his friend read for him:

"'Learned men maintain that animal heat is developed by the contractions
of the muscles, and that it is possible by moving the thorax and the
pelvic regions to raise the temperature of a warm bath.'"

Bouvard went to look for their bathing-tub, and, when everything was
ready, plunged into it, provided with a thermometer. The wreckage of the
distillery, swept towards the end of the room, presented in the shadow
the indistinct outlines of a hillock. Every now and then they could hear
the mice nibbling; there was a stale odour of aromatic plants, and
finding it rather agreeable, they chatted serenely.

However, Bouvard felt a little cool.

"Move your members about!" said Pecuchet.

He moved them, without at all changing with the thermometer. "'Tis
decidedly cold."

"I am not hot either," returned Pecuchet, himself seized with a fit of
shivering. "But move about your pelvic regions--move them about!"

Bouvard spread open his thighs, wriggled his sides, balanced his
stomach, puffed like a whale, then looked at the thermometer, which was
always falling.

"I don't understand this at all! Anyhow, I am stirring myself!"

"Not enough!"

And he continued his gymnastics.

This had gone on for three hours when once more he grasped the tube.

"What! twelve degrees! Oh, good-night! I'm off to bed!"

A dog came in, half mastiff, half hound, mangy, with yellowish hair and
lolling tongue.

What were they to do? There was no bell, and their housekeeper was deaf.
They were quaking, but did not venture to budge, for fear of being
bitten.

Pecuchet thought it a good idea to hurl threats at him, and at the same
time to roll his eyes about.

Then the dog began to bark; and he jumped about the scales, in which
Pecuchet, by clinging on to the cords and bending his knees, tried to
raise himself up as high as ever he could.

"You're getting your death of cold up there!" said Bouvard; and he began
making smiling faces at the dog, while pretending to give him things.

The dog, no doubt, understood these advances. Bouvard went so far as to
caress him, stuck the animal's paws on his shoulders, and rubbed them
with his finger-nails.

"Hollo! look here! there, he's off with my breeches!"

The dog cuddled himself upon them, and lay quiet.

At last, with the utmost precautions, they ventured the one to come down
from the platform of the scales, and the other to get out of the
bathing-tub; and when Pecuc