THE CONVERSATION BETWEEN MICROMEGAS AND THE INHABITANT OF SATURN

His excellency having laid himself down, and the secretary approached his nose: "It must be confessed," said Micromegas, "that nature is full of variety." "Yes," replied the Saturnian, "nature is like a parterre, whose flowers --" "Pshaw!" cried the other, "a truce with your parterres." "It is," resumed the secretary, "like an assembly of fair and brown women, whose dresses--" "What a plague have I to do with your brunettes?" said our traveler. "Then it is like a gallery of pictures, the strokes of which--" "Not at all," answered Micromegas, "I tell you once for all, nature is like nature, and comparisons are odious."