The poor man was being hustled
off when my father stopped them, saying that he claimed his part of the
punishment, and he drew from his own pocket a chaplet and showed it to
them. Oh! my father was kind. He was goodness itself. He was often asked
to give lectures at the court, but he would answer: "I do not sell my
talent, I give it." He was especially fond of his poor pupils, those who
did not pay him; he would often invite them to dine with him.
And now let me show you a series of lines which my father called the
inflective medallion. Imagine a circle [_describing a circle in the air
with her hand_]. Within this circle a vertical line, a horizontal line,
and two oblique lines, all intersecting each other. At both ends of the
vertical and horizontal lines are small curved lines, the whole forming
the medallion. This medallion contains all necessary gestures. If the
vertical line is made from on high downward [Illustration: down arrow], it
means affirmation; if made from below upward [Illustration: up arrow], it
means hope. The horizontal line means negation. One oblique line means
simple rejection [Illustration: top right to bottom left arrow]; the other
[Illustration: bottom left to top right arrow] means rejection with scorn,
as in a line from Lafontaine's fable, "The Lion's Court:" "The monarch,
vexed, sent him to Pluto." The little curve at the top of the vertical
line [Illustration: upward-facing curve] expresses ease, repose; it has
the form of a hammock.
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