,illustration3 ,,he ,,saw ,a ,,dull ,,heavy ,,smoke ,,arise ,,to ,,the ,,ceiling4 ,page #aga4 ,a ,,modern ,,aladdin ,,or1 ,,the ,,wonderful ,,adventures ,,of ,,oliver ,,munier ,an ,extravaganza in ,four ,acts ,,by ,,howard ,,pyle ,,author ,,of ,,pepper ,,and ,,salt ,,etc4 ,,illustrated ,,new ,,york ,,harper ,,brothers1 ,,franklin ,,square #ahib ,copyright1 #ahia1 by ,,harper ,,brothers4 ,all rights reserved4 ,,illustrations4 ,,he ,,saw ,a ,,dull ,,heavy ,,smoke ,,arise ,,to ,,the ,,ceiling ,frontispiece ,,he ,,was ,a ,,tall1 ,,dark ,,gentleman1 ,,dressed ,,in ,,black ,,from ,,head ,,to ,,foot ,to face page #h ',i ,,am ,,thy ,,uncle1' ,,said ,,the ,,strange ,,gentleman #ab ,,at ,,that ,,moment ,,she ,,looked ,,up #ah ,,he ,,suddenly ,,began ,,an ,,uncouth1 ,,grotesque ,,dance #bb ,,he ,,lighted ,a ,,match ,,and ,,dropped ,,it ,,into ,,the ,,vase #cj ,,oliver ,,gave ,a ,,piping ,,cry #cf ,,at ,,the ,,open ,,door-,,way ,,stood ,,gaspard ,,and ,,his ,,master #db ,,creeping ,,cautiously ,,forward1 ,,oliver ,,came ,,to ,,the ,,chimney-,,piece #df ',,good-,,day1 ,,monsieur1' ,,said ,a ,,familiar ,,voice #ef ,,the ,,question ,,was ,,so ,,sudden ,,and ,,so ,,startling ,,that ,,oliver ,,sank ,,back ,,in ,,his ,,seat #eh ,,such ,,was ,,the ,,workshop ,,in ,,which ,,the ,,two ,,labored ,,together #gj ,,they ,,saw ,,arnold ,,de ,,villeneuve1 ,,the ,,great ,,master1 ,,upon ,,the ,,floor #gd ,,she ,,held ,,the ,,book ,,in ,,the ,,flames ,,while ,,talking1 ,,her ,,eyes ,,fixed ,,intently ,,upon ,,it #hd ,,he ,,leaned ,,over ,,and ,,looked ,,into ,,her ,,face #hf ,,and ,,stripped ,,the ,,false ,,body ,,off ,,of ,,him ,,as ,,you ,,might ,,strip ,,off ,a ,,man',s ,,coat #id ,,he ,,saw ,,within ,,an ,,oval ,,mirror ,,set ,,in ,a ,,heavy ,,frame ,,of ,,copper #ih ,,the ,,innkeeper ,,served ,,him ,,in ,,person #ajb ',,mad6' ,,said ,,oliver1 ',,why ,,am ,i ,,mad8' #aaj ,,he ,,is ,,clad ,,in ,a ,,loose ,,dressing-,,robe ,,of ,,figured ,,cloth1 ,,and ,,lies ,,in ,,bed ,,reading ,,his ,,book #aad ,,oliver ,,spread ,,out ,,the ,,gems ,,upon ,,the ,,table ,,with ,,his ,,hand #abd ,,enter ,,oliver ,,and ,,mademoiselle ,c,,leste #acj ',,do ,,you ,,know1' ,,said ,,the ,,marquis1 ',,what ,a ,,thing ,,it ,,is ,,that ,,you ,,ask8' #acf ,,he ,,sank ,,on ,,his ,,knees ,,beside ,,her #adj ,,she ,,drew ,,her ,,down ,,until ,,the ,,girl ,,kneeled ,,upon ,,the ,,floor ,,beside ,,her #adf ',,monsieur ,,the ,,count ,,de ,,st4 ,,germaine6' #adh ,,the ,,count ,,de ,,st4 ,,germaine1 ,,without ,,removing ,,his ,,eyes ,,from ,,his ,,victim1 ,,took ,,another ,,deep1 ,,luxurious ,,pinch ,,of ,,snuff #aeb ,,oliver ,,fixed ,,his ,,gaze ,,upon ,,the ,,smooth1 ,,brilliant ,,surface ,,of ,,the ,,glass #aff ,,they ,,beheld ,,their ,,master ,,lying ,,upon ,,his ,,face ,,under ,,the ,,table #agf ,,suddenly ,,some ,,one ,,touched ,,oliver ,,slightly ,,upon ,,the ,,shoulder #agh ',c,,leste6' ,,breathed ,,oliver ,,through ,,the ,,crack ,,of ,,the ,,door #ahf ,,he ,,found ,,in ,,his ,,clinched ,,hand ,a ,,lace ,,cravat #aid ,,over ,,his ,,shoulders ,,he ,,carried ,,something ,,limp1 ,,like ,,an ,,empty ,,skin1 ,,or ,a ,,bundle ,,of ,,clothes ,,tied ,,together #aih ,illustration ,a ,,modern ,,aladdin2 ,,or1 ,,the ,,wonderful ,,adventures ,,of ,,oliver ,,munier4 ,an ,extravaganza in ,four ,acts4 ,illustration ,a ,,modern ,,aladdin4 ,,prologue4 ,the ,comte de ,st4 ,germaine was a real historical character4 ,of all the many adventurers brilliant and volatile that flitted across the polished surface of ,parisian life during the gay butterfly days of ,la ,pompadour1 none was more interesting1 none left a more fascinating reflection1 than he4 ,no one knew who he was1 no one knew his antecedents1 no one knew whence he came1 but there he suddenly appeared1 to shine transiently and somewhat luridly for a year or two in a certain heaven of quasi high life4 ,nothing could have been more sudden than his advent4 ,one day he was unheard of2 the next1 all the world talked of him1 gazed at him1 and wondered4 ,great people adopted him and made much of him2 courtiers and cabinet ministers bowed to him2 the king petted him1 talked with him in his privy closet by the hour1 and held long and intimate discourse with him4 ,he possessed the rare and distinguished privilege of a free and familiar entre to ,madame de ,pompadour's dressing-room--a crowning honor1 and one only enjoyed by the greatest and most favored courtiers4 ,and1 indeed1 the ,parisian world had more cause to wonder and to marvel at him than at many another star that shone at different times in that firmament4 ,first it was a whisper that got about that he was three1 some said four1 and others five hundred years old4 ,then it was said that there were those who had known him1 gay1 handsome1 brilliant1 fifty years before--as gay1 as handsome1 as brilliant4 ,then came a second whispering rumor--that he was the richest man in the world--a rumor also somewhat confirmed1 for there were those1 whose word was indisputable1 who vouched to his having shown them incalculable treasures of diamonds4 ,he himself never laid claim either to the extreme age or to the incalculable treasure1 but the world claimed the one and talked of the other for him4 ,and all the talk and gossip seemed to be built upon good foundation4 ,for example1 said ,madame de ,pompadour to him one day1 ,but you do not tell us your age1 and yet the ,comtess de ,gergy1 who was ambassadress at ,vienna more than fifty years ago1 says that she saw you there then exactly the same as you now appear4 ,it is quite true1 madame1 replied ,st4 ,germaine1 quietly1 that ,i knew ,madame de ,gergy many years ago4 ,but1 according to her account1 you must be more than a hundred years old8 ,that is not impossible1 said he2 and then added1 laughing1 but it is quite possible that the countess is in her dotage4 ,as for his vast wealth1 that also stood upon substantial foundation4 ,the ,baron de ,sleichen says1 in his ,memoirs1 that one day the count showed him so many diamonds that he thought he saw all the treasures of ,aladdin's lamp spread out before him4 ,he showed ,madame de ,pompadour a little box of precious stones worth more than half a million livres4 ,says ,madame de ,hausset3 ,the count came to see ,madame de ,pompadour1 who was very ill4 ,he showed her diamonds enough to furnish a king's treasury4 ,at still another time1 when a number of the principal courtiers were present1 he visited madame's apartments wearing magnificent diamond knee and shoe buckles4 ,at her request he went into an adjoining apartment and removed them for closer inspection4 ,they were worth1 ,m4 de ,gontat said1 not less than twenty thousand livres4 ,so it came about that the ,comte de ,st4 ,germaine shone1 a brilliant star in his firmament1 for a while2 then suddenly he vanished1 and the ,parisian world saw him no more4 ,for six days that world wondered and speculated concerning his disappearance2 then1 on the seventh day1 it forgot him4 ,,act ,i4 ,,scene ,,first4--,a street in ,flourens1 the house of the late ,jean ,munier1 tailor1 in the foreground4 ,flourens was a little town lying quite out of the usual route of young ,english travellers of rich connections making the grand tour1 and so1 having nothing to recommend it in itself1 was unknown to the great world without--dull1 stupid1 stagnant4 ,hardly ever a visitor from that great outside world appeared within the circle of its hopeless isolation4 ,so it was a very strange thing to the town when one morning a great coach1 as big as a house1 dragged by four horses1 with postilions clad in scarlet faced with blue1 their legs incased in huge jack-boots1 and each with a club queue as thick as his wrist hanging down his back1 came whirling1 rattling1 lumbering1 in the midst of a swirling cloud of dust1 into the silence of the town4 ,it was twice wonderful when the coach stopped at the inn1 and it was thrice wonderful when an odd1 lean1 wizened little man1 evidently the servant1 let down the steps and helped a strange gentleman from within4 ,he was a tall1 dark gentleman1 dressed in black from head to foot--from the black hat with the black feather to the black silk stockings4 ,from the gentleman's shoulder hung a long black cloak trimmed and lined with black fur1 and ,flourens had never seen his like before4 ,he neither looked to the right nor to the left1 but1 without saying good or bad to any living soul1 he and the odd1 lean little servant entered the inn1 leaving the crowd that stood without staring and gaping after him4 ,then the great coach disappeared through the arched gate that led to the stable-yard1 but it was a long time before the crowd began to disperse1 before the gossiping began to cease1 before the cloud of silence and dullness and stagnation settled by degrees upon the town again4 ,how it was maybe an hour and a half1 and the last of those who had looked and wondered had gone about their business4 ,all is quiet1 dull1 heavily silent again1 and in all the bald stretch of road nothing is to be seen but two women gossiping at a gate-way1 and a solitary cat upon a garden wall watching two sparrows chirping and fluttering upon the eaves4 ,illustration3 ,,he ,,was ,a ,,tall1 ,,dark ,,gentleman1 ,,dressed ,,in ,,black ,,from ,,head ,,to ,,foot4 ,it is with this setting that the play opens1 and ,oliver ,munier1 the son of the late ,jean ,munier1 is discovered leaning against the wall of the house1 basking in the sun1 his blouse tucked up1 his hands in his pockets1 and a straw in his mouth1 which he now and then chews passively in drowsy laziness4 ,within1 his mother is busied about the house-work1 now and then rattling and stirring among the pots and pans1 now and then scolding at him in a shrill1 high-pitched voice1 to which he listens with half-shut eyes1 chewing his straw the while4 ,i know not1 said she1 stopping for a moment in her work that her words might have more force in the pause--,i know not whether thou wert born so1 but thou art the laziest scamp that ever my two eyes saw4 ,here art thou eighteen years old1 and yet hast never earned a single sou to pay for keeping body and soul together since thy poor father died five months ago4 ,poor soul6 with him it was snip1 snip1 snip1 stitch1 stitch1 stitch4 ,there was never a tailor in ,picardy like him4 ,his poor legs were bent like crooked billets from sitting cross-legged1 and his poor fingers were as rough as horn from the prick of the needle4 ,thou lazy vagabond1 with him it was work1 work1 work4 ,perhaps1 said ,oliver1 without turning his head1 it was hard work that killed my poor father4 ,perhaps it was1 said his mother2 but it will never do thee a harm4 ,oliver shifted the straw he was chewing from one side of his mouth to the other4 ,very well1 said he4 ,is not one in the family enough to die of the same thing8 ,humph6 said his mother1 and went back to her work with more clatter than ever4 ,just then1 at the farther end of the street1 the inn door opened1 and the strange gentleman in black came out1 followed first by his servant1 and then by ,pierre1 the landlord4 ,he stopped for a moment at the head of a flight of stone steps1 and ,pierre pointed1 as ,oliver thought1 towards their house4 ,then the strange gentleman came slowly down the steps1 and picking his way around the puddles where the water from the trough flowed across the road and followed by his servant1 came down the street towards where ,oliver stood4 ,at his coming a sudden breeze of interest seemed to awaken in the street4 ,the two gossips turned and looked after him2 the cat sat up on the wall1 and also looked2 and the two sparrows stopped chirping1 and seemed to look4 ,two or three women appeared at the door-ways with children2 three or four heads were thrust out at the windows1 and ,oliver1 taking his hands out of his pockets1 removed the straw that he might see better without the interruption of chewing4 ,the strange gentleman1 when he had come to within a little distance of ,oliver1 stopped1 and beckoning to the little lean serving-man who followed him1 held a short whispered talk with him4 ,the little lean serving-man nodded1 and then the stranger came straight across the street4 ,oliver gaped like a fish4 ,you are ,oliver ,munier8 said the strange gentleman4 ,yes1 said ,oliver1 ,i am4 ,the strange gentleman opened his arms1 and before ,oliver knew what had happened1 he found himself being embraced in the open street1 with all those looking on4 ,i am thy uncle1 said the strange gentleman1 with a gulp1 and thereupon1 releasing ,oliver1 he took a fine cambric handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped his eyes4 ,oliver stood dumb and gaping4 ,he did not know whether he was asleep or awake4 ,my uncle6 he repeated1 stupidly1 at last4 ,yes1 thy uncle4 ,my uncle6 repeated ,oliver again4 ,and thy dear mother8 asked the strange gentleman4 ,she is in the house1 said ,oliver2 and then he called1 ,mother6 mother6 ,and his mother1 stopping the clattering with the pots and pans1 came to the door1 and then1 seeing a strange gentleman1 stood quite still and stared4 ,mother1 said ,oliver1 here is a man who says he is my uncle4 ,your what8 said his mother4 ,my uncle4 ,your uncle8 ,his uncle1 said the strange gentleman4 ,i never knew the child had one1 said ,oliver's mother4 ,what1 said the strange gentleman4 ,did ,jean ,marie never speak of me--his brother ,henri8 ,ah me6 ,well1 perhaps he was ashamed of me1 for ,i was the black-sheep of the flock4 ,i have been to the ,americas ever since ,i ran away from home two-and-thirty years ago1 and now ,i have come back rich--very rich4 ,illustration3 ',i ,,am ,,thy ,,uncle1' ,,said ,,the ,,strange ,,gentleman4 ,at the word rich1 ,oliver's mother started as if she had been stung4 ,oliver1 she cried1 why do you stand gaping there like a stupid sot8 ,you lazy vagabond1 bring your uncle into the house6 ,and you1 ,monsieur ,brother1 come in1 come in6 ,and she almost dragged the strange gentleman through the door-way4 ,brush your uncle a chair1 ,oliver1 brush your uncle a chair6 ,there1 ,monsieur ,brother1 that is very good4 ,now will you not sit down and rest after having come all the way from the ,americas8 ,my servant-- began the strange gentleman4 ,we have room for him also2 we have room for him as well1 said ,oliver's mother4 ,come1 ,monsieur ,servant4 ,oliver1 dust him a chair also4 ,very good1 said the strange gentleman2 but it is not that4 ,i had thought that a little supper-- ,he shall have his supper1 said ,oliver's mother4 ,there is enough for him and for all the rest of us2 but no thanks to that son of mine for that4 ,as lazy a vagabond as ever you saw1 ,monsieur ,brother4 ,he1 too1 might have been a tailor1 as was his father2 but no1 he will not work4 ,he would rather beg or starve than work4 ,that is of no importance1 said the strange gentleman4 ,oliver will have no need to work2 we shall make a gentleman of ,oliver4 ,but ,i was about to say that ,i have ordered a little supper at the inn1 and my servant will go and bring it4 ,go1 ,gaspard1 and see that all is done well4 ,in the mean time let us talk over family matters among ourselves4 ,see1 here am ,i1 come1 as ,i said1 from the ,americas1 and without a soul belonging to me but my servant ,gaspard4 ,let us1 then1 all live together--you1 my sister1 and ,oliver and me and ,gaspard4 ,to-night ,i will sleep here in your house4 ,to-morrow ,oliver and ,i shall go to ,paris and choose another lodging1 for this is a poor place for the sister and the nephew of a rich ,american to live4 ,oliver's mother looked around her4 ,yes1 said she1 that is true4 ,it is a poor place1 a very poor place4 99 99 99 99 99 ,here is ,gaspard with the little supper1 said ,oliver's new uncle4 ,some one had knocked4 ,oliver opened the door1 and ,gaspard came in1 followed by ,jacques1 the man from the inn1 carrying a great basket upon his head4 ,oliver and his mother stared with open eyes and mouths1 for they had never seen such a little supper as the ugly servant had fetched from the inn4 ,gaspard saw to the cooking1 said the new uncle4 ,gaspard is a famous cook1 and ,i do not know how ,i could get along without him4 ,oliver watched the servant furtively1 and the longer he looked the more he felt something that made his skin creep4 ,the servant was1 as was said1 a little thin1 wiry man1 and he had a lean1 livid face and straight black hair that almost met the slanting eyebrows2 he had a pair of little twinkling black eyes1 mouse-like and cunning2 he had thin1 blue1 grinning lips that showed every now and then beneath them a set of large white teeth2 he had a long1 sharp chin that stuck out like that of a punchinello2 he was unpleasant to look at1 but then he was a good servant--yes1 he was a good servant2 he might have had felt upon his feet for all the noise he made1 and he spread the table with only a faint chink or tingle now and then to show that he was at work4 ,so ,oliver sat watching him from under his brows1 while the new uncle talked with his mother4 ,at last ,gaspard drew back from the table and bowed4 ,come1 said the new uncle1 drawing up a chair1 let us have supper4 ,,scene ,,second4--,midnight in ,flourens2 a flood of moonlight falling across the bare and naked street1 mystic1 colorless4 ,oliver felt himself rising like a bubble through the black waters of sleep4 ,a noise1 a shrill1 penetrating noise1 was ringing in his ears1 and then suddenly1 as the bubble breaks1 he became wideawake and sat up4 ,at first he did not know where he was2 then he remembered the strange gentleman--his new-found uncle--and knew that he was in the garret1 and that the uncle was sleeping upon his 7,oliver's7 bed in the room below4 ,so recollection came back to his newly awakened senses by bits and pieces1 but all the while the shrill1 penetrating sound rang in his ears4 ,it was like1 and yet it was unlike1 the crying of a cat4 ,it was the same high-pitched1 tremulous strain1 like the wailing