difficulté se présentait: le professeur allemand se
carrait tranquillement dans le fond de cette voiture!!!
Le professeur français avait à peine mis le pied sur le marche-pied qu’il
invectiva violemment le professeur allemand; ce dernier, furieux, sauta de
la voiture par la porte opposée, fit le tour en courant et le saisit au collet. A
n’en pas douter, l’Allemand et le Français ne pouvaient pas habiter
ensemble la même voiture! Pendant ce temps-là la foule des curieux
augmentait toujours.
Agamemnon, fort heureusement, savait dire en allemand le mot
«monsieur»; s’adressant au professeur allemand, il l’invita par signes à
prendre place dans l’autre voiture.
L’Allemand consentit à s’asseoir aux côtés du Turc. Enfin les voitures se
mirent en marche: M. Peterkins avait l’Italien à ses côtés, le professeur
français et le Russe étaient assis derrière et se parlaient sur un ton aigre qui
laissait supposer à M. Peterkins qu’ils n’étaient pas complètement d’accord.
Le voyage d’Agamemnon s’effectua dans un profond silence: l’Espagnol
assis à côté de lui semblait d’humeur maussade, tandis que le Turc et
l’Allemand n’échangèrent pas un traître mot.
En arrivant à la maison, ils furent reçus par Mᵐᵉ Peterkins et Elisabeth-
Elisa; par une délicate attention pour le professeur espagnol, Mᵐᵉ Peterkins
avait jeté sur ses épaules une mantille de dentelle. M. Peterkins introduisit
les professeurs dans la bibliothèque, mais il eut soin de les installer chacun
à une respectable distance l’un de l’autre. Salomon-John chercha le
dictionnaire italien et s’assit à côté du professeur italien. Agamemnon, avec
un dictionnaire allemand, se rapprocha du professeur allemand. Les jeunes
garçons montrèrent au Turc leur livre de «contes arabes». M. Peterkins
essaya d’expliquer au professeur russe qu’il ne possédait pas de dictionnaire
russe et qu’il avait espéré apprendre le sanscrit avec lui; de son côté Mᵐᵉ
Peterkins essaya de faire entendre à son professeur qu’elle n’avait pas de
livres espagnols. Elle oublia momentanément sa terreur de l’Inquisition et
essaya de lui glisser quelques mots en se servant de termes anglais
prononcés très lentement et en altérant son accent le mieux qu’elle pouvait.
L’Espagnol s’inclina, parut prendre grand intérêt à sa conversation, et se
montra très poli.
Pendant ce temps, Elisabeth-Elisa sortait au Parisien les quelques
phrases qu’elle connaissait. Elle parlait plus facilement français qu’elle ne
comprenait son professeur; lui, saisissait parfaitement ce qu’elle disait. Elle
récita son vocabulaire et ânonna l’exercice suivant: J’ai le livre.—As-tu le
pain?—L’enfant a une poire.—L’enfant sait-il sa leçon?
Le professeur écouta avec grande attention et répondit très distinctement
à chaque question. Soudain, après avoir récité une de ses phrases, elle se
leva, courut vers sa mère, et lui chuchota à l’oreille:—Ils ont, je crois,
commis l’erreur que vous redoutiez; ils se croient invités au lunch! il vient
de me remercier de notre aimable invitation à déjeuner.
—Ils n’ont pas pris leur déjeuner! s’exclama Mᵐᵉ Peterkins en regardant
l’Espagnol: il semble affamé! Qu’allons-nous faire?
Elisabeth-Elisa courut consulter son père. Qu’allaient-ils faire?
Comment leur faire comprendre qu’ils étaient invités à donner une leçon et
non au lunch? Elisabeth-Elisa pria Agamemnon de chercher le mot
«apprendre» dans le dictionnaire (apprendre devant signifier enseigner).
Hélas! ils s’aperçurent que ce mot voulait à la fois dire apprendre et
enseigner! Qu’allaient-ils faire?
Les étrangers se tenaient maintenant assis silencieux dans leur coin
respectif. L’Espagnol paraissait de plus en plus blême. Allait-il donc
s’évanouir? Le Français tortillait et effilait ses moustaches en regardant
l’Allemand. Que faire si le Russe venait à attaquer le Turc et si l’air
narquois du Parisien finissait par exaspérer l’Allemand?
