The little girl daintily brought a box covered with net, in which
a huge apple-green caterpillar, with dashes of bright colour on his
sides, and a horny spike on his tail, was feasting upon tamarisk
leaves. Grace asked if she was going to keep it. "Yes, till it
buries itself," said the child. "Aunt Ermine thinks it is the
elephant sphynx."

"I cannot be sure," said the aunt, "my sister tried to find a figure
of it at Villars', but he had no book that gave the caterpillars.
Do you care for those creatures?"

"I like to watch them," said Grace, "but I know nothing about them
scientifically; Rachel does that."

"Then can you help us to the history of our sphynx?" asked Miss
Williams, with her pleasant look.

"I will see if I have his portrait," said Rachel, "but I doubt it.
I prefer general principles to details."

"Don't you find working out details the best way of entering into
general principles?"

It was new to Rachel to find the mention of a general principle
received neither with a stare nor a laugh; and she gathered herself
up to answer, "Naming and collecting is not science."

"And masonry is not architecture, but you can't have architecture
without it."