of an impish baby2 yet there was a difference--a subtle difference--between the crying of a cat and the long-drawn1 quavering1 unearthly sound that he heard1 voiceless and inarticulate1 in the silent loneliness of the midnight and the bewilderment of his new awakening--a difference that set his limbs to shaking1 and sent the chills crawling up and down his back like cold fingers4 ,the sound that he heard neither rose nor fell1 but continued to shrill on and on through the silence without1 as though it would never come to an end4 ,then suddenly it ceased4 ,oliver sat in darkness upon the garret floor1 with the blankets gathered about his chin1 his teeth chattering and rattling and his limbs shuddering1 partly through nervous1 partly through actual chill4 ,chicker1 chicker1 click6 sounded his teeth loudly in the hush of silence that followed4 ,it seemed as though that silence was even harder to bear than the sound itself4 ,it was only a cat1 it was only a cat1 he muttered to himself4 ,then1 ,the devil6 there it is again6 ,yes1 that same strange noise was beginning again2 at first so faint that ,oliver was not sure that he heard it1 then rising higher and higher and more and more keen4 ,it is only a cat1 it is only a cat1 muttered ,oliver1 faintly4 ,he felt his scalp creeping4 ,again the noise ceased as suddenly as before into the same death-like silence4 ,some one was stirring in the room below2 it was the ,american uncle4 ,a great wave of relief swept over ,oliver to find that another besides himself was awake4 ,the next moment he heard the window that looked out into the street beneath softly and cautiously raised4 ,near where he lay was an open unglazed window4 ,it looked out into the moonlight just above the one that he had heard raised in the room below4 ,a faint thrill of curiosity began to stir in the depth of the chaos of his fright4 ,strengthened by the companionship of wakefulness1 he crept softly to the square hole and peered fearfully out4 ,the houses across the way stood black and silent against the pale moonlit sky behind4 ,the street between was bathed in the white glamour4 ,in the middle of it and facing the house stood the motionless figure of a woman wrapped in the folds of a long black cloak4 ,just below ,oliver was the window that he had heard softly raised a moment since1 and out of it a head was looking4 ,oliver could only see the back of the head1 but he knew very well that it was the ,american uncle's4 ,he must have made some noise1 for the head suddenly turned and looked up4 ,he drew back with a keen thrill1 afraid--but not knowing why he was afraid--of being seen4 ,for a while he stood waiting and listening with bated breath and a beating heart1 but all was silent below4 ,then again he peeped cautiously out over the window-sill2 the head below was gone now1 but the silent1 motionless figure in the street was yet there4 ,illustration3 ,,at ,,that ,,moment ,,she ,,looked ,,up4 ,at that moment she looked up1 and ,oliver saw her face4 ,it was beautiful1 but as livid as death2 just such a face as might utter the sound that had awakened him to his blind terror4 ,the eyes were fixed upon him1 but not as though they saw him1 and he leaned far out of the window1 gazing fascinated4 ,presently the thin lips parted1 he saw the white teeth glitter in the moonlight1 and for the third time he heard that quavering1 unearthly wail break out upon the night4 ,suddenly the door of the house beneath opened noiselessly1 and two figures stepped out into the pale glamour4 ,one was the ,american uncle1 the other was the clever servant ,gaspard4 ,the latter carried over his arm something that looked like a long black cloak4 ,at their coming the sound instantly ceased1 and the woman slowly turned her white ghostly face towards them4 ,the ,american uncle strode up to her and caught her fiercely by the wrist1 but she moved no more than if she had been dead4 ,oliver saw the ,american uncle stand looking this way and that1 like one seeking for some escape2 then he looked at ,gaspard4 ,the clever servant was mouthing and grimacing in a horrible1 grotesque manner4 ,oliver could see him as plain as day1 for the white moonlight shone full in his lean grisly face4 ,he opened what he carried upon his arm2 it was a long1 black1 bag-like hood4 ,once again the tremulous1 wailing cry cut through the night1 at first faint1 then rising higher and higher and clearer and clearer4 ,oliver saw his uncle shudder4 ,gaspard grinned2 he crouched together1 and held the black bag open in his hands4 ,oliver heard the ,american uncle utter a sharp word that he could not understand1 and saw him fling the wrist he held away from him4 ,what next passed happened in an instant4 ,there was a leap1 a swift1 silent1 horrible struggle1 and the sound was stilled4 ,gaspard had drawn the black bag over the woman's head and shoulders4 ,then1 without pausing an instant1 he picked her up1 flung her limp and helpless form over his shoulder like a sack of grain1 turned1 and with noiseless feet ran swiftly down the street4 ,oliver watched him as he ran into an inky shadow1 flitted across a patch of moonlight1 disappeared in a shadow again1 appeared1 disappeared1 was gone4 ,my ,god6 he muttered to himself2 the bridge and the river are down there4 ,would he-- ,when he looked again he saw that his uncle had gone back into the house4 ,for a long time the street below lay deserted in the silence of the moonlight4 ,in the stillness ,oliver could hear the far-away sound of running water and the distant barking of a dog4 ,he leaned against the side of the window1 watching with fascinated interest for the return of the serving-man4 ,at last he thought that he saw a movement far down upon the moonlit street4 ,it was ,gaspard returning1 without his burden4 ,he appeared1 disappeared1 passed through the silent blocks of shadow1 of moonlight1 of shadow1 with the same swift1 noiseless steps1 until he reached the road in front of the house4 ,then he stopped short2 there was a momentary pause1 and then he looked quickly and suddenly up4 ,it was the face of a grinning devil from hell that ,oliver saw4 ,their glances met2 ,gaspard's eyes glistened in the moonlight4 ,that meeting of glances was but for an instant4 ,the next1 ,gaspard clapped his hands to the pit of his stomach1 and bending over1 writhed and twisted and doubled himself in a convulsion of silent1 crazy laughter4 ,after a while he straightened himself again1 and as ,oliver gazed1 fascinated1 he suddenly began an uncouth1 grotesque dance4 ,around and around he spun1 hopping and bobbing up and down2 around1 around1 with his black shadow--pot-bellied1 long-limbed1 and spider-like--hopping beneath him4 ,so hopping and bobbing1 with wagging head and writhing1 twisting limbs1 he drew nearer and nearer to the door4 ,another leap1 and he had hopped into the house1 and the street was silent and deserted once more in the white moonlight4 ,for a while ,oliver continued leaning out of the window1 dazed1 bewildered with what he had seen4 ,then he slowly drew his head in again1 and with trembling limbs and quaking body crawled back to his blankets that lay in a heap upon the floor in the darkness4 ,he heard a distant clock strike two2 he would have given ten years of his life for a ray of good1 honest sunlight4 ,the ,morning4 ,did the cats annoy you last night8 said ,oliver's mother1 as they sat at breakfast4 ,no1 said the new uncle4 ,gaspard and he looked as if they had never opened their eyes the whole night through4 ,oliver sat with the untasted breakfast before him1 heavily burdened with the recollection of what he had seen4 ,for one moment he woke to the question and answer1 and wondered vaguely whether the little supper of the night before had given him the nightmare4 ,then his heart sank back1 heavier than ever1 for he knew that what he had seen he had seen with his waking eyes4 ,suddenly the new uncle looked up4 ,we will start for ,paris1 said he1 at nine o'clock4 ,oliver's heart thrilled at the words4 ,it was on his tongue to say1 ,i do not want to go to ,paris1 but ,gaspard's mouse-like eyes were fixed upon him1 and he gulped1 shuddered1 and sat silent4 ,illustration3 ,,he ,,suddenly ,,began ,,an ,,uncouth1 ,,grotesque ,,dance4 ,,scene ,,third4--,paris4 ,it was all like the hideous unreality of a nightmare to poor ,oliver4 ,for twelve hours they had travelled on and on and on1 ,oliver and those two dreadful mysterious beings1 with only a brief stop now and then to change horses1 and now and then for a bite to eat4 ,at such times that one whom ,oliver afterwards knew as the master1 got out and walked up and down1 while the other attended to his duties as servant4 ,but ,oliver always sat still1 and shrunk together in the corner of the coach1 weighed down with the tremendous remembrance of what had passed the night before1 and by no less looming apprehensions of what was to come4 ,gaspard always brought him something to eat1 but he had no appetite for the food1 and he shuddered at the lean1 grisly face whenever it appeared at the door of the coach4 ,then again the master would enter1 and they would resume the never-ending journey4 ,at last1 overpowered by the continued intensity of the strain1 ,oliver fell into an uneasy sleep1 in which all manner of ugly visions flitted through his mind4 ,at last the sudden thunderous rumbling of the coach over stony streets aroused him again1 and when he awoke it was to find himself in ,paris4 ,he unclosed his eyes and looked stonily out of the window4 ,he had fallen asleep while the sun was still quite high in the sky2 now it was night4 ,the lights from the street lanterns flashed in at the window1 traversed the gloomy interior of the coach1 and then flashed out again2 a perpetual glare shone from the windows of shops and stores2 hundreds of people1 passing and repassing1 came and went2 but poor ,oliver1 bewildered and stupefied1 saw and felt all as a part of those dull1 leaden dreams that had disturbed him in his sleep4 ,nevertheless he noticed that as they still rumbled on and on1 the lights grew less and less brilliant and frequent and that the travellers grew less and less numerous2 that the streets grew crookeder and narrower1 and the dark and gloomy houses upon either hand more ancient and crazy4 ,suddenly1 in a space of darkness1 a hand was laid upon his knee1 and a voice spoke his name--,oliver6 ,he started wide awake1 and a keen1 sharp pang shot through him4 ,just then they again passed a lantern1 and as the light traversed the interior of the great coach it flashed across the face of his companion thrust close to his own4 ,the cloak which he had wrapped around him after nightfall had fallen away1 his eyes shone with a strange light1 and his lips were parted with a strange smile4 ,were you frightened at what you saw last night8 he said4 ,oliver felt as though a thunder-bolt had fallen4 ,twice or thrice he strove to speak1 but his tongue clave to the roof of his mouth1 and refused to utter a sound2 he could only nod his head4 ,the very worst thing that he feared had happened to him4 ,he was so frightened that it gave him the stomachache4 ,what was to befall him next8 ,it was through a veil of dizzy terror that he looked into that face shut up with him in the narrow confines of the coach4 ,all had become darkness again2 but in the humming silence the eyeballs of his soul still saw that strangely smiling face as the eyes of his body had seen it when the lantern light flashed upon it4 ,he crouched in his corner1 shrunk together like a rabbit before the face of a serpent4 ,again there came another traversing flash of light1 and then he saw that the face had widened to a grin4 ,and you know that ,i am not your rich uncle from the ,americas8 ,oliver nodded his head once more4 ,the other began laughing4 ,come1 said he2 you are frightened4 ,but ,i am not so bad as you take me to be1 or ,gaspard either1 for the matter of that1 though he has strange habits4 ,also you saw what he did last night8 ,for the third time ,oliver nodded his head4 ,his throat grew tighter and tighter1 and he felt as though he would choke4 ,very well1 said the other4 ,then you understand that ,gaspard and ,i are not to be trifled with4 ,we are now at the end of our journey1 and there is something that ,i would have you do for me4 ,it was for that that ,i hunted you up at ,flourens1 and it was for that that ,i brought you here to ,paris4 ,if you do my bidding1 no harm shall happen to you2 if not-- ,the hand which rested upon ,oliver's knee gripped it like the clutch of a hawk4 ,do you understand8 ,yes1 croaked ,oliver1 finding his voice at last4 ,very good1 said the other4 ,now when we stop ,i shall get out first of all1 then you1 then ,gaspard4 ,he will follow close behind us1 and if you make so much as one noise1 one little outcry-- ,the speaker stopped abruptly4 ,they were now in the black gloom of a crooked1 unlighted street1 with high walls beetling upon either side1 but even in the blackness of the gloom ,oliver could feel that the other made a motion with his hands as though drawing a sack or bag over his head1 and he shrank together closer than ever4 ,then suddenly the coach stopped4 ,the next moment the door was flung open1 and there stood ,gaspard waiting4 ,oliver's companion stepped out upon the pavement4 ,come1 said he1 and there was that in his voice that told ,oliver that there was but one thing to do--to obey4 ,the poor lad's legs and arms moved with a jerky1 spasmodic movement1 as though they did not belong to him1 and ,gaspard had to help him out of the coach1 or else he would have fallen upon the pavement4 ,that is good1 said his travelling companion when he at last stood upon the sidewalk4 ,our legs are cramped by sitting so long1 but we will be better by the time we have walked a little distance2 and he slipped his hand under ,oliver's arm4 ,oliver groaned4 ,the moon had now risen1 and though it did not reach the pavement1 the still pallid light bathed the upper stories of the houses upon the other side of the street above the sharp black demarcation of the lower shadows4 ,they passed two or three strange spirit-like shapes1 ragged and wretched2 but soon leaving even these behind1 and turning down a sudden crooked way1 they came to a dark1 lonely1 narrow court1 utterly deserted1 and silent as death4 ,at the farther side of this court was a brick wall1 black with moss and mildew4 ,upon this wall the pallid moonlight lay full and bright1 showing a little arched door-way that seemed to lead through it to1 perhaps1 a garden upon the other side4 ,here they stopped1 and ,gaspard1 stepping forward1 drew from his pocket two rusty keys tied together by a piece of twisted parchment4 ,he chose one of the keys1 and thrust it into the lock of the gate4 ,the lock was old and rusty4 ,gaspard twisted at the key until his bony fingers were livid1 then with a grating noise the key slowly turned in the rusty lock4 ,the gate opened--not into the garden1 as ,oliver had expected to see1 but into the inky darkness of the passage-way built into the wall4 ,come1 my child1 said ,oliver's companion4 ,come with me1 and ,gaspard will follow behind and close the gate4 ,oliver looked about him with helplessly despairing eyes4 ,not a soul was in sight but the two4 ,there was no help1 no hope2 there was nothing to do but to follow4 ,he stepped into the passage-way after the other4 ,the next moment ,gaspard closed the gate1 and he found himself in inky blackness4 ,take my hand and follow1 said he who led2 and his voice echoed and reverberated up and down the hollow darkness4 ,oliver reached blindly out until he touched the unseen hand4 ,with shuffling feet they moved slowly along the passage-way for the distance of twenty or thirty paces1 the ,american uncle leading the way and holding ,oliver by the hand1 and ,gaspard following so close behind them that sometimes it seemed to ,oliver that he could feel the other's hot breath blowing upon his neck4 ,suddenly ,oliver's guide stopped for a moment1 and ,oliver could hear him feeling with his feet upon the floor in front of him4 ,then again his echoing voice sounded1 reverberating through the darkness4 ,take care of the steps1 said he1 for they are narrow and slippery4 ,in answer ,oliver felt out instinctively with his foot4 ,his toe touched the edge of a step1 the first of a flight that led steeply downward into the darkness4 ,down1 down they went1 ,oliver in the middle and the other behind4 ,we are at the bottom of the steps1 said the echoing voice in front of ,oliver1 and the next instant he felt the startling jar of missing a step4 ,although the blackness was impenetrable1 it seemed to ,oliver that they had now reached a large room1 for their footsteps echoed with a hollow sound1 as though from high walls and a vaulted roof4 ,his guide laid a hand upon his arm1 and at the signal he stopped4 ,presently he heard ,gaspard fumbling and rustling1 and the next moment a shower of sparks were struck with flint and steel4 ,as the tinder blazed under his breathing1 ,oliver saw that ,gaspard leaned over a small brazen vase that sat upon the ground4 ,he lighted a match and dropped it into the vase1 and instantly a vivid greenish light blazed up1 dancing now higher1 now lower1 and lighting up all the surrounding space4 ,then ,oliver saw that he was indeed in a high1 vaulted1 cellar-like apartment1 without window or other entrance than that through which they had come4 ,in the centre of this vaulted space1 and not far from where they stood1 was a trap-door of iron1 to which was attached an iron ring2 a wide1 heavy iron bar1 fastened to the floor at one end by a hinge and at the other by a staple and padlock1 crossed the iron plate1 and locked it to the floor4 ,again ,gaspard drew out the two keys1 and fitting the second into the padlock1 gave it a turn4 ,the padlock gaped4 ,he loosed it from the staple1 and swung back the