—Il faut leur donner quelque chose à manger, dit M. Peterkins à voix
basse; cela les calmera.
 —Si seulement je savais ce qu’ils ont l’habitude de manger! continua
Mᵐᵉ Peterkins.
Salomon-John suggéra qu’aucun des professeurs ne savait ce que son
voisin avait l’habitude de manger: on pouvait donc leur offrir n’importe
quoi.
Mᵐᵉ Peterkins se montra plus hospitalière que son fils, et déclara
qu’Amanda pourrait préparer du bon café. M. Peterkins proposa un plat
américain. Salomon-John envoya un des jeunes garçons chercher des olives.
Bientôt on servit le café et un plat de fèves bouillies; peu après arrivèrent
les olives, le pain, des œufs à la coque et quelques bouteilles de bière.
L’effet fut prodigieux! Chaque individu se mit à parler sa propre langue
avec volubilité; Mᵐᵉ Peterkins versa du café à l’Espagnol qui s’inclina avec
grâce. Tous aimaient la bière, tous aussi les olives.
Le Français s’étendit longuement sur «les mœurs américaines».
Elisabeth-Elisa supposa qu’il faisait allusion à l’absence de nappe sur la
table. Le Turc souriait, le Russe parlait avec animation. Au milieu du
brouhaha produit par ces différentes langues, M. Peterkins répétait d’un air
navré:
—Comment leur ferons-nous donc comprendre qu’ils doivent nous
donner des leçons?
Au même instant la porte s’ouvrit et donna passage à la parente de
Philadelphie qui, arrivée le jour même, venait faire sa première visite.
En entendant le bruit tumultueux de ces différentes conversations, elle
recula d’effroi. La famille se précipita au-devant d’elle avec joie. Tous en
même temps lui demandèrent de leur servir d’interprète auprès des
professeurs. Pouvait-elle leur venir en aide? Pouvait-elle expliquer aux
étrangers qu’on attendait d’eux des leçons? Des leçons! A peine avaient-ils
prononcé ce mot que leurs hôtes se dressèrent tous comme un seul homme,
la face rayonnante de joie. C’était le seul mot anglais que tous
connaissaient. Ils étaient venus à Boston pour «donner des leçons». Le
voyageur russe espérait ainsi apprendre l’anglais. Cette idée de leçon
semblait leur plaire plus que le déjeuner. Assurément, ils donneraient bien
volontiers des leçons. Le Turc sourit à cette perspective. La glace était
rompue: les professeurs savaient maintenant qu’on attendait d’eux des
leçons.
 PERCE, MON AMI, PERCE!
I
Je prie le lecteur de vouloir bien jeter les yeux sur les vers suivants et de
me dire s’il leur trouve vraiment un caractère pernicieux:

Conducteur, quand tu reçois l’argent,

Perce, en présence du voyageur,
Un ticket bleu de dix cents,
Un ticket brun de huit cents,
Un ticket rose de quatre cents,
Perce en présence du voyageur!
(En chœur:)
Perce, mon ami, perce avec soin,
Perce, en présence du voyageur!

Je trouvai ces vers dans un journal, il y a quelque temps, et les relus deux
ou trois fois. A partir de cet instant, ils prirent possession de mon cerveau.
Pendant tout le temps du déjeuner, leur cadence se répercuta dans ma tête, si
bien qu’à la fin du repas, lorsque je roulai ma serviette, je fus incapable de
savoir si j’avais mangé ou non. La veille, je m’étais tracé mon programme
de travail pour le jour suivant: un drame poignant dans la nouvelle que
j’écris en ce moment.
Je me retirai chez moi pour composer ma tragédie; je pris ma plume,
mais mon esprit obsédé répéta comme un refrain: «Perce en présence du
voyageur.» Je luttai de toutes mes forces pendant une heure, mais ce fut
peine perdue. «Un ticket bleu de dix cents, un ticket brun de huit cents»,
etc.;—ces vers bourdonnèrent à mes oreilles sans trêve ni relâche.
