The laughable element in both cases consists of a certain MECHANICAL INELASTICITY, just where one would expect to find the wide-awake adaptability and the living pliableness of a human being.

这两种情况中可笑的元素都在于某种机械的非弹性，而人们本应期望在这种非弹性中找到人类的机敏适应性和活生生的柔韧性。