iron bar1 creaking and grating upon its rusty hinge2 then1 clutching the ring in the lid of the trap1 he bent his back and heaved4 ,the iron plate swung slowly and heavily up1 and as ,oliver looked down1 he saw a glimmering flight of stone steps that led into the yawning blackness beneath4 ,illustration3 ,,he ,,lighted ,a ,,match ,,and ,,dropped ,,it ,,into ,,the ,,vase4 ,gaspard reached down into the square hole1 and after fumbling around for a moment1 drew forth an ancient rusty lantern with the end of a half-burnt candle still in it1 which he proceeded to light4 ,then he who was the master spoke again4 ,oliver1 my child1 said he1 smoothly1 down below there are three rooms2 in the farthermost room of the three is a small stone pillar1 and on it are two bottles of water4 ,bring them up here to me1 and ,i will make you so rich that you shall never want for anything more in this world4 ,am ,i--am ,i to go down there alone8 said ,oliver1 hoarsely4 ,yes1 said the other1 alone2 but we1 ,gaspard and ,i1 will wait here for you4 ,and what then8 ,then ,i will make you rich4 ,oliver looked into the face of the other4 ,in its cold depth he saw something that chilled his heart to the very centre4 ,he turned1 and1 leaning forward1 gazed stupidly down into the gaping hole at his feet2 then he drew back4 ,my ,god6 he said1 ,i--cannot go--down there alone4 ,but you must go1 said the other4 ,i--,i cannot go alone1 said ,oliver again4 ,the other turned his head4 ,gaspard6 said he4 ,that was all2 but the perfect servant understood4 ,he stepped forward and laid his hand upon ,oliver's wrist1 and his fingers were like steel wires4 ,oliver looked into his face with wide eyes4 ,he saw there that which he had seen the night before4 ,i--will--go1 said he1 in a choking voice4 ,he reached out blindly a hand as cold as death1 and trembling as with a palsy4 ,one of the others1 he knew not which1 thrust the lantern into it4 ,then he turned mechanically1 and1 automaton-like1 began descending the narrow steps4 ,there were ten or a dozen of them1 leading steeply downward1 and at the bottom was a small vestibule a few feet square4 ,oliver looked back1 and saw the two faces peering down at him through the square opening above2 then he turned again4 ,in front of him was an arched door-way like that through which he had first come4 ,on the wall around the door-way and on the floor was painted a broad1 blood-red1 unbroken line1 with this figure marked at intervals upon it3 ,symb #cb ,the door was opened a crack4 ,oliver reached out and pushed it1 and then noiselessly1 even in that dead silence1 it swung slowly open upon the darkness within4 ,,scene ,,fourth4--,the three mysterious rooms4 ,oliver hesitated a moment1 and then entered the cavernous blackness beyond4 ,there he stopped again1 and stood looking about him by the dusky glimmer of the lantern1 which threw round swaying patches of light upon the floor and on the ceiling above1 and three large squares of yellow light upon the walls around4 ,oliver wondered dully whether he was in a dream1 for such a place he had never beheld before in all his life4 ,upon the floor lay soft1 heavy rugs and carpets1 blackened and mildewed with age1 but still showing here and there gorgeous patches of coloring4 ,upon the wall hung faded tapestry and silken hangings draped in dark1 motionless1 mysterious folds4 ,around stood divans and couches covered with soft and luxurious cushions embroidered with silk long since faded1 and silver thread long since tarnished to an inky blackness4 ,in the middle of the room stood an ebony table inlaid with ivory and mother-of-pearl2 above it hung a lamp inlaid with gold and swung from the arched stone ceiling above by three golden chains4 ,beside the table stood a chair of some dark red wood1 richly inlaid like the table1 with ivory and mother-of-pearl1 and by the chair leaned a lute ready strung1 as though just laid aside by the performer1 though the strings1 long untouched1 were thick and fuzzy with green mildew4 ,upon the chair was a tasselled cushion1 one time rich and ornate1 now covered with great blotches of decay4 ,upon the table were two golden trays--one of them containing a small mass of mildew that might at one time have been fruit or confections of some sort2 the other1 an empty glass vase or decanter as clear as crystal1 but stained with the dry dregs of wine1 and two long crystal glasses1 one of them overset and with the stem broken4 ,in a dim distant corner of this one-time magnificent room stood a draped couch or bed1 with heavy hangings tattered and stained with rot1 the once white linen mildewed and smeared with age4 ,all these things ,oliver saw as he stood in the door-way looking slowly and breathlessly around him2 then1 of a sudden1 his heart tightened and shrunk together1 the lantern in his hand trembled and swayed1 for upon the bed1 silent and motionless1 he saw the dim1 dark outline of a woman's figure lying still and silent4 ,who--who is there8 he quavered1 tremulously2 but no answering voice broke the silence4 ,as he stood there1 with his heart beating and thumping in his throat1 with beads of cold sweat standing on his forehead1 and now and then swallowing at the dryness in his throat1 a fragment of the hangings above the bed1 loosened perhaps by the breath of air that had come in through the open door behind1 broke from its rotten threads1 and dropped silent and bat-like to the floor4 ,oliver winked rapidly in the intensity of high-keyed nervous strain4 ,how long he stood there he could never tell1 but suddenly the voice of the master breathed through the stillness behind him and from above3 ,hast thou found the bottles of water8 ,oliver started1 and then1 with the same jerky automaton-like steps with which he had descended the stone stair-way from above1 he began crossing the room to the arrased door-way which he dimly distinguished upon the other side of the apartment4 ,midway he stopped1 and1 turning his head1 looked again at the silent figure lying upon the bed4 ,he was nearer to it now1 and could see it more clearly in the dim yellow light of the lantern4 ,the face was hidden1 but the floating1 wavy hair1 loosened from a golden band which glimmered faintly in the raven blackness1 lay spread in shadow-like masses over the stained and faded surface of the silken pillow upon which the head lay4 ,impelled by a sudden impulse of a grotesque curiosity1 ,oliver1 after a moment's hesitation1 crept slowly and stealthily towards that silent occupant of the silent room1 holding his lantern forward at arm's-length before him4 ,as the advancing light crept slowly around the figure1 ,oliver saw first one thing and then another4 ,first1 the quaint and curious costume of a kind of which be had never seen before1 woven of rich and heavy silk1 and rendered still more stiff by the seed-pearls with which it was embroidered4 ,then the neck and breast1 covered by the folds of a faded silken scarf4 ,then1 as the light crept still farther around the figure1 he saw it twinkle upon a gold and jewelled object4 ,oliver knew very well what it was1 and his knees smote together when he saw it4 ,it was the haft of a dagger1 and the blade was driven up to the guard into the silent bosom4 ,he raised the lantern still farther1 and the light shone full in the face4 ,oliver gave a piping cry1 and1 stumbling backward1 nearly let fall the lantern upon the floor4 ,he had seen the face of a grinning skull gazing with hollow1 sightless sockets1 into his own eyes4 ,illustration3 ,,oliver ,,gave ,a ,,piping ,,cry4 ,for a while ,oliver stood in the middle of the room1 staring with blank1 stony horror at the silent figure4 ,then for a second time the voice of the watcher above breathed through the silence--,have you found the water yet8 ,oliver turned stupidly1 and with dull1 heavy steps passed through the door-way into the room beyond1 holding the lantern before him4 ,here1 again1 were the same rotting1 mildewed richness and profusion1 but they were of a different character4 ,a long table in the centre of the room1 covered with the remnant of what had once been a white linen table-cloth1 and set with blackened and tarnished plates and dishes1 and dust-covered goblets1 and beakers of ancient cut and crystal-like glass1 showed that it was a dining apartment into which he had now come4 ,two richly-carved chairs1 with their indented cushions1 were pushed back as though their occupant had but just now quitted them4 ,oliver felt a wave of relief2 here was no silent figure to frighten him with its ghostly1 voiceless presence4 ,upon the other side of this room was another tapestried door-way similar to that through which he had just entered4 ,passing through it1 he found himself in a low1 narrow passage1 barred at the farther end by a heavy iron-bound door1 worm-eaten and red with the stain of rust1 and with great wrought-iron hinges spreading out upon its surface like twisted fingers4 ,oliver pressed his foot against it4 ,it was not locked1 and it swung slowly and stiffly open with a dull groaning of the rusty hinges4 ,within was a stone-paved apartment1 very different from those which he had just left4 ,all around were scattered quaint and curious jars and retorts of coarse glass and metal4 ,rows of bottles of different shapes and sizes stood upon the shelves1 and in the corner was a great heap of mouldering1 dusty books1 huge of size1 and fastened with metal clasps4 ,built into the middle of the farther wall was a wide brick chimney-place1 black with ancient soot1 wherein were several furnaces of different sizes1 all long since cold1 and with the sparks of fiery life dead in their bosoms4 ,nevertheless1 everything had been left as though the room had been newly deserted4 ,one pot-bellied retort reclined tipsily upon its bed of cold gray ashes2 a mortar stood upon the hob of another furnace with the pestle in it2 a book1 held open by a glass rod across the pages1 lay near by1 as though for reference4 ,in the centre of the room stood a square pillar or table of stone1 and upon it were two bottles containing a clear1 limpid liquid1 in appearance like distilled water4 ,each was stoppered with glass1 and sealed besides with a great mass of blood-red wax4 ,upon each of the bottles was pasted a square parchment label4 ,one was marked in red pigment1 thus--,symb #ci4 ,the other was marked thus--,symb #ci in black4 ,oliver knew that these were the bottles for which he had been sent4 ,he hesitated a moment2 then1 reaching forth his hand1 he took first one and then the other1 and thrust them into his pocket4 ,he had reached the ending of his task4 ,then of a sudden it was as though a wave of renewed life swept over him4 ,he thought nothing of the greater dangers that must still await him above1 at the mouth of the trap1 though he had there read death in the master's eyes4 ,he was unreasonably1 unthinkingly elated2 it was as though he had reached the ending of a long nightmare journey1 and as though his face was turned towards the light again4 ,it was with firmer and less fearful steps that he retraced his way through the dining-room and the room beyond1 where lay that silent1 grisly sleeper1 and so came to the door-way with the blood-red line drawn around it4 ,then he stopped and looked up4 ,at the square mouth of the shaft he saw the two faces still peering down at him1 the face of ,gaspard and the face of the master side by side4 ,again1 and for the third time1 the master asked him the question1 ,have you found the bottles of water8 ,yes1 said ,oliver1 ,i have found them4 ,then give them to me1 said the other1 in a ringing voice1 and he reached his arm down towards ,oliver where he still stood in the door-way1 around which was drawn the blood-red line4 ,in the reaction from the prostration of fear which had been upon ,oliver for all this time1 in the new elation which possessed him1 it was as though he had come up from out of the dark waters which had overwhelmed him1 and stood again upon the firm ground of courage4 ,yes1 said he1 very good1 my dear ,american uncle1 but wait a little2 what then is to come of me if ,i give you these two bottles of water8 ,the other drew back his hand4 ,did ,i not promise1 said he1 to make you rich for as long as you lived8 ,yes1 said ,oliver1 you did1 but ,i do not believe you4 ,suppose that ,i give you these two bottles1 how do ,i then know that you will not bang down that trap upon me1 and lock me in here to die alone in a day or two8 ,then come up here1 said the other1 if you are afraid4 ,yes1 said ,oliver2 but last night ,i saw something-- ,he stopped short1 for the recollection of it stuck in his throat4 ,suppose you should hand me over to ,gaspard and his black bag2 and he shuddered with a sudden creep at the thought of it4 ,the master's face grew as black as thunder1 and his eyes shone blue in the light of the lantern4 ,peste6 he cried1 stamping his foot upon the stone pavement4 ,do you chaffer with me8 ,will you give me the water1 or will you not8 ,no1 cried ,oliver2 not until you promise to let me go safe back home4 ,you will not give the bottles to me8 ,no6 ,there was a pause for a moment1 but only for a moment4 ,then there was a snarl like the snarl of a wild beast--,gaspard6 cried the master4 ,as he cried he leaped forward and down1 two steps at a time1 with the servant at his heels4 ,oliver ran back into the room1 yelling1 stumbled over the corner of a rug1 dropped the lantern1 and fell flat upon the floor1 where he lay1 with his face buried in his hands1 screaming with terror4 ,in his ears rang a confused noise of snarls and cries and oaths and scuffling feet1 but no hand was laid upon him4 ,moment after moment passed4 ,oliver raised his face from his hands1 and looked fearfully over his shoulder4 ,at the open door-way stood ,gaspard and his master1 with white faces and gleaming teeth1 dancing and hopping up and down1 tossing their hooked1 claw-like hands in the air1 foaming with rage1 snarling and gnashing like wolves4 ,the lantern which ,oliver had dropped still burned with a sickly1 flickering gleam1 for the candle had not gone out1 and it was partly by the light of it that he beheld them4 ,then1 like a flash of lightning1 he saw it all3 they could not cross that red line drawn across the door-way4 ,oliver's courage came back to him with a bound4 ,he sat up and looked at them struggling and striving to get at him1 and kept back as by an unseen wall of adamant4 ,instinctively he reached out and raised the overturned lantern1 for the light was on the verge of flickering out4 ,promise me that ,i shall reach home safe and sound1 said he1 and you shall yet have the two bottles4 ,illustration3 ,,at ,,the ,,open ,,door-,,way ,,stood ,,gaspard ,,and ,,his ,,master4 ,the master did not seem to hear him4 ,oliver repeated the words4 ,then suddenly the other ceased from the violence of his gestures and exclamations1 shook himself1 and stood erect1 pulled down his lace cuffs1 and wiped his face with his cambric handkerchief4 ,then he fixed upon ,oliver a basilisk glance1 and smiled a dreadful smile4 ,gaspard1 said he1 let us go4 ,he turned and walked up the stone steps again1 closely followed by his servant1 and poor ,oliver sat staring stonily after them4 ,above1 the master gave an order4 ,oliver heard a grating1 grinding noise4 ,there was a crash that echoed clamorously through the stillness1 a clanking rattle1 a grating screech1 a click1 and then the silence of death4 ,gaspard had shut and locked the trap-door above4 ,oliver sat dazed and bewildered by the suddenness of what had happened4 ,presently he turned his head mechanically and looked around1 and his eyes fell upon the silent occupant of the bed4 ,then he leaped to his feet1 and up the steep flight of stone steps like a madman4 ,he dashed his fist against the cold iron lid above his head4 ,open1 he shouted--open and let me out4 ,let me out and you shall have everything4 ,here are the bottles of water4 ,do you not want them8 ,he stopped short and listened1 crouching upon the upper step1 close against the iron lid above him4 ,he fancied he heard a faint sound of footsteps4 ,let me out6 he screamed again4 ,nothing but dead1 solemn silence4 ,oliver ran down the steps again1 the accursed glass bottles clicking together in his pocket4 ,in the narrow vestibule below he stood for a moment1 gazing down upon the floor in the utter abandonment of blank despair4 ,at last he looked up1 and then crawled fearfully forward into the room beyond1 lit by the faint glow of the lantern4 ,he sat him down upon the floor1 and burst out crying4 ,by-and-by a blind rage filled his heart against the cruelty of his fate and against the man who had brought it all upon him4 ,he sprang to his feet1 and began striding up and down the room1 muttering to himself and shaking his head4 ,presently he stopped1 raised his clinched fists in the air and shook them4 ,then he broke into a laugh4 ,very well1 said he2 but you have not got the bottles of water6 and he felt his pockets2 they were still there4 ,then1 as he stood there feeling the bottles in his pocket1 the last misfortune of all happened to him4 ,there was a flare1 a sputter1 and then--utter darkness4 ,the light in the lantern had gone out4 ,,scene ,,fifth4--,the same4 ,oliver stood for a while utterly stupefied by this new blow that had fallen upon him2 then1 with his hands stretched out in the darkness and feeling before him with his feet1 he moved blindly forward4 ,at last he found the lantern where it stood upon the floor1 and kneeling down he raised the lid and felt within4 ,even if he had found a candle1 it would have been of no use to him1 for he could not have lighted it1 but nothing was there but the hot1 melted grease in which the wick had expired4 ,oliver sat down upon the floor and hid his face upon his knees4 ,how long he sat there he never could tell2 it might have been seconds1 it might have been minutes1 it