C’était pour moi une journée perdue, je ne le comprenais que trop
maintenant. Je renonçai à mon travail et pris le parti de faire un tour en
ville; mais à peine sur le trottoir, je m’aperçus que mes pieds marquaient la
cadence de ces maudits vers. N’y tenant plus, je ralentis le pas; mais rien
n’y fit: le rythme de ces vers s’accommoda de ma nouvelle allure et
continua à me poursuivre.
 Je rentrai chez moi et souffris de cette obsession pendant tout le reste de
la journée; je me mis à table machinalement, et mangeai sans m’en rendre
compte; un mal de tête violent me prit, je criai d’agacement et me promenai
de long en large. Je me couchai, mais dans mon lit je ne fis que me tourner
et me retourner, poursuivi par les mêmes rimes. A minuit, devenu presque
enragé, je me levai et essayai de lire, mais à chaque ligne il me sembla que
je lisais: «Perce en présence du voyageur.» Au lever du soleil, je ne me
possédais plus, et chacun se demanda avec stupéfaction pourquoi je répétais
ce refrain idiot: «Perce, oh! perce en présence du voyageur.»

II
Deux jours plus tard, un samedi matin, je me levai plus mort que vif et
sortis pour retrouver un ami très apprécié de moi, le Révérend M., auquel
j’avais donné rendez-vous pour visiter la tour de Talcott, distante de plus de
dix milles. Mon ami me regarda sans me poser la moindre question. Nous
partîmes; suivant son habitude, M. parla comme un moulin à vent. Je ne lui
répondais pas, car je n’entendais rien. Au bout d’un mille, M. me demanda:
—«Mark, êtes-vous souffrant? Vous me paraissez aujourd’hui
terriblement abattu, hagard et distrait. Voyons, qu’avez-vous?»
D’un air lugubre, sans enthousiasme, je lui répondis: «Perce, mon ami,
perce avec soin, perce en présence du voyageur.»
Mon ami me regarda froidement, parut très perplexe et ajouta:
—Je ne saisis pas ce que vous voulez dire, Mark. Votre réponse ne
contient rien qui me paraisse particulièrement triste et pourtant la façon
dont vous venez de prononcer ces paroles, le son pathétique de votre voix
me frappent péniblement. Qu’avez-vous donc?»
Je n’entendis même pas ses paroles, absorbé par mon refrain: «Un ticket
bleu de dix cents, un ticket brun de huit cents, un ticket rose de quatre cents,
perce en présence du voyageur.» J’ignore ce qui se passa pendant les neuf
autres milles. Cependant, tout à coup, M. posa la main sur mon épaule et
s’écria:
—Oh! réveillez-vous, réveillez-vous, je vous en prie; ne dormez pas
toute la journée. Nous voici arrivés à la tour, mon cher. J’ai parlé comme
une pie-borgne pendant toute cette promenade sans obtenir de vous une
réponse; regardez donc ce magnifique paysage d’automne! Vous qui avez
voyagé, vous devez pouvoir faire des comparaisons. Voyons, donnez-moi
votre opinion, que pensez-vous de ce point de vue?
Je soupirai tristement et murmurai: «Un ticket brun de huit cents, un
ticket rose de quatre cents. perce en présence du voyageur!»
Le Révérend M. s’arrêta net et d’un air très grave me contempla des
pieds à la tête, puis ajouta:
—Mark, ceci me dépasse: les paroles que vous venez de prononcer sont
les mêmes que tout à l’heure; je ne leur trouve aucune signification spéciale
et pourtant, quand vous les prononcez, j’éprouve un pénible serrement de
cœur. «Perce, perce en...» Comment est donc la suite?
Je repris le vers depuis le commencement et lui récitai la tirade
complète. Le visage de mon ami s’illumina:
—Quelle charmante et étrange consonnance! me répondit-il, on dirait de
la musique; quel agréable rythme! Je crois avoir attrapé la cadence; voulez-
vous me répéter ces vers encore une fois et je les saurai complètement par
cœur.
Je lui redis mes vers; M. les répéta en commettant une légère erreur que
je rectifiai; après la troisième audition, il les dit parfaitement bien. A ce
moment il me sembla qu’un lourd fardeau venait de dégringoler de mes
épaules; mon cerveau se sentit débarrassé de ce torturant refrain et
j’éprouvai une profonde sensation de repos et de bien-être. Mon cœur était
si léger que je me pris à chanter pendant une demi-heure, tandis que nous
rentrions doucement chez nous. Ma langue déliée se mit à parler sans
discontinuer pendant une grande heure; les paroles coulaient de ma bouche
comme l’eau d’une fontaine. Au moment de prendre congé de mon ami, je
lui serrai la main et lui dis:
—Quelle royale promenade nous venons de faire! Mais je constate que
depuis deux heures vous ne n’avez pas adressé la parole. Voyons, parlez, à
votre tour, racontez-moi quelque chose.
Le Révérend M. jeta sur moi un regard lugubre, poussa un profond
soupir et articula machinalement: «Perce, mon ami, perce avec soin, perce
en présence du voyageur!»
J’éprouvai une cruelle angoisse et pensai en moi-même: «Mon pauvre
ami, cette fois, il le sait, ton refrain.»—Je ne vis plus le Révérend M.
pendant deux ou trois jours. Mardi soir, il apparut de nouveau devant moi et
se laissa tomber comme une masse dans un fauteuil; il était pâle, abattu,
horriblement déprimé. Levant sur moi ses yeux éteints il me dit:
—Ah! Mark, quelle horrible découverte j’ai faite en apprenant vos vers!
Ils me poursuivent comme un cauchemar nuit et jour, heure par heure, sans
la moindre trêve. Depuis que je vous ai vu, j’ai souffert mort et passion.
Appelé samedi soir, par télégramme, je pris le train de nuit pour Boston: un
de mes meilleurs amis venait de mourir et sa famille me priait de prononcer
son éloge funèbre. Je m’assis dans mon compartiment et essayai d’élaborer
le plan de mon discours. Il me fut impossible d’aller plus loin que la
première phrase, car, à peine le train venait-il de s’ébranler en faisant
entendre le monotone «clac, clac, clac» des roues, que vos vers odieux
martelèrent mes oreilles avec ce bruit de roues pour accompagnement.
Pendant une heure, je restai assis dans mon coin et prononçai une syllabe de
ces vers à chaque claquement distinct des roues.
Un violent mal de tête étreignit mon crâne; j’eus l’impression que je
deviendrais fou si je restais plus longtemps assis à ma place. Je me
déshabillai donc et gagnai ma couchette. Je m’y étendis. Vous devinez ce
qui se passa:
Clac, clac, clac, un ticket bleu—clac, clac, clac, de dix cents—clac, clac,
clac, un ticket brun—clac, clac, clac, de huit cents—etc... perce en présence
du voyageur!

III
Impossible de fermer l’œil. En arrivant à Boston j’étais fou à lier. Ne me
demandez pas comment se passèrent les funérailles. Je fis de mon mieux,
mais chacune de mes périodes graves et solennelles commença et finit
invariablement par: «perce, mon ami, perce avec soin, perce en présence du
voyageur.» Pour comble de malheur, j’adoptai dans mon éloge funèbre la
cadence ondulée de ces vers néfastes et je vis, à ma grande stupeur, les
auditeurs distraits, complètement absorbés, battre la mesure en dodelinant
de leurs stupides têtes. Vous me croirez si vous voulez, Mark, mais avant la
fin de mon discours, l’assemblée tout entière, y compris les parents du
défunt, ses amis et les indifférents, hochaient placidement la tête à l’unisson
de mes paroles.
 Lorsque j’eus fini, je m’enfuis dans la sacristie, exaspéré au plus haut
point; là je rencontrai une vieille demoiselle très âgée, tante du défunt, qui
était arrivée de Springfield trop tard pour pénétrer dans l’église. Elle me dit
en sanglotant:
—Oh! il est parti, c’est fini! Et je n’ai pas pu le voir avant sa mort.
—Oui, fis-je, il est parti, il est parti, il est parti!...
—Oh! vous l’aimiez bien, vous! Vous l’aimiez tant!
—J’aimais qui?
—Mais mon pauvre Georges, mon pauvre neveu!
—Lui! Oh! oui, certainement... certainement. «Perce, mon ami,
perce.»—Quelle misère!
—Merci, monsieur, merci pour ces bonnes paroles; sa mort me fait
tellement souffrir. Avez-vous assisté à ses derniers moments?
—Oui, je...—derniers moments de qui?