might have been an hour2 for1 like one in a broken sleep1 there was to him no measurement of time4 ,suddenly a thought flashed upon him1 like light in the darkness3 he remembered the chimney in the room beyond4 ,why should he not escape in that way8 ,at the thought a great torrent of hope swept upon him2 his heart swelled as though it would burst4 ,he rose to his feet1 and feeling blindly in the blackness1 came first to the table1 and then to the tapestried wall beyond4 ,inch by inch1 and foot by foot he felt his way along it1 now stumbling over a cushioned couch in the darkness1 and now over the edge of one of the rugs4 ,so at last he came to the corner of the room4 ,thence with out-stretched fingers he felt his way along over the silent folds of the hangings until he met the emptiness of the door-way4 ,in the same manner he crept along the wall of the room beyond1 overturning in his passage a light table laden with plates and glasses1 that fell with a deafening crash and tinkle of broken glass4 ,oliver paused for a moment in the bewilderment of the sudden noise1 and then began his slow onward way again4 ,thus crawling slowly along1 and guiding himself by the walls1 he came out through the passage-way beyond the dining apartment1 and so into the laboratory4 ,here he had no difficulty in finding the chimney1 for the moonlight shed a faint1 ghostly light down the broad flue above1 glimmering in a pale flickering sheen upon the bottles and glass retorts that stood around4 ,illustration3 ,,creeping ,,cautiously ,,forward1 ,,oliver ,,came ,,to ,,the ,,chimney-,,piece4 ,creeping cautiously forward1 ,oliver came to the chimney-place1 climbed upon one of the furnaces1 and peered upward4 ,not twenty feet above he could see the silvery moonlit sky4 ,then his heart sank within him like a plummet of lead4 ,for just over his head were grated bars of iron1 thick and ponderous1 that1 crossing the chimney from side to side1 were built into the solid brick and stone masonry of the flue4 ,oliver clambered down out of the furnace again1 and sat him down upon the edge of it4 ,there for a time he perched1 staring despairingly into the darkness beyond4 ,what shall ,i do next8 he muttered to himself--what shall ,i do next8 ,it could serve no use for him to stay where he was1 among the crucibles and retorts2 he might as well go into one of the other rooms4 ,there1 at least1 would be a comfortable place to rest himself1 and he began to feel heavily and stupidly sleepy4 ,foot by foot and step by step he felt his way back again into the farthest room4 ,he gave no thought to that other occupant1 hushed in the silent sleep of death2 but flinging himself down upon the first couch that he found1 gathered the musty1 mildewed cushions under his head1 closed his eyes1 and sunk heavily into the depths of a dark1 dreamless sleep4 ,how long ,oliver ,munier lay in the blankness of this heavy sleep he could never know4 ,it must have been for a great while1 as he afterwards discovered4 ,his waking was sudden and sharp1 and even before he was fairly awake he knew that he heard a sound4 ,he opened his eyes wide and listened4 ,there was a soft rustling1 a velvety footfall1 and the sound of quick1 short breathing1 in the silent darkness1 like that of a little child4 ,finally he heard a suppressed sneeze4 ,he sat up upon the couch1 and at the noise of his movements the other sound ceased1 only for the quick breathing4 ,who is there8 whispered ,oliver through the darkness4 ,for a moment or two the silence was unbroken2 then came a dull1 monotonous1 musical sound1 somewhat like the humming of a hive of bees1 but rougher and more rattling4 ,oliver1 listening with all his soul1 heard the same rustling footsteps as before1 and now they were coming straight towards him4 ,there was a moment's pause1 and then something leaped upon the couch beside him4 ,oliver sat as though turned to stone4 ,he felt a faint breath upon his hand as it rested upon the cushion at his side1 and then something pressed against his wrist and his arm4 ,it was soft1 warm1 furry4 ,it was a cat4 ,in the gush of relief at this honest1 homely animal companionship ,oliver broke down from his tension of nervous strain to laughing and crying at once4 ,reaching out his hand1 he began to stroke the creature1 whereupon it bowed its back and rubbed against him in dumb response4 ,a sudden light flashed upon him4 ,the cat was alive2 it was good honest flesh and blood2 there was nothing ghostly or demoniacal about it2 where it had entered it would have to go forth again1 and where it so passed to and fro there must be some means of ingress and egress4 ,why should he not avail himself of its aid to find his way out into the daylight again8 ,in a few moments he had torn the mouldy silken covers of one of the cushions into small strips1 had twisted these strips into a cord1 and had then tied the cord around the cat's neck4 ,wherever the creature went now he would follow as a blind man follows his dog4 ,he began to whistle in the excess of his relief at the new light of hope which had dawned upon him4 ,the sound awoke shrill echoes in the black vaulted spaces1 and he stopped abruptly4 ,very well1 said he1 half aloud4 ,but nevertheless1 my ,american uncle1 here is a new way out of our troubles4 ,by force of habit he thrust his hands into his pocket2 the two bottles of water were still there4 99 99 99 99 99 ,it seemed to ,oliver an age before this miraculously sent conductor1 this feline saving angel1 made ready to take its departure4 ,it was hours2 but there was nothing for him to do but to wait patiently for the creature to choose its own time for leaving1 for should he undertake to urge it1 it might grow frightened and break away from him1 and so lose him the clew of escape4 ,yes1 there was nothing to do but to wait patiently until his guide chose to bestir itself4 ,oliver was ravenously hungry1 but once or twice1 in spite of the gnawing of his stomach1 he fell into a doze in the dead1 monotonous silence of the place4 ,nevertheless1 through all his napping1 he held tight to the silken cord4 ,it was from such a doze as this that he was awakened by feeling a twitching at the silken string1 which he had wrapped around his hand for the sake of precaution4 ,the cat was stirring4 ,oliver loosened the cord so as to give the animal as much freedom as possible1 and then rose to his feet4 ,the cat1 disturbed by his moving1 leaped lightly to the floor4 ,it gave a faint mew1 and rubbed once or twice against his legs4 ,oliver waited with a beating heart4 ,at last the cat started straight across the floor1 and ,oliver1 holding the string1 followed after it4 ,the next minute he ran against the corner of the table1 stumbled over the chair that stood beside it1 overturning the mildewed lute1 which fell with a hollow1 musical crash4 ,the cat had gone under the table1 and ,oliver had perforce to go down upon his hands and knees and follow4 ,when he arose again he was bewildered1 and knew not where he was2 he had lost his bearings in the blank darkness around him4 ,the cat had become alarmed1 and was now struggling at the string that held it1 and ,oliver was afraid that it would snap the cord and get away from him4 ,he followed more rapidly1 and the next moment pitched headlong across the couch in the corner4 ,the silent occupant rattled dryly1 and ,oliver heard something fall with a crash upon the floor1 roll for a space1 and then vibrate into silence4 ,oh1 mon ,dieu6 he cried1 and crossed himself4 ,he knew very well what it was that had fallen4 ,but the cat was now struggling furiously1 and there was no time to lose in qualms4 ,he scrambled to his feet1 still holding tight to the silken cord4 ,there was no trouble now in following the lead of the animal4 ,the next moment his head struck with terrible force against the hard stone wall2 he saw forty thousand swimming stars1 and for a moment was stunned and bewildered with the force of the blow4 ,when his wits came back to him the cat was gone1 but he still held the end of the silken cord in his hand4 ,he stooped1 and felt the direction which the cord took4 ,it ran between two of the lighter silken hangings upon the wall4 ,he parted them and felt within1 and his hand encountered empty nothingness4 ,he felt above1 below1 and on each side1 and his touch met the smooth1 cold stones of the wall4 ,the open space was about two feet high and three feet wide4 ,it was thence the cat had gone4 ,oliver's only chance was to follow after2 accordingly he dropped upon his knees and felt within4 ,for a foot or more the bottom of the space ran upon a line of the floor1 then it dropped suddenly and sheerly as the wall of a house4 ,how far it was to the bottom ,oliver had no means of knowing4 ,he reached down at arm's-length1 but could not touch it4 ,he crawled out of the hole again1 and then reversing himself1 went in feet foremost4 ,he dropped his legs over the edge of the open space1 but still he felt nothing4 ,upon either side he could touch the sides of the passage with his toes2 below1 they touched nothing4 ,he dropped himself lower1 but still felt nothing4 ,lower still1 and still felt nothing4 ,he let himself go to his arm's-length1 and hung there flat against the wall1 and felt about with his feet1 but still they touched nothing4 ,how far was it to the bottom of that black passage8 ,if he let go his hold1 would he be dashed to pieces below8 ,a great wave of fright swept over him1 and he struggled vehemently to raise himself up to the edge of the hole again whence he had descended1 but he was helpless1 powerless4 ,in his frantic struggles his feet clashed against the sides of the passage-way1 but he could nowhere gain purchase to raise himself so much as a foot4 ,his struggles grew fainter and fainter1 and at last he hung helplessly clinging to the edge of the hole above him with cramped and nervous fingers4 ,a red light seemed to dance before his eyes1 and he felt his strength crumbling away from him like undermined earth4 ,he breathed a short prayer1 loosed his hold--and fell about six inches to the bottom of the shaft beneath4 ,he crouched there for a while1 weak and trembling in the reaction from his terror4 ,at last he heaved a great sigh and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with his sleeve4 ,then1 rousing himself and feeling about him1 he found that the passage-way continued at right angles with the bottom of the shaft4 ,it seemed to ,oliver that he could distinguish a faint gray light in the gloom with which he was enveloped4 ,nor was he mistaken1 for1 crawling slowly and painfully forward1 he found that the light grew brighter and brighter4 ,presently the passage took an upward turn1 and by-and-by became so steep that ,oliver could hardly struggle forward4 ,at last it again became level and easy to traverse2 and still the light grew brighter and brighter4 ,suddenly the passage-way became horizontal again1 and ,oliver stopped in his forward scrambling1 and1 sitting helplessly down1 began crying2 for there in front of him1 a few yards distant1 the gray light of the fading evening shone in at a square window-like hole1 and into it swept the sweet fresh open air1 fragrant as violets after the close1 dank smell of the rooms he had left4 ,it was through this passage-way that the silent rooms behind must have been supplied with pure air4 ,at last ,oliver roused himself1 and scrambled forward and through the hole4 ,he found that he had come through a blank wall and upon a little brick ledge or shelf that ran along it4 ,not far away sat the cat by means of whose aid he had come forth thus to freedom--the end of the silken cord was still around its neck4 ,it was a black and white mangy-looking creature1 but ,oliver could have kissed it in his joy4 ,he reached out his hand towards it and called to it1 but instead of answering it leaped from the brick ledge to the pavement beneath1 and the next moment had disappeared into a blind alley across the narrow court upon which ,oliver had come through the hole in the wall4 ,oliver sat for a moment or two upon the brick ledge1 looking about him4 ,across the way was a high windowless wall of a house1 and below that1 at a considerable distance1 a low building with a double row of windows extending along the length of it4 ,close to him was a narrow door-way--the only other opening in the wall through which he had just come4 ,the ledge upon which he sat ended abruptly at that door-way4 ,above him1 and at the end of the alley-way1 was another blind windowless wall4 ,all this ,oliver observed as he sat upon the ledge1 swinging his heels4 ,then he turned and dropped lightly to the pavement beneath4 ,something chinked in his pocket as he did so2 it was the two bottles of water4 ,thank ,heaven6 said ,oliver1 heaving a sigh4 ,i am safe at last4 ,there was a sharp click of the latch of the door near to where he stood1 and then it opened4 ,good-day1 monsieur1 said a familiar voice4 ,your uncle waits supper for you4 ,it was ,gaspard1 the servant1 who stood in the door-way1 bowing and grimacing respectfully as he held it open4 ,oliver staggered back against the wall behind him1 and there leaned1 sick and dizzy4 ,presently he groaned1 sick at heart1 and looked up and down the length of the narrow street1 but not another soul was in sight2 there was nothing for him to do but to enter the door that ,gaspard held open for him4 ,straight ahead1 monsieur1 said ,gaspard1 bowing as ,oliver passed him4 ,i will show you to your uncle1 who is waiting for you4 ,he closed the door as he spoke1 and1 as ,oliver stood aside1 he passed him with another respectful bow1 and led the way down the long1 gloomy passage-way1 lit only by a narrow window at the farther end4 ,,scene ,,sixth4--,the master's house4 ,at the end of the passage-way ,gaspard opened another door1 and then1 motioning with his hand1 bowed respectfully for the third time4 ,oliver passed through the door-way1 and it was as though he had stepped from the threshhold of one world into another4 ,never in his life had he seen anything like that world4 ,he turned his head this way and that1 looking about him in dumb bewilderment4 ,in confused perception he saw white and gold panels1 twinkling lights1 tapestried furniture1 inlaid cabinets glittering with glass and china1 painted screens whereon shepherds and shepherdesses piped and danced1 and white-wigged ladies and gentlemen bowed and postured4 ,a black satin mask1 a painted fan1 and a slender glove lay upon the blue damask upholstery of a white and gold sofa that stood against the wall--the mask1 the fan1 and the glove of a fine lady4 ,but all these things ,oliver saw only in the moment of passing1 for ,gaspard led the way directly up the long room with a step silent as that of a cat4 ,a heavy green silk curtain hung in the door-way4 ,gaspard drew it aside1 and ,oliver1 still as in a dream1 passed through and found himself in a small room crowded with rare books1 porcelains1 crystals1 and what not4 ,illustration3 ',,good-,,day1 ,,monsieur1' ,,said ,a ,,familiar ,,voice4 ,but he had no sight for them2 for in front of a glowing fire1 protected by a square screen exquisitely painted1 and reclining in the midst of cushions on a tapestried sofa1 clad in a loose1 richly-embroidered1 quilted dressing-robe1 his white hand holding a book1 between the leaves of which his finger was thrust1 his smiling face turned towards ,oliver--sat the master4 ,as ,oliver entered past the bowing ,gaspard1 he tossed the book aside upon the table1 and sprang to his feet4 ,ah1 ,oliver1 my dear child6 he cried4 ,is it then thou again8 ,embrace me6 and he took the limp ,oliver into his arms4 ,where hast thou been8 ,and he drew back and looked into ,oliver's face4 ,i do not know1 croaked ,oliver1 helplessly4 ,ah6 ,thou hast been gone a long time4 ,thou art hungry8 ,i was1 said ,oliver1 wretchedly2 but ,i am not hungry now4 ,nay1 said the other2 thou must be hungry4 ,see6 ,another little supper2 and he motioned with his hand4 ,oliver had not noticed it before1 but there was a table spread with a white damask cloth1 and with chairs placed for two4 ,let ,gaspard show you to your apartment1 where you may wash and refresh yourself1 and by that time the little supper will be ready4 ,oliver wondered what all this meant4 ,he could scarcely believe that the smooth-spoken master and the quiet and well-trained serving-man were the same two as those white-faced demons who had grinned and gnashed at him across the blood-red line drawn around the door-way yonder1 and yet he could not doubt it4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the supper was over1 and the master1 with his fingers locked around his glass1 leaned across the table towards ,oliver1 who1 after all1 had made a good meal of it4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,question ,,was ,,so ,,sudden ,,and ,,so ,,startling ,,that ,,oliver ,,sank ,,back ,,in ,,his ,,seat4 ,and those bottles of water1 said he4 ,did we then bring them with us from that place down yonder8 ,he jerked his head over his shoulder4 ,the question was so sudden and so startling that ,oliver sank back in his seat1 with all the strength gone out of his back--and he was just beginning to feel more easy4 ,he could not speak a word in answer1 but he nodded his head4 ,then give them to me1 said the other1 sharply4 ,and ,oliver saw the delicate pointed fingers hook in spite of themselves4 ,but ,oliver was no longer the ,oliver that had sat on the bench in front of the inn at ,flourens that little while ago2 he had passed through much of late1 he had gained wisdom1 shrewdness1 cunning4 ,instead of helplessly handing the two phials over to the other1 as he might have done a few hours before1 he suddenly pushed back his chair1 and rose to his feet4 ,not far from him was a window that looked out upon the street2 he stepped quickly to it1 and flung it open4 ,look6 he cried1 in a ringing voice4 ,i know you now--you and your servant4 ,you are devils6 ,you are stronger than ,i1 but ,i have some power4 ,he drew forth the two bottles from his pocket4 ,see6 said he1 here is what you have set your soul upon1 and for which you desired to kill me4 ,without you promise me all that ,i ask1 ,i will fling them both out upon the pavement beneath4 ,and what then8 ,they will be broken1 and the water will run down into the gutter and be gone4 ,there was a moment of dead silence1 during which ,oliver stood by the open window with the two phials in his hand1 and the master sat looking smilingly at him4 ,after a while the smile broke into a laugh4 ,come1 ,oliver1 said he1 you have learned much since ,i first saw you at ,flourens4 ,you are grand in your heroics4 ,what1 then1 would you have of me1 that you thus threaten8 ,oliver thought for a moment4 ,i would have you let me go from here safe and sound1 said he4 ,very good1 said the other4 ,and what else8 ,that you promise ,i shall suffer no harm either from you or your servant ,gaspard4 ,very good4 ,and what else8 ,that you tell me the secret of that dreadful place where ,i have been4 ,very good4 ,and what else8 ,that you show me the virtue of this water4 ,very good4 ,and what else8 ,that you let me have half the gain that is to be had from it4 ,very good4 ,and what else8 ,oliver thought for a moment or two4 ,why this6 said he2 that you tell me why you sought me out at ,flourens1 and how you knew that ,i had escaped from that pit into which you had locked me4 ,very good4 ,and what else8 ,oliver thought for another little while4 ,nothing else1 said he at last4 ,once more the other laughed4 ,if ,i refuse1 said he1 you throw those bottles out of the window8 ,oliver nodded4 ,and you know what would then happen8 ,oliver nodded again4 ,and if ,i promise1 said he1 what then8 ,i will give to you those bottles that you seek1 said ,oliver4 ,but what shall ,i promise by8 ,my honor8 ,oliver shook his head4 ,the other laughed4 ,do you not trust that8 said he4 ,no8 ,by what1 then1 shall ,i promise8 ,a sudden flash of recollection passed through ,oliver's mind1 a sudden inspiration came to him4 ,promise by this1 he cried1 in a ringing voice-- ,symb #fa and he drew the figure which he had seen depicted upon the red line around the door-way at the bottom of the stone steps--the line that had kept back ,gaspard and his master like a wall of adamant4 ,the other's face grew as black as thunder4 ,there was a sharp click--he had crushed the glass in his hand to fragments4 ,a drop of blood fell from his palm upon the table-cloth1 but he did not seem to notice it4 ,promise by that8 said he1 a little hoarsely4 ,yes1 said ,oliver2 by that sign4 ,the other swallowed as though a hard lump were in his throat4 ,very well1 said he2 ,i promise4 ,oliver saw that the promise would be kept4 ,he closed the window near to which he stood4 ,when he turned around1 the other's face was smooth and smiling again4 ,and now sit down1 said he1 and let us finish our little supper1 then ,i will tell you the story of those rooms yonder1 and of the dead lady whom you found there4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,mysterious ,,chambers4 ,a ,,monologue ,,by ,,the ,,master4 ,i4 ,the master drew his chair a little more around towards the fire1 and drawing a gold toothpick from his waistcoat pocket1 settled himself comfortably4 ,did you ever hear1 said he1 of a certain ,spaniard1 a very learned man1 a great philosopher1 and a renowned alchemist1 named ,raymond ,lulli8 ,no1 said ,oliver2 ,i never heard tell of him4 ,or of ,arnold de ,villeneuve1 the great ,french doctor1 also a renowned alchemist8 ,no1 said ,oliver1 nor of him either4 ,well1 that is not surprising2 your attention has not been called to such matters1 and they died more than four hundred years ago4 ,nevertheless1 the history of the room you saw down yonder relates to them1 and ,i am about to tell you the story of it as well as ,i know it4 ,it was luck or chance or fate1 or whatever you call it1 that first turned ,raymond ,lulli's attention to alchemy4 ,at the time he was studying ,arabic in the mountains of ,aranda1 at the shrine of ,st4 ,james de ,castello4 ,when his mistress1 the beautiful ,ambrosia de ,compastello died1 ,raymond ,lulli took it into his head to follow a droll fashion sometimes practised in those musty old days4 ,he made a vow--perhaps rather hastily--to devote the rest of his life to religion2 to spend it in converting ,mussulmans to what was called the true faith4 ,so1 to prepare himself1 he began studying ,arabic in the mountains of ,aranda4 ,one day the ,father ,superior sent to him a great chest of ,arabian books which had just been received at the convent4 ,among them was a curious little volume1 square and bulky1 which was not written in ,arabic1 but in characters of a kind which ,raymond had never seen before1 and which somewhat resembled ,hebrew4 ,upon the first page of the book was a picture1 and upon the last page was another4 ,the first represented a flower with a blue stalk1 red and white blossoms1 and leaves of pure gold1 which stood upon a mountain-top1 and was bent by a gust of wind which blew from a blood-red cloud4 ,around the flower was a circle of open eyes4 ,above this circle was a naked hand holding a sword transversely by the blade4 ,below was a heart transfixed by what appeared to be a long pointed nail or spike4 ,the picture upon the last page of the book represented a king with a golden sword in the act of killing a naked child1 and a beautiful winged figure catching the blood in a crystal vase4 ,at the head of the first page of the text of the book were three rubricated ,arabic words4 ,below the last page of the text were three ,hebrew words1 also in rubrics4 ,all six words had a meaning1 but it is not necessary to tell you what they were or what they were intended to signify4 ,now it chanced one day that ,raymond was reading a volume written by one ,abou ,ben ,hassan1 surnamed ,al ,sofi1 or the ,wise4 ,the manuscript had been sent to him by the ,father ,superior in the same case with the curious little volume of which ,i have first spoken4 ,this work of the learned ,ben ,hassan was written upon the subject of hermetic philosophy4 ,in it was one passage upon which ,raymond ,lulli happened1 and which altered the whole course of his life4 ,the author was descanting upon the learning and wisdom of ,hermes ,trismegistus1 of whom1 ,oliver1 it is altogether likely that you never heard4 ,the passage itself ran somewhat thus 7,i have often read it myself73 ',since that time1 so the words ran1 hath never a man lived so wise as ,hermes ,trismegistus1 saving only the great ,geber 7so called by the ,christians1 but whom the learned among the faithful knew better as ,abou ,moussah ,djafar71 who was1 indeed1 the ripest apple from the flowery tree of learning4 ,he it was who wrote that great thesis1 which1 did it now exist 7for it is1 alas6 lost to the world71 and did there live a being possessed with deep and sufficient knowledge to read the same1 would more enrich him who could interpret it1 both with knowledge and with wealth1 than any one who hath ever lived since the days of ,king ,solomon4 ,it would1 moreover1 teach him a knowledge of that by means of which he might prolong his life to a thousand years1 if he so chose to prolong it4 ,for the great ,geber had collected with infinite pains and ripest study the wisdom hidden in the tombs and mountains of farther ,egypt1 and had in his work explicated those two mysterious arcana which the wisdom of ages hath striven in vain to penetrate1 to wit1 the secret of life and the secret of wealth4 ,yea1 not even the great ,hermes ,trismegistus himself was able to solve those two questions1 which are1 indeed1 the fruition of all learning--the attainment of unfailing life and of infinite wealth4 ',but even were that volume1 in which lieth hidden those tremendous secrets1 to fall into the hands of man at this day1 who at present now liveth could read or interpret it1 or could understand a single one of those mysterious sentences of his wherein lieth hidden the secrets of life and wealth8 ,for hath not the great ,geber himself said1 ,he who would understand must first climb the mountain of difficulty1 and pluck from the blue stem the red and white blossoms8 ,hath not he also said1 ,he must1 last of all1 drink the blood of the infant from the crystal cup of the king and the seraphim8 ,and who liveth now that could understand these words1 much less accomplish that task which he hath set as a bar across the path-way of knowledge--to pluck that flower and to drink that blood8' ,such1 my dear ,oliver1 are1 as near as ,i can recollect1 the very words of the learned ,abou ,ben ,hassan4 ,conceive1 if you can1 their effect upon ,raymond ,lulli4 ,it was as though a thunder-bolt had fallen at his feet1 and as though he beheld a great truth by the flash of light that accompanied it4 ,that volume of the wise ,geber1 that repository of the two great secrets of the world1 had fallen into his1 ,raymond ,lulli's1 hands as though blown there by the wind of fate4 ,now1 at that time the most learned man in ,europe1 perhaps the most learned in the world1 was ,arnold de ,villeneuve4 ,he was the most skilful physician and the greatest scholar of his day1 and was in the very height and prime of his powers4 ,raymond ,lulli determined to apply to him for a solution of the mysteries of the little volume1 and thereupon set out at once for ,paris to accomplish his purpose4 ,accordingly1 one morning1 as ,arnold sat in his cabinet engrossed in his studies1 there came a rap upon the door4 ,it was the servant1 who announced a stranger below4 ,the doctor bade the servant show him in4 ,it was ,raymond ,lulli1 dusty and travel-stained4 ,as soon as the servant had quitted the room1 he came close to the table at which ,arnold sat1 and addressed him in the grandiloquent way of the day1 somewhat in this fashion3 ',i have come a long and weary way1 ,i have taken a bitter and toilsome journey to seek you1 and to beseech of you to give me one little measure from your great storehouse of wisdom and learning4' ,so saying1 he thrust his hand into his bosom and brought forth the little volume1 wrapped carefully in the folds of a linen cloth4 ,he opened it1 and held it before the eyes of ,arnold de ,villeneuve4 ',tell me1 master1' said he1 'in what language and with what characters is this little volume written8' ,arnold laughed4 ',it is written in ancient ,chaldee1 my son1' said he4 ',and have you1 then1 sought me out to answer you such a question as that8 ,there are many other scholars in ,europe who could have told you as much4' ',no1 master1' said ,raymond2 'it was not alone for that that ,i sought you1 for1 as you say1 there are others that could have told me as much2 but who save you could unfold to me the meaning of this8' ,and he opened the book at the first picture representing the flower upon the mountain-top4 ',and who but you1 the great ,arnold de ,villeneuve1 could teach me how to climb the mountain of knowledge and pluck the flower of wisdom8 ,will you teach me that1 master8' ,arnold de ,villeneuve said nothing at all1 but his face had grown all at once very white4 ,by-and-by he drew a deep breath4 ',i will try to teach you the secrets of that book1' said he1 after a while2 'but it will be a long and weary task1 for ,i have first to learn very much myself4' ,,ii4 ,that morning at dinner-for they used in those days1 ,oliver1 to dine at ten or eleven o'clock in the morning--,raymond ,lulli saw for the first time ,agnes de ,villeneuve1 who was then reputed the most beautiful woman in ,paris4 ,it was no wonder that1 fresh from the ennui of the solitude of the mountains of ,aranda1 he should have fallen passionately in love with her4 ,neither was it strange that ,agnes should love him4 ,for this propinquity1 ,oliver1 is a droll affair4 ,it will cause a woman to fall in love with a ghoul1 not to speak of one so tall and handsome as ,raymond ,lulli4 ,so she loved him as passionately as he loved her4 ,it was as natural as for steel and loadstone to come together4 ,in the days and weeks that followed1 ,arnold de ,villeneuve saw nothing of what was passing between the two4 ,in his eyes ,raymond ,lulli was but a fellow-student4 ,it did not occur to him that passion might find place even in the bosom of such an ardent follower of alchemy as this new scholar of his4 ,he beheld only the philosopher and student2 he forgot the man4 ,for months the two labored and toiled like slaves1 striving to discover those two secrets contained in the great ,geber's book1 and hidden beneath the strange formulas1 the obscure words1 and the mystic pictures4 ,one day they seemed upon the very edge of success1 the next day they failed1 and had to begin again from the very beginning4 ,the laboratory in which they conducted their great work was one in which ,arnold de ,villeneuve had already carried forward and completed some of his most secret1 delicate1 and successful operations4 ,within the wall of the garden back of his house he had had a hollow passage-way constructed1 which ran for some little distance to the deep cellar-like vault that had1 perhaps1 at one time been the dungeon of some ancient fortress4 ,beneath this vault or dungeon were three rooms1 opening one into another1 that had in a far distant period been hewn out of the solid rock4 ,they were the rooms from which you1 ,oliver1 escaped only a little while ago4 ,two of those rooms were sumptuously and luxuriously furnished2 the furthermost was the laboratory where the two great problems were solved--the problem of life and the problem of wealth4 ,such was the workshop in which the two labored together1 occasionally for days at a time2 the one sometimes sleeping while the other compounded new formulas or watched the progress of slow emulsions4 ,illustration3 ,,such ,,was ,,the ,,workshop ,,in ,,which ,,the ,,two ,,labored ,,together4 ,it was1 as ,arnold de ,villeneuve had predicted1 a long and toilsome labor which they had undertaken2 it was1 as the great ,geber had said1 a tremendous task to climb the steep mountain of knowledge and to pluck the mystic flower of wisdom from the top4 ,but at last the summit was reached4 ,suddenly1 one morning1 unexpected success fell upon them like a flash of lightning2 for this1 like many other successes1 happened through an accident-the overturning of a phial 7the contents of which it had taken months to prepare7 into a mortar in which ,raymond was mixing a powder4 ,it all happened in a moment-the accidental brushing of a sleeve-but that one moment was sufficient2 the secret of life was discovered4 ,from the secret of life to the secret of wealth was but a step2 the one hung upon the other4 ,the very next day they discovered that which shall make us-you1 ,oliver1 and me1 whom you may henceforth call 'master'-the richest men in ,france4 ,did you know that the diamond and the charcoal are the one and the same thing8 ,no1 said ,oliver1 ,i did not2 the one is black and the other is white4 ,oliver's companion laughed4 ,there is less difference between black and white1 ,oliver1 and between the charcoal and the diamond1 than most people think4 ,later you will learn that for yourself2 just now you must take my word for it4 ,but to resume our narrative4 ,the next morning ,raymond and his master1 as ,i have said1 produced from the first formula a second1 by means of one drop of which they created in a closed crucible1 in which five pounds of charcoal had been volatilized1 a half-score of diamond crystals of various sizes1 and one fine blue-white crystal of nearly eight carats in size4 ,oliver1 cried the speaker1 rising in his enthusiasm1 and striding up and down the room1 that was1 to my belief1 the greatest discovery that the world ever saw6 ,other philosophers have approached the solution of the problem of life1 and have prolonged their existence ten1 twenty1 yes1 fifty years2 still other philosophers have transmuted the baser metals into gold2 but who ever heard of transmuting black charcoal into brilliant diamonds8 ,he stopped abruptly and turned towards the lad1 and ,oliver saw the eyes which looked into his blaze with excitement1 like the diamonds of which he spoke4 ,do you wonder1 he cried1 that ,raymond ,lulli and his master acted like madmen when they opened that retort1 and found those sparkling crystals twinkling like stars upon the rough surface of the metal8 ,ha6 ,,iii4 ,but1 as ,i said1 it was a long time before those experiments were concluded--before the great problems of life and wealth were solved4 ,nine months had passed since ,raymond had come1 dusty and travel-stained1 like a beggar to the master's door1 asking for crumbs of knowledge4 ,it was the consummation of their life's success4 ,the very next morning after that consummation came ruin4 ,a blow1 sharp and terrible1 fell upon the house4 ,it was late1 and the master had not yet made his appearance4 ,raymond ,lulli1 passing along the hall-way with a book under his arm1 met ,agnes at a door-way4 ',my father1' said she1 'has not yet come down from his room4' ',i will call him1 ,agnes1' said ,raymond1 and then she noticed that his face was as pale as ashes4 ',are you ill1 ,raymond8' she asked4 ',no--yes1 ,i am ill1' he shuddered4 ',i will go and call your father4' ,and he turned away4 ,agnes stood watching him as he1 with slow1 heavy steps1 climbed the steep stairs that led to the master's room above4 ,she watched him as he reached the door and knocked2 and then1 after a pause1 knocked again1 and then again2 she watched him as he laid his hand hesitatingly upon the latch1 and then raised it1 and pushed open the door4 ,the next moment the heavy book slipped from under his arm1 and fell with a crash to the floor4 ',agnes6' he cried1 'your father6' ,and then his voice rang through the house3 ',jean6 ,franquois6 ,joseph6 ,the master1 help6--the master6' ,illustration3 ,,they ,,saw ,,arnold ,,de ,,villeneuve1 ,,the ,,great ,,master1 ,,upon ,,the ,,floor4 ,there was a shriek2 it was ,agnes2 there was a confusion of voices and of running feet1 and when the people of the house crowded into and around the door-way1 they saw ,arnold de ,villeneuve1 the great master1 lying upon the floor1 his eyes closed1 and his head resting upon his daughter's lap1 as she kneeled beside him4 ,his face was white and drawn1 and every now and then he shook with a hiccough4 ,it was not a pleasant sight1 ,oliver1 and there was no need to ask the question--the awful gray veil of death rested upon the great doctor's face4 ,at a little distance from the father and the daughter stood ,raymond ,lulli1 with a face almost as ashen white as that of the dying man4 ,he turned to the frightened servants4 ',why do you stand there like fools8' he cried4 ',come1 lift the master upon his bed4' ,they approached at ,raymond's bidding1 and1 raising the dying physician1 laid him back upon the bed1 from which he had apparently just risen when the stroke of death fell upon him4 ,minute after minute passed in dead silence1 broken only now and then by a suppressed sob from one of the servants who stood around4 ,agnes sat upon the bedside1 silently holding her dying father's hand in hers4 ,half an hour went by--an hour--the end was very near4 ,then suddenly ,arnold opened his eyes2 they were sightless to this world2 they were gazing straight into the shadow of eternity that hung like a curtain before him4 ,his lips moved1 and at last a struggling sound passed them4 ',agnes6' said he1 in a thick1 guttural voice4 ',agnes6' ',here ,i am1 father1' said she1 and she leaned forward1 bringing her face before his eyes2 a gleam of intelligence flickered faintly in them4 ,he beckoned stiffly1 and ,agnes drew still nearer4 ,the dying man raised his hand and touched her face2 he felt blindly for a moment1 passing his cold1 leaden fingers over her brows1 and at last1 as though finding her eyes1 pressed his palm upon them4 ,he held his hand there for a few seconds1 and then let it fall heavily beside him1 and those who looked saw ,agnes's eyes were now closed4 ,for a moment or two there was a pause of dead silence4 ,it was ,arnold's voice1 thick1 guttural1 inarticulate1 that broke the hush3 ',look6' ,agnes opened her eyes4 ,arnold raised his hand1 and with his forefinger began feebly drawing strange figures in the air2 at first stiffly1 then gradually more freely as he gathered his dying powers into one last effort4 ,at first ,agnes gazed at the slow-moving hand intently1 wonderingly4 ,raymond sat near by1 with his chin resting upon his palm and his eyes fixed upon the floor1 brooding darkly4 ,by-and-by those who watched saw the color fade slowly out of her cheeks2 they saw her face grow pinched and her eyes dilate4 ,at last she reached out her hand and laid it upon her father's1 holding it fast in spite of his stiff and feeble efforts to release it4 ',stop1 father6' she cried4 ',oh1 ,god6 ,stop1 ,i can bear no more4' ',look1' said ,arnold1 thickly4 ,he had released his hand1 and now again began drawing figures in the air4 ,all were looking at him wonderingly1 excepting ,raymond ,lulli1 who never once raised his eyes1 fixed broodingly upon the floor4 ,at last the motions ceased1 and the hand fell heavily upon the bed beside the dying man4 ,agnes sat silent1 looking into his face with a face as white4 ,at last she spoke1 in an unsteady1 constrained voice4 ',father1' said she1 'is there nothing else8 ,must ,i do that8' ,no answer4 ',father1' said she again1 'must ,i do that8' ,agnes waited for a little while1 then again said3 ',father1 must ,i do that8 ,is there nothing else8 ,must ,i do that8' ',yes4' ,there was another space of breathless silence1 and then one of the women began to cry2 the others joined in with her4 ,arnold de ,villeneuve was dead4 ,agnes arose from the side of the bed where she sat1 and1 without saying a word1 walked slowly and stiffly out of the room4 ,that same afternoon her waiting-woman came to ,raymond ,lulli1 and told him that her mistress wished to speak with him4 ,he followed the woman up the long flight of steps to the door of ,agnes's chamber4 ,he knocked1 and heard a faint voice within bid him enter4 ,agnes was standing in the centre of the room1 clad in a dark rich dress1 heavily embroidered with seed-pearls4 ,her dark hair was gathered loosely behind by a golden serpent which held the locks together4 ,there were no signs of tears upon her pale face1 but her eyes were encircled by dark rings4 ,raymond stood for a moment looking at her4 ',agnes6' he cried1 and then came forward into the room1 and took her into his arms4 ,she neither yielded nor resisted1 but stood passive and motionless4 ,there was something about her that struck a chill through him2 he drew back1 and looked into her face4 ',agnes1' he said1 'what is it8 ,are you ill8 ,do you not love me8' ,there was a moment's pause4 ',yes1' said ,agnes1 ',i love you4' ,again ,raymond took her in his arms1 but still there was no response4 ,suddenly she laid her hand upon his breast1 and drew a little back4 ',tell me1' said she--'tell me1 ,raymond1 is there in this house a little crystal globe in a silver box8' ,raymond hesitated4 ',yes1' said he4 ,agnes's lips moved as though she said something to herself4 ,then she spoke again3 ',and tell me one thing more1 did not you and my father discover a clear liquor by means of which you could become richer than any one in ,france or in the world8' ',yes1' said ,raymond4 ,again he saw ,agnes's lips move4 ',and tell me1' said she2 'have you not a book written in strange characters1 and illuminated with two strange pictures8' ',yes1' said ,raymond4 ,again1 for the third time1 ,agnes moved her lips1 and this time ,raymond heard the words which she whispered to herself3 ',then it is true4' ',what is true1 ,agnes8' said he4 ,she did not seem to hear his question4 ',tell me this1 ,raymond1' said she1 'did not you and my father work together in a dark vaulted place under the ground8' ',yes1' said ,raymond4 ,agnes paused for an instant4 ',then take me there1 ,raymond1' said she4 ,for a moment or two ,raymond could not speak for surprise4 ',what8' he cried4 ',take you there8 ,take you there now1 at this time8' ',yes1 now4' ',agnes1 ,i do not understand4' ',it is of no importance that you should understand1' said she2 'only ,i have something to show you there that you have not yet seen1 and of which you know nothing4' ,you know the path they took1 ,oliver2 you yourself walked along it at my heels the other day4 ,agnes and ,raymond traversed that same passage1 descended the same stair that you descended1 entered the vault that you entered4 ,there ,raymond ,lulli unlocked the padlock and raised the trap-door as you saw ,gaspard unlock the one and raise the other4 ,he took the same lantern from the shelf within as ,gaspard took it1 and lit the candle as ,gaspard lit it1 then descending the stairs1 they entered the first of the three rooms below4 ,raymond lit the lamp that you found hanging there from the ceiling1 and ,agnes stood for a moment looking around her4 ,the tapestries and hangings and all that you saw were fresh and beautiful then4 ,they entered the room beyond where were the remains of the supper that ,raymond and his master had eaten the night before2 the chairs by the table pushed carelessly back as they had left them1 and as you1 ,oliver1 found them4 ,thence they passed through the narrow passage1 and entered the laboratory beyond1 where ,agnes saw the two sealed phials standing upon the stone table as you saw them4 ,agnes pointed with her finger towards them4 ',and that1' said she--'that1 then1 is the precious liquor of wealth that you and my father discovered8' ',yes1' said ,raymond4 ',and it can transmute charcoal to diamonds8' ,raymond hesitated4 ',yes1' said he4 ,agnes turned suddenly upon him4 ',and tell me1 ,raymond1' she said1 'have you not that little crystal globe in the silver casket8' ,raymond instinctively raised his hand to his breast4 ',i see you have1' said she1 smiling4 ',it contains the secret of life8' ,raymond nodded his head4 ,there was a pause2 then ,raymond said1 in a hoarse voice1 ',why do you question me thus1 ,agnes8 ,do you not love me8' ,agnes looked upon him with the same strange smile that her lips had worn ever since she had begun questioning him4 ',poor ,raymond1' said she1 'do you1 then1 doubt my love8 ,but tell me1 have you not with you that book of knowledge1 of which ,i spoke to you1 containing the strange pictures8' ',yes4' ',let me see it2' and she held out her hand4 ,raymond hesitated4 ,agnes fixed her beautiful eyes upon him4 ',do you not love me1 then8' said she4 ,raymond thrust his hand into his bosom1 and drew from the pocket of an inner vest the little volume4 ,agnes took it1 and look curiously at it4 ',raymond1' said she1 'will you give me this book for my own1 to do as ,i choose with it8' ,raymond made no answer4 ',you will not8 ,do you1 then1 love it more than me8' ,she stood holding the book1 waiting for his reply4 ',i give it to you1 ,agnes1' said he at last4 ',and it is now mine to do with as ,i choose8' ',it is yours4' ',give me the lantern4' ,raymond reached it to her wonderingly4 ,she took it1 raised the slide1 opened the book1 and held the parchment leaves over the flame within4 ,raymond gave a sharp cry1 ',agnes6' ,he would have snatched it from her1 but she laid her hand upon his arm4 ',stop6' said she4 ',have you not all that man can desire in this world without this book8 ,you have given it to me2 it is mine1 and ,i shall do as ,i choose with it4 ,you cannot love it with all your heart and me also4 ,which do you choose8' ,she had held the book to the flames while talking1 her eyes fixed intently upon it as the parchment leaves blackened and curled and wrinkled4 ,raymond groaned and turned away4 ,the oppressive odor of the burning skin filled the air1 and when ,agnes cast the remains of the volume into the pit beneath the grate of the furnace1 the wisdom of the great ,geber1 the learning that had taken him a lifetime to accumulate1 was nothing but a blackened mass of stinking cinders4 ',come1' said ,agnes1 'let us leave this dark and dismal place1 and go back yonder into the other room4' ,she led the way into the first apartment1 and there sat down upon the couch1 motioning ,raymond to a seat beside her4 ',are you happy1 ,raymond8' said she4 ',yes1' he whispered4 ,he would have taken her into his arms1 but she held up her hand4 ',wait1' said she4 ',have you1 then1 all that you desire8' ',yes1' he said1 in a trembling voice2 'with your love4' ',poor ,raymond6' ,there was a little space of silence4 ,and then at last she turned to him with that same strange smile upon her face4 ',do you know what my father did when he moved his hands as he did when you saw him8' said she4 ',no1' said ,raymond4 ',he drew strange pictures before my eyes1 ,raymond1 and ,i saw them as plainly as ,i see you now4 ,would you like me to tell you what they were8' ,raymond nodded his head4 ,illustration3 ,,she ,,held ,,the ,,book ,,in ,,the ,,flames ,,while ,,talking1 ,,her ,,eyes ,,fixed ,,intently ,,upon ,,it4 ',then ,i shall tell you4 ,i saw you and my father in this place together1 and you had completed the last of your great experiments1 and had sealed those two phials as ,i saw them yonder4 ,i saw you and my father quit this place filled with joy that the last touch of your work was done4 ,after that came the dark blank of night and of sleep4 ,the next picture he drew was of the morning--of this morning when he died--and ,i saw him sleeping upon his bed4 ,the door opened1 and ,i saw you come softly in and forward to his bedside1 and stand looking down at him as he slept4 ,above his face you drew strange characters with your finger2 they were spells that he himself had taught you4 ,after that ,i saw you1 ,raymond1 draw a bunch of keys from beneath his pillow4 ,then ,i saw you go to the great iron-bound chest that stood in the corner4 ,from within you took a little silver box2 you did not open the lid1 but ,i saw that within it was a crystal globe about as large as a dove's egg4 ,i saw you relock the chest and replace the keys beneath my father's pillow4' ,agnes was looking into ,raymond's face as she spoke1 and her lips still wore that same faint smile4 ',what next ,i saw1 ,raymond1 was this1' said she4 ',you took from your pouch a little wooden box filled with a bright green powder2 then from the same pouch you drew a long slender needle4 ,upon the point of the needle you took a little of the green powder4 7,all this my father drew with his dying hand in the air1 ,raymond47 ,i saw you stoop over him and thrust that long shining needle deep into his shoulder4 ,then you turned and left the room2 but as you left it1 ,i saw your face as ,i see it now1 and it was as white as ashes1 as it is now1 and the sweat stood in beads upon your forehead1 as it stands there now4 ,what did it mean1 ,raymond8' ,her lips never lost that strange1 odd smile4 ',god1 ,i do not know6' cried ,raymond1 hoarsely4 ',it meant that you murdered my father1 ,raymond--that you murdered the man who taught you all that you now know--that you murdered the man who in nine months made of you1 a raw student1 the most learned alchemist1 but one1 in ,europe4' ,there was a long pause of dead silence4 ',agnes1' cried ,raymond1 in that same hoarse1 dry voice1 ',agnes--,i love you6' ,the smile never left her lips4 ',very good1' said she2 'but stay1 ,i have not yet done4 ,all that my father had showed me so far was past and gone2 now he showed me what was to come4 ,i saw us both pass through that long1 dark1 narrow way2 ,i saw the dark1 vaulted cellar above us2 ,i saw us descend and stand together in the farther room yonder and look upon those phials2 ,i saw myself burning that accursed book by the light of the candle in the lantern2 ,i saw us seated together upon this couch as we are now4 ,what next do you think ,i saw1 ,raymond8' ',i do not know4' ',i saw this6' ,illustration3 ,,he ,,leaned ,,over ,,and ,,looked ,,into ,,her ,,face4 ,there was a movement as quick as lightning1 a flash1 a blow1 a deep sigh4 ,agnes sat for a moment with the smile still resting upon her white lips1 and something bright glistening upon her bosom4 ,it was the handle of a dagger1 and she had stabbed herself4 ,then she lay slowly down upon the pillow beside her4 ,for one moment ,raymond sat as motionless as stone2 then he started up with a shrill cry4 ,he leaned over and looked into her face2 that smile was still upon her white lips4 ',agnes6' he cried2 then again1 ',agnes6' ,but the smiling lips never answered2 she was dead4 ,raymond slowly turned1 and walked heavily and stupidly out of the place1 closing the door behind him4 ,at the head of the shaft he mechanically opened the slide of the lantern1 and blew out the half-burned candle1 and then set the lantern upon the shelf within1 as he had been used to do4 ,he closed the trap1 and lowered the bar1 and snapped the padlock in the staple2 then1 again1 with the same slow1 heavy tread1 he left the vaulted room1 ascended the stone steps1 and threaded the passage-way4 ,he did not go back into the master's house1 but passed out at the arched gate-way where we1 ,oliver1 entered4 ,before he went out into the street beyond he laid his hand upon his breast to make sure the silver box containing the talisman was there2 it was all that he had saved from his ruin4 ,,iv4 ,from that time ,raymond ,lulli led a wandering1 irregular1 eventful life4 ,under the spur of his remorse he went first to ,rome and then to ,tunis1 where1 until his life was threatened on account of his efforts to convert the ,mussulmans1 he devoted himself partly to the fulfilment of his original vow1 partly to the further study of alchemy4 ,after that he lived for a while in ,milan2 after that he went to ,england1 where1 as ,i have heard1 he transmuted lead and quicksilver into gold to the amount of six millions rose nobles2 after that he returned again to ,rome2 and after that for a second time to ,africa1 where he took up his abode at ,bona4 ,now there was at that time at ,bona a famous and learned professor1 who had devoted himself more particularly to the study of demonology4 ,it is hardly likely that you have ever heard his name2 it was ,yusef ,ben ,djani4 ,i know of nobody since his time who approached him in his knowledge of the science unless1 perhaps1 it was the great ,cornelius ,agrippa4 ,this learned scholar held that the power of man's will was such that1 under certain circumstances1 it could be so far impressed upon those diffused forces of life about us as to materialize or concentrate them1 and so render them cognizant to the human understanding1 or1 in other words1 visible4 ,now1 ,oliver1 it is very well known that one man may so impress his will upon another as to render that other will entirely subservient to his own4 ,under such conditions1 the one so impressed sees1 feels1 smells1 tastes1 and senses only as the superior will orders2 he moves1 speaks1 and exists as the other commands4 ,if that power1 ,yusef ,ben ,djani argued1 could impress material men in this world1 why could it not impress men in the world immediately beyond8 ,is not a man1 he reasoned1 the same man after quitting this world as when he lived in the body8 ,why1 then1 is he not as subject to that psychological power there as here1 and why1 then1 could he not be influenced there as well as here8 ,such an influence ,yusef ,ben ,djani did exert1 and succeeded4 ,he materialized those quiescent forces of life1 and brought them into such communion with himself that he was able to compel them to that certain exudation of life in quiescence which we in this world call matter4 ,do you understand me1 ,oliver8 ,oliver shook his head4 ,no1 