—De notre cher défunt.
—Oh! oui—oui—oui. Je le suppose.—Je le crois bien! oh! oui,
certainement j’étais là, j’étais là.
—Quelle douce consolation! Rapportez-moi ses dernières paroles. Qu’a-
t-il dit?
—Il disait, il disait (oh! ma tête, ma tête, ma pauvre tête!) il n’a cessé de
répéter: Perce, perce, perce en présence du voyageur! Oh! laissez-moi,
Madame! Au nom de ce qu’il y a de plus sacré, laissez-moi à ma folie, à ma
misère, à mon désespoir! «Un ticket brun de huit cents—un ticket rose de
quatre cents.»—Vraiment je n’y puis plus tenir!... «Perce en présence du
voyageur!»
Mon ami me regarda alors avec des yeux désespérés et me dit avec une
expression touchante:
—Mark, vous ne dites rien; vous ne me donnez pas le moindre espoir; ne
pouvez-vous donc pas m’apporter une parole de consolation? Hélas! le
temps n’est plus à l’espérance! Quelque chose me fait pressentir que ma
langue est condamnée pour toujours à répéter ce refrain macabre. Tenez, le
voici encore qui revient: «Un ticket bleu de dix cents—un ticket brun de...»
Ce murmure s’éteignit peu à peu; mon ami tomba dans une douce extase
qui apporta à ses souffrances un répit bienfaisant.
 Pour le préserver d’une entrée imminente à l’asile des aliénés, je le
conduisis à l’Université la plus proche, et là, il put décharger le pénible
fardeau de ses rimes obsédantes dans les oreilles des pauvres étudiants.
Qu’est-il arrivé à ces étudiants? Je préfère me taire et ne pas faire connaître
le triste résultat de cette transmission.
Pourquoi ai-je écrit cet article? C’est dans un but élevé et très louable;
c’est pour vous avertir, lecteurs, que si quelque jour vos yeux rencontrent
ces rimes impitoyables, vous devez les fuir plus que la peste.
 POURQUOI J’ÉTRANGLAI MA
CONSCIENCE
Je me sentais de bonne humeur, presque joyeux. J’approchai une
allumette de mon cigare et juste à ce moment on m’apporta le courrier du
matin. Sur la première enveloppe qui me tomba sous les yeux, je reconnus
une écriture qui me donna un frisson de plaisir. C’était une lettre de ma
tante Marie; cette chère tante, je l’aimais et la vénérais plus que n’importe
qui au monde. Elle avait été l’idole de mon enfance. La maturité,
d’ordinaire si fatale à certains enthousiasmes, n’avait pas été capable de
déloger ma tante de son piédestal. Pour vous donner une idée de la grande
influence qu’elle exerçait sur moi, je vous avouerai que tandis que tous les
autres s’évertuaient inutilement à me supplier de moins fumer, tante Marie
savait seule émouvoir ma conscience engourdie lorsqu’elle abordait ce sujet
délicat. Mais tout a une limite ici-bas. Un jour heureux vint enfin, où même
les admonestations de tante Marie ne surent plus m’émouvoir.
Ma tante vint passer un hiver auprès de nous et sa visite me causa un
grand plaisir. Naturellement elle me conjura d’un air très sérieux
d’abandonner ma pernicieuse habitude, mais dès qu’elle aborda ce sujet je
devins d’un calme, d’une indifférence absolus. Les dernières semaines qui
marquèrent la fin de cette mémorable visite s’écoulèrent comme un rêve
charmant et me procurèrent une paisible satisfaction. Assurément je
n’aurais pas savouré davantage mon vice favori si mon aimable bourreau
avait été lui-même un fumeur ou un zélé défenseur de cette habitude.
Eh bien! l’écriture de ma tante me rappela que j’étais très désireux de la
revoir. Je devinais facilement ce que pouvait contenir sa lettre. Je l’ouvris.
Comme je m’y attendais elle annonçait sa venue pour le jour même, par le
train du matin.
Je pensai en moi-même: «Je me sens en ce moment parfaitement
heureux et bien disposé; si mon plus implacable ennemi pouvait maintenant
se dresser devant moi, je réparerais bien volontiers les torts que j’aurais pu
avoir envers lui.»