said he1 ,i do not4 ,he had tried to follow the other so far as he was able1 but he had long gotten beyond the power of comprehension2 the words fell upon his ears one after the other like blows1 until his head hummed like a beehive4 ,the other laughed4 ,very well1 said he4 ,it is of no importance that you should comprehend ,yusef ,ben ,djani's theory4 ,but this at least you can understand3 he materialized evil spirits4 ,now there was a certain young ,venetian student named ,nicholas ,jovus1 who almost from his childhood had possessed a wonderful psychological power upon others4 ,by psychological power ,i mean the power of superinducing his own will upon the will of another2 in other words1 to make such another do absolutely as he chose4 ,the fame of ,yusef ,ben ,djani was at its height1 and ,nicholas ,jovus1 then about four-and-twenty years of age1 determined to visit the great master at ,bona4 ,the philosopher saw in the young student the material for an even greater than himself4 ,he persuaded him to stay in ,bona1 and to study the science of demonology under him4 ,it was while there that1 with the assistance of his master1 ,nicholas ,jovus superinduced his own will upon the surface of a mirror to such an extent that within it he could at any time see that which he willed to see4 ,it was by means of this mirror that he one time beheld ,raymond ,lulli1 of whom he had often heard1 and1 circumstances being then peculiarly propitious1 beheld at the same time not only ,raymond ,lulli himself1 but the secret of the talisman that he carried in his bosom4 ,and not only did he discover the existence of the talisman1 but 7,raymond's mind being at that moment concentrated upon the past7 he discovered the story of the philosopher's life as ,i have told it to you1 and thus first gained knowledge of those dark chambers below the vault4 ,yes1 ,nicholas ,jovus saw all this in the mirror just as ,i have described it to you1 ,oliver2 it was the first and only time1 but he never forgot it4 ,now soon after ,raymond ,lulli had reached ,rome1 after having left ,paris1 he was taken with a violent fever1 from which he wakened1 his physicians told him1 only to die4 ,but the physicians were mistaken4 ,the next morning when they visited him he was sitting at the table eating a boiled capon1 as well a man as you or ,i4 ,i need to hardly tell you he had used the talisman of life4 ,yet it was only with great hesitation1 and in the last extremity1 that ,lulli thus rehabilitated himself with a new body1 for by so doing he cut himself off forever from all chance of entering those secret chambers again and recovering the phials1 which he now bitterly regretted having left behind him in the first throes of his grief and remorse4 ,for ,arnold de ,villeneuve1 for protection against evil powers1 had drawn around the door of those underground chambers a circle upon which he had marked a sign that ,raymond ,lulli could not pass without leaving his newly-acquired body behind him4 ,from the time that ,raymond ,lulli had used the talisman of life to the time that ,nicholas ,jovus saw him in the mirror1 thirty years had elapsed1 and yet he appeared as young as upon the day when the ,roman physicians had told him that he was to die4 ,nicholas ,jovus determined to gain that talisman for his own4 ,now the young ,venetian student had a curious1 odd servant1 very much attached to him1 and not so wicked as one might have thought under the circumstances4 ,early one morning1 before the town was awake1 ,nicholas ,jovus1 followed by this servant1 left the house of his master and hurried down to the sea-shore4 ,he had looked in his glass and saw that ,raymond ,lulli was walking there4 ,he met the alchemist not far from where a long quay ran out into the water4 ,since the time when he had first seen ,raymond ,lulli in the glass1 ,nicholas ,jovus had made the acquaintance of the master in his own proper person4 ,accordingly1 ,raymond stopped and chatted awhile with the young student4 ,while the two stood talking together that odd servant of whom ,i spoke stepped around behind the philosopher4 ,he made a silent motion of inquiry1 ,nicholas ,jovus nodded in reply1 and the next moment all was over4 ,the serving-man had--had drawn a bag over the philosopher's head4 ,nicholas ,jovus thrust his hand into the philosopher's bosom1 and1 after feeling for a moment1 found the talisman1 which was enclosed in a bag hung around his neck4 ,he did not take time to unfasten the cord from which it hung1 but1 giving it a jerk1 broke the string with a snap4 ,as he did so1 ,raymond ,lulli1 who had been lying silent in the encircling arms of that strange servant1 gave a sharp1 a loud1 and a bitter cry4 ,what followed was as unlooked-for to ,nicholas ,jovus as it would have been to you had you been there1 ,oliver4 ,that quaint servant of his--what think you he did8 ,he laid ,raymond ,lulli upon the sand of the sea-shore1 and stripped the false body off of him as you might strip off a man's coat4 ,the young student did not know how it was done1 but done it was1 and as deftly and as cunningly as a fisherman might draw the skin from an eel4 ,then1 as ,nicholas ,jovus stood aghast watching him1 he shouldered what appeared to be the empty skin of ,raymond ,lulli1 turned1 and running some distance out along the quay1 flung his burden with a splash into the water4 ,it sunk like a stone4 ,the ,raymond ,lulli that was left behind was an old man of seventy-five years of age1 bruised1 bleeding1 dying4 ,my faith1 ,oliver6 ,it was a long time before ,nicholas ,jovus could bear the presence of that odd servant of his without a shudder4 ,that is all concerning the story of ,raymond ,lulli and those rooms that you were in not long ago4 ,,the ,,end ,,of ,,the ,,master',s ,,monologue4 99 99 99 99 99 ,he finished speaking1 and ,oliver sat gazing at him open-mouthed4 ,he was bewildered--he was stunned4 ,it began to dawn upon his stupefied wits that he was in the very presence of and face to face with a dreadful1 grotesque miracle4 ,and you1 said he1 in a low voice1 and then stopped short1 for the question stuck in his throat4 ,illustration3 ,,and ,,stripped ,,the ,,false ,,body ,,off ,,of ,,him ,,as ,,you ,,might ,,strip ,,off ,a ,,man',s ,,coat4 ,the other smiled4 ,and ,i8 said he4 ,what is it1 then1 that you would ask8 ,are--are you--are you--,nicholas ,jovus8 ,the other laughed4 ,what a droll question6 said he4 ,that thing happened four hundred years ago4 ,oliver's skin began to creep2 but then he was growing used to that feeling4 ,the two sat watching one another for a little while in silence1 the one with dull bewilderment of wonder1 the other smiling oddly4 ,presently the smile broke into a laugh4 ,you are very droll1 ,oliver1 said he2 you would believe anything that ,i told you4 ,i have seen and done many strange things in my days1 but as for being four hundred years old--,bah6 my child1 why all this that ,i have been telling you is only a story1 a legend1 a tradition1 handed down from one to another of us who dabble in alchemy2 for ,i confess to being one of such4 ,no doubt it has grown absurdly as it has been transmitted from man to man4 ,nevertheless1 there are in that story some strange matters--one might almost call them coincidences--that appear to fit in with things that you have seen1 and which might1 with an irrational mind such as yours1 strengthen absurd speculations4 ,he sat watching ,oliver smilingly for a while4 ,that mirror of ,nicholas ,jovus's1 said he1 suddenly--what would you say if ,i had it in my own possession8 ,nay1 what would you say if it were in this very room8 ,oliver looked sharply around1 and again the other laughed4 ,you need not be alarmed1 said he2 it is very harmless4 ,but come1 ,i will be perfectly frank2 it is in this room1 and ,i will show it to you4 ,it is my intention that we shall thoroughly understand one another1 and we must arrive at such understanding now4 ,so understanding one another1 we can best be of benefit to each other4 ,but first of all1 since we are in the way of being frank1 ,i will begin by making a confession4 ,i confess to you1 my dear child--yes1 ,i confess frankly that the ugly suspicions that you have entertained about me have not been entirely without ground4 ,i confess that ,i had not intended that you should have left that place down yonder1 from which you so miraculously escaped4 ,perhaps this confession may at first shock you1 but ,i am sure1 when ,i explain matters1 you will understand that ,i was not entirely unjustified in seeking to destroy you4 ,i have1 ,i think ,i may say1 very considerable skill in foretelling events by the stars--not foretelling them perfectly1 of course1 for the science of astrology is not yet perfected1 but looking into futurity in a general way4 ,nevertheless1 imperfect as the science of astrology is1 my reading of fate was clear enough to teach me who and what you were1 and1 in a general way1 where you were to be found4 ,that reading told me that1 unless some heroic remedy were devised1 the time drew near when you would be my ruin-- he stopped suddenly1 his gaze fixed itself absently above ,oliver's head1 and ,oliver saw his face grow pale and haggard1 as if it saw some dreadful vision2 he drew in his breath between his shut teeth--and my death1 said he1 in a low voice1 completing his speech1 and shuddering as he spoke the words4 ,then he passed his hand over his face1 and when he drew it away again his expression was as smiling and as debonair as ever4 ,but we will not speak of such unpleasant things1 said he4 ,i have only mentioned them so far that you might see that ,i was not altogether inexcusable in seeking to rid myself of you4 ,in conclusion1 ,i will say that about the time that ,i located with some accuracy the particular spot where you were living1 ,i also discovered that for which ,i had been seeking for many years--the underground cell in which was ,arnold de ,villeneuve's laboratory4 ,this house is built upon the ground whereon his stood4 ,it is a wretched tumble-down affair1 mean and squalid1 yet ,i have fitted it up for my home2 for1 as you have discovered1 it connects almost directly with that underground vault where the student and the master discovered their great secret4 ,unfortunately1 for certain reasons that ,i need not mention1 ,i could not pass that circle and the sign upon the wall around the door-way4 ,so1 not being able to pass it myself1 it was a great temptation for me to send you to get those bottles for me1 and then1 in your destruction1 to seal my own security4 ,it was a great temptation1 ,i say1 and ,i yielded to it4 ,what ,i did was unpleasant to you1 perhaps1 but that now is all passed and gone4 ,let it be forgotten1 and hereafter we shall1 ,i know1 be great friends4 ,that attempt has taught me a lesson4 ,i tried1 in spite of fate1 to destroy you1 and failed2 now ,i will try kindness1 and see if that will eliminate you from my life4 ,i have it in my power to make you the richest man in the world--next to myself2 and what is more1 ,i will do so1 and then we shall separate forever4 ,as for me1 ,i shall live in ,paris1 for there is no other place in the world for a man of parts like myself4 ,you1 upon your part1 may live wherever you choose--except in ,paris4 ,you shall quit ,paris forever4 ,do you understand8--forever6 ,should you be so unfortunate as to ever return here1 should you be so unhappy as ever to emerge from your obscurity and cross my path1 ,i will annihilate you4 ,but before ,i annihilate you ,i will make you suffer the torments of hell1 and wish that you had not been born4 ,do you understand8 ,illustration3 ,,he ,,saw ,,within ,,an ,,oval ,,mirror ,,set ,,in ,a ,,heavy ,,frame ,,of ,,copper4 ,oliver nodded his head4 ,very well1 then1 my child1 we comprehend one another4 ,now ,i will show you ,nicholas ,jovus's mirror1 which ,i told you was in my possession4 ,it is a unique curiosity in its way4 ,he rose1 and crossing the room to what appeared to be the door of a closet or cabinet1 opened it1 and showed within a hollow space1 partly hidden by a curtain of some heavy black material4 ,oliver had followed him1 and as the master drew back the curtain1 he saw within an oval mirror1 set in a heavy frame of copper4 ,now1 ,oliver1 said the master1 what is it that you would wish to see8 ,the thought of the perils from which he had escaped and the perils which still lay before him was uppermost in ,oliver's mind4 ,i should like1 said he1 to see that which will bring me the most danger in my life4 ,the master laughed4 ,it is a wise wish1 my child1 said he2 look and see4 ,he stood aside1 and ,oliver came forward and gazed into the glass4 ,at first he saw nothing but his own face reflected clear and sharp as in an ordinary mirror2 then suddenly1 as he gazed1 the bright surface of the glass clouded over as though with a breath blown upon it1 and his own face faded away from his view4 ,the next moment it cleared again1 and he saw before him the face and form of a young lady1 the most beautiful he had ever seen4 ,he had only just time to observe that she sat in the window recess of what appeared to be a large and richly appointed room1 and that she was reading a letter4 ,then all was gone--the master had dropped the curtain across the glass4 ,oliver put his fingers to his forehead and looked about him1 dazed and bewildered1 for he felt as though he were going crazy in the presence of all the grotesque wonders through which he was passing4 ,the master also seemed disturbed4 ,he frowned2 he bit his lips2 he looked at ,oliver from under his brows4 ,who is the young lady8 said he at last4 ,i do not know1 said ,oliver1 faintly4 ,i never saw her before4 ,here is a new complication1 said the master4 ,one woman is more dangerous than a score of men4 ,he brooded for a moment or two1 and then his face cleared again4 ,no matter1 said he2 we will not go to meet our difficulties1 but will wait till they come to us4 ,all the same1 ,oliver1 take warning by one who knows that whereof he speaks4 ,avoid the women as you would a pitfall3 they have been the ruin of many a better man4 ,remember that which ,i have told you of ,raymond ,lulli4 ,he might perhaps have been living to-day1 the richest and happiest man in the world1 had he not been so stupid as to love ,agnes de ,villeneuve4 ,oliver made no reply1 but even while the other was uttering his warning he had determined in his own mind to seize the very first opportunity of looking again1 and at his leisure1 into the mirror1 and to see again that danger which appeared in so alluring a form4 ,,act ,,ii4 ,,scene ,,first4--,an inn on the road to ,flourens4 ,a calash has lately arrived1 and the horses are now being baited at the inn stables4 ,the day is excessively warm and sultry1 so that the young gentleman who came in the calash is having his bread1 and a bottle of the wine for which the inn is famous1 served to him under the great chestnut-tree before the door4 ,it is ,oliver ,munier1 but so different from the ,oliver that left ,paris a year before that even his mother would hardly have known him4 ,he is no longer that peasant lad in blouse who crouched1 shrunk together1 in the corner of the great coach of the rich ,american uncle1 being carried with thunderous rumble to some hideous and unknown fate which he did not dare to tell even to his own soul4 ,he wore a silk coat1 a satin waistcoat1 satin breeches1 silk stockings1 a laced hat2 he wore fine cambric cuffs at his wrists1 and a lace cravat with a diamond solitaire at his throat1 and his manners befitted his dress4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,innkeeper ,,served ,,him ,,in ,,person4 ,he carried with him a small and curiously wrought iron box1 of which he seemed excessively careful1 keeping it close beside him1 and every now and then touching it with his hand1 as though to make sure that it had not been spirited away4 ,the innkeeper1 a merry little pot-bellied rogue1 as round as a dumpling and as red as an apple1 served him in person1 talking garrulously the while4 ,monsieur was on his way to ,flourens8 ,ah6 there was great excitement there to-day4 ,what6 ,monsieur did not know8 ,he must then be a stranger not to know that ,monseigneur the ,marquis had left ,paris1 and was coming back to the chteau to live4 ,oliver was interested4 ,he had seen monseigneur in ,flourens once some two or three years before1 when he had paid a flying visit to the chteau to put on another turn of the screw1 and to squeeze all the money he could from the starving peasants of the estate1 to pay some of his more hungry and clamorous creditors4 ,all ,flourens had known that the marquis was over head and ears in debt1 and now the little gossiping landlord added the supplement4 ,it was1 he told ,oliver1 through no choice that ,monseigneur the ,marquis was to come back to the country again1 but because he had no more wherewith to support his ,paris life4 ,he loathed ,flourens1 and he loved ,paris2 he hated the dull life of the country1 and he adored the gayety of the city1 its powder1 its patches1 its masques1 its court1 its vanity1 its show1 and1 most of all1 its intrigues and its cards4 ,but all these cost money1 for ,monseigneur the ,marquis had lived like a prince of the blood1 and it had cost a deal4 ,ah1 yes6 such little matters as intrigues and the cards cost treasures of money in ,paris1 he had heard say4 ,so now the marquis and the family were coming back again to ,flourens4 ,by the time that the landlord had half done his gossip1 ,oliver had finished his bread and wine2 then1 the horses being refreshed1 he bade the servant whom he had brought down from ,paris with him to order out the calash4 ,the landlord would have assisted ,oliver in carrying his iron box1 but ,oliver would not permit it4 ,he commanded him somewhat sharply to let it alone1 and he himself stowed it safely within the calash4 ,his man-servant was holding the door open for him to enter1 and ,oliver already had his foot placed upon the step ready to ascend1 when the clatter of hoofs and the rumble of a coach caught his attention1 and he waited to see it pass4 ,it was a huge1 lumbering affair1 as big as a small house1 and was dragged thunderously along by six horses4 ,a number of outriders surrounded it as it came sweeping along amid a cloud of dust1 in the midst of which the whips of the postilions cracked and snapped like pistol-shots4 ,so ,oliver waited1 with some curiosity1 until the whole affair had thundered by along the road1 with its crashing1 creaking1 rattling clatter1 preceded by the running footmen with their long canes1 and the outriders in their uniform of white and blue4 ,it was all gone in a moment--a moment that left ,oliver standing dumb and rooted4 ,in that instant of passing he had seen three faces through the open windows of the coach3 the first1 that of a stout1 red-faced man1 thick-lipped1 sensual2 second1 that of a lady1 pale and large-eyed1 once beautiful perhaps1 now faded and withered4 ,but the third6 ,the third face was looking directly at him1 and it was the glimpse of it that left him rooted1 bereft of motion4 ,it was the same face that he had seen that first day in the magic mirror in the master's house2 the face that he had seen in that mirror1 and unknown to the master1 not once1 not twice1 but scores of times--hundreds of times4 ,the landlord's voice brought him to himself with a shock4 ,monsieur has dropped his handkerchief4 ,oliver took the handkerchief mechanically from his hand1 and as he entered the coach like one in a dream1 he heard the landlord say1 as his servant closed the door with a clash4 ,that was ,monseigneur the ,marquis on his way to the ,chteau ,flourens4 ,,scene ,,second4--,the ,widow ,munier's house in ,flourens4 ,not the poor rude hut that ,oliver had left her in when he first went to ,paris1 but the house of the late ,doctor ,fouchette--the best house in the town4 ,the ,widow ,munier is discovered sitting at the window1 with her face close to the glass1 looking down the street expectantly4 ,oliver had been gone a year1 and that year had wrought great changes with her4 ,all the town knew that a great fortune had come to her1 and she was no longer the poor widow ,munier1 the relict of ,jean ,munier the tailor2 she was ,madame ,munier4 ,after ,oliver had been gone to ,paris a week1 there came a letter for her from him1 and in the letter was money4 ,every week after came such another packet with more and more money--enough to lift her from poverty to opulence4 ,she was no longer obliged to eat cabbage soup1 or live in the poor little hut on the road4 ,just about that time ,doctor ,fouchette died1 and1 at ,oliver's bidding1 she took the house for herself4 ,it was very pleasant to her1 but there was one thing that she could not understand4 ,her rich ,american brother-in-law had distinctly told her that he and ,oliver were to go to ,paris to choose a house1 and that she was then to be sent for to live with them4 ,she had never been sent for1 and that was what she did not understand4 ,yet the weekly letters from ,paris compensated for much4 ,in those letters ,oliver often told her that he and his uncle were in business together1 and were growing rich at such a rate as no one had ever grown rich before4 ,they were in the diamond business1 he said1 and in a little while he hoped to come home with more money than an ,east ,indian prince4 ,then1 at last1 a little while after the twelvemonth had gone by1 came a letter saying that he would be home upon the next ,wednesday1 in the afternoon4 ,so now ,madame ,munier was sitting at the parlor waiting for that coming4 ,a calash came rattling along the stony street1 and as it passed1 the good people came to the doors and windows and looked after it4 ,it did not stop at the inn1 but continued straight along until it came to the door of ,madame ,munier's house4 ,then it drew up to the foot-way1 and a servant in livery sprang to the ground and opened the door4 ,a young gentleman stepped out1 carrying an oblong iron box by a handle in the lid4 ,in thirty minutes all ,flourens knew that ,oliver ,munier had returned home2 in sixty minutes they knew he was as rich as ,croesus4 ,as ,oliver released himself from his mother's embrace1 he looked around him4 ,it was all very different from the little hut on the road that he had left twelve months ago1 but he seemed dissatisfied4 ,he shook his head4 ,it will never do1 said he4 ,what will never do8 said his mother4 ,this house1 this furniture--all1 said ,oliver1 with a wave of his hand4 ,his mother stared4 ,it is a fine house1 said she1 and the furniture is handsome4 ,what1 then1 would you have8 ,the house is small2 it is narrow2 it is mean1 said ,oliver4 ,his mother stared wider than ever4 ,it is the best house in ,flourens1 said she4 ,perhaps1 said ,oliver2 but it does not please me4 ,it will serve for us so long as we remain here1 but ,i hope soon to remove to a better place--one more suitable for people of our condition4 ,madame ,munier's eyes grew as round as teacups4 ,she began to notice that ,oliver's manners and speech were very different from what they had been before he left ,flourens a year ago4 ,she herself had never used the barbarous ,flourennaise patois4 ,remove to a better place8 she repeated1 mechanically4 ,to one more suitable for people of our condition8 ,yes1 said ,oliver4 ,i have in my mind a chteau in ,normandy of which ,i have heard4 ,i think of buying it4 ,madame ,munier's wonder had reached as high as it could soar4 ,she began to wonder whether ,oliver had not gone mad4 ,he gave her scarcely any time to recover before he administered another and a greater shock4 ,mother1 said he1 suddenly1 the family returns to the chteau to-day8 ,yes1 said his mother2 they passed through the town about a half an hour before you came4 ,i know1 said ,oliver2 ,i saw them upon the road4 ,there were two ladies with monseigneur4 ,do you know who they were8 ,one of them was thin and wrinkled1 with black eyes and heavy eyebrows8 ,yes1 said ,oliver4 ,the other1 a young girl1 rather pretty8 ,she is beautiful6 said ,oliver4 ,no doubt they were ,madame the ,marquise1 and ,mademoiselle ,cleste1 the daughter1 said ,madame ,munier4 ,there was a little time of silence1 and then ,oliver gave his mother that second shock1 a shock such as the poor woman never had in her life before4 ,mother1 said he1 ,i love ,mademoiselle ,cleste4 ,madame ,munier opened her eyes and mouth as wide as she was able4 ,you what8 she cried4 ,i love ,mademoiselle ,cleste1 said ,oliver3 it was delicious to repeat those words4 ,madame ,munier looked slowly all about her1 as though she had dropped from the moon1 and knew not as yet where she was4 ,he loves ,mademoiselle ,cleste6 she repeated to herself4 ,yes1 said ,oliver2 ,i love her4 ,he loves her6 said ,madame ,munier1 mechanically4 ,he is mad6 ,mad6 said ,oliver4 ,why am ,i mad8 ,were ,i a beggar and she a princess ,i might still love her4 ,were ,i now as ,i was twelve months ago1 poor1 ignorant1 dull1 a witless1 idle sot1 satisfied to sit the day through on the bench in front of the inn yonder1 ,i might still love her6 ,were we living in poverty as we were then--you and ,i--dwelling in that little stone hut1 feeding upon stewed cabbage and onions1 ,i might still love ,cleste de ,flourens6 ,love1 cried ,oliver--love is universal2 it is limitless2 it is the right of every man1 and no one can take it from him6 ,illustration3 ',,mad6' ,,said ,,oliver1 ',,why ,,am ,i ,,mad8' ,madame ,munier listened2 she thought that she had never heard any one talk so beautifully as ,oliver4 ,it put the matter in a new light4 ,but ,i am no longer as ,i was then1 continued ,oliver4 ,i have seen much2 ,i have passed through much2 ,i have lived in ,paris4 ,but all would be of no importance were it not for another thing4 ,listen1 mother6 ,we are rich1 you and ,i4 ,we are the richest people in ,france--excepting one other2 yes1 the richest people in ,france6 ,you think me crazy to love ,cleste de ,flourens6 ,i tell you1 ,i swear to you1 ,i could to-morrow buy ,flourens from one end to the other--the town1 the chteau1 and all4 ,you do not believe me8 ,very well1 you shall see6 ,but as for this love of mine1 it is not so hopeless nor so mad as you think4 ,to-morrow you shall go in my coach1 with my servant ,henri1 down to the chteau yonder4 ,i shall do nothing of the sort1 interrupted ,madame ,munier1 sharply4 ,oliver only smiled2 he did not answer4 ,a habit he had caught from his master during the last year was to contradict nobody4 ,to-morrow you shall go down to the chteau in my coach1 with my servant ,henri1 and then you shall see how complaisant the marquis will be4 ,i shall do nothing of the sort1 said ,madame ,munier again4 ,i will not go down to the chteau4 ,still ,oliver did not seem to hear her4 ,going to the table1 he chose a key1 and unlocking the iron box1 brought forth from it a curious old silver snuffbox1 handsomely chased and enamelled with figures and flowers4 ,do you see this box8 said he1 holding it up between his thumb and finger4 ,yes1 said ,madame ,munier1 ,i see it2 but ,i will not go to the chteau4 ,it is only a snuffbox1 said ,oliver4 ,it is a small thing2 but what then8 ,within it is a charm--a key with which ,i hope to unlock the portals of a new world to us4 ,it shall give us the entre to the chteau4 ,i shall not go to the chteau1 said ,madame ,munier4 ,also1 said ,oliver1 ,i will give you a letter1 which you will present1 together with this snuffbox1 to the marquis2 and ,i shall sign the letter ,oliver de ,monnire4 ,but that is not your name1 said ,madame ,munier4 ,very well1 said ,oliver2 but it shall hereafter be our name--yours and mine--,de ,monnire4 ,remember it1 mother--,de ,monnire4 ,but what1 then1 is in the snuffbox8 said ,oliver's mother4 ,i will show you1 said ,oliver1 and he opened the lid4 ,bah6 said his mother2 and is that all8 ,do you think that ,monseigneur the ,marquis will care for that thing8 ,oliver smiled4 ,yes1 said he1 he will care for this thing4 ,oliver's mother had nearly forgotten herself4 ,i will not go to the chteau1 said she4 ,,scene ,,third4--,the marquis's apartments at the chteau4 ,it is the next day after the marquis has returned to the ,chteau de ,flourens4 ,it is three o'clock in the afternoon1 and the marquis is discovered still in bed4 ,his valet1 ,august1 an incomparable fellow1 has been in and out a dozen times2 has smoothed the marquis's clothes2 has rearranged a freshly-powdered wig that hung as white as snow upon the block2 has moved a chair here and a table there4 ,but the ,marquis de ,flourens has paid no attention to him4 ,he is reading the latest effusion of the immortal ,jean ,jacques2 for one must keep up with the world1 even if one is compelled to live in ,flourens2 moreover1 as he often observes1 a book suffices somewhat to relieve the ennui4 ,the ,marquis de ,flourens looks very droll4 ,he is clad in a loose dressing-robe of figured cloth1 and lies in bed reading his book1 with a chocolate-pot and a delicate cup1 with the brown dregs at the bottom1 upon a light table standing at the bedside4 ,his knees are drawn up into a little white mountain1 the lace pillows are tucked in billowy masses behind him1 and his nightcap is pushed a little to one side1 giving a glimpse of his shining1 newly-shaven head2 his round face1 in contrast with the white pillows behind1 as red as a newly-risen sun4 ,the valet again enters the room1 but this time with an object4 ,he bears upon a silver tray a three-cornered billet and a snuffbox4 ,the marquis lingeringly finishes the sentence he is reading1 and then lays the book face down upon the bed beside him4 ,what is it you would have1 ,august8 said he4 ,a lady1 monseigneur1 has just now stopped at the door in a coach4 ,illustration3 ,,he ,,is ,,clad ,,in ,a ,,loose ,,dressing-,,robe ,,of ,,figured ,,cloth1 ,,and ,,lies ,,in ,,bed ,,reading ,,his ,,book4 ,the marquis sat up as though moved by a spring4 ,a lady8 he cried4 ,young1 beautiful8 ,no1 said ,august1 seriously2 old1 fat4 ,the marquis lay back upon the pillows again4 ,what is it that you have brought1 ,august8 said he1 languidly4 ,august presented the waiter4 ,oh6 said the marquis4 ,a letter2 and what is that--a snuffbox8 ,he reached out and took ,oliver's three-cornered billet from the waiter4 ,this is not a woman's handwriting1 said he2 it is the handwriting of a man4 ,august said nothing1 and the marquis opened the letter4 ,it ran as follows3 ,,monseigneur1--,having heard1 monseigneur1 that you have been interested in collecting odd and unique objects of curiosity and virtu1 ,i have taken the great liberty of sending by madame my mother this insignificent trifle1 which ,i hope1 monseigneur1 you will condescend to accept4 ,,oliver ,,de ,,monni,,re4 ,m--m--m6 ,what is it the fool is writing about8 ,curios8 ,i making a collection of curios8 ,i never collected anything in my life but debts4 ,the man is crazy6 ,does he think that ,i am a snuffy collector of stuffy curios8 ,let me see the snuffbox1 ,august4 ,the incomparable valet presented the waiter4 ,the marquis took the snuffbox in his hand and looked at it4 ,it is handsome1 said he2 it is curious4 ,it is solid silver1 and is worth-- he weighed it in his hand--a hundred livres1 perhaps4 ,he pressed the spring and opened the box as he spoke4 ,it was full of cotton4 ,something dropped from it upon the coverlet4 ,the marquis picked it up4 ,it was a diamond of excessive brilliancy1 almost as large as a bean4 ,the incomparable ,august was busied in removing the chocolate-pot and the empty cup1 but presently observing the silence1 he looked around4 ,the marquis was holding something between his thumb and forefinger1 and his eyes were as big as teacups4 ,his face was a sight to see4 ,august was startled out of his composure4 ,he hastily set the waiter with the china upon the window-seat1 and hurried to the bedside4 ,what is it1 monseigneur8 said he4 ,his voice roused the marquis4 ,where is the lady who came in the carriage8 he cried1 excitedly4 ,run1 stop her6 ,he flung the bedclothes off himself and jumped with one bound out upon the floor4 ,once again ,august was startled out of his decorum4 ,monseigneur6 ,then1 recovering himself again3 ,the lady1 monseigneur1 is gone4 ,the gardener1 working upon the terrace below1 heard the rattle of a window flung violently open1 and1 upon looking up1 was very much surprised to behold ,monseigneur the ,marquis1 still clad in his colored dressing-gown1 and with his nightcap thrust tipsily over one side of his head4 ,so the marquis stood looking out of the window staring into space1 for he had no more idea who it was that had stopped at the door and had left him a diamond worth twenty-five thousand livres than if he had never been born4 ,ha6 thought he2 the letter2 it was signed ,oliver de ,monnire4 ,thereupon he drew his head in and shut the window again4 ,,scene ,,fourth4--,the parlor of the house in ,flourens4 ,oliver's mother has returned some little time from the chteau1 and ,oliver and she are talking it over between them4 ,the marquis will visit us1 said ,oliver1 within an hour4 ,he will do no such thing1 said ,oliver's mother2 he will not come at all4 ,he will1 said ,oliver1 taking out his brand-new watch from his breeches pocket and looking at it--he will be here within a half an hour4 ,oliver's mother sniffed incredulously4 ,oliver arose from the sofa where he was sitting and went to the window1 and there stood drumming upon the sill1 looking out into the street4 ,suddenly he drew back4 ,the rumble of a coach was heard2 it stopped before the house4 ,a servant opened the coach door1 and monseigneur himself stepped out4 ,he had driven over from the chteau1 and had stopped at the inn4 ,pierre was standing at the door-way when the marquis leaned out from the window and beckoned--yes1 actually beckoned to him4 ,pierre was so surprised that he took off not only his hat1 but his wig also1 and stood there bowing in the sun1 with his head glistening like a billiard-ball4 ,do you know1 innkeeper1 of one ,monsieur de ,monnire who lives in this neighborhood8 ,monsieur de ,monnire8 repeated ,pierre1 blankly4 ,yes1 said the marquis1 impatiently4 ,de ,monnire--,monsieur de ,monnire4 ,do you know where ,monsieur de ,monnire lives8 ,monsieur de ,monnire1 repeated ,pierre1 stupidly2 he did not recognize the name4 ,the landlady stood in the door of the inn behind3 woman are quicker of wit than men4 ,monseigneur means ,monsieur ,oliver1 said she4 ,the marquis overheard4 ,yes1 exclaimed he4 ,monsieur ,oliver--,monsieur ,oliver de ,monnire4 ,oh1 ,monsieur ,oliver6 cried ,pierre4 ,oh yes1 ,i know him as well as ,i know myself4 ,he and his respected mother are now living up there on the hill4 ,you can1 monseigneur1 see the house with your own eyes4 ,it is that one with the white wall to the side1 and with the apple and pear trees showing over the top4 ,the rich ,dr4 ,fouchette used to live there4 ,it is1 monseigneur1 the finest house in ,flourens4 ,monsieur ,oliver indeed6 ,that is good6 ,i have known ,monsieur ,oliver ever since-- ,but the coach was gone2 the marquis had called out to the driver1 had pulled up the window with a click1 and now the coach was gone4 ,pierre stared after it for a while1 and then he put on first his wig and then his hat1 and went into the house again4 ,so ,oliver drew back from the window and turned around4 ,you see1 mother1 said he1 monseigneur comes1 as ,i asserted he would4 ,oliver's mother was in a tremendous flutter4 ,and to think1 said she1 of his coming all the way from the chteau just because of a little piece of cut-glass6 ,oliver laughed4 ,that little piece of cut-glass was worth having1 said he4 ,you do not yet know the value of little pieces of cut-glass like that1 my mother4 ,madame ,munier did not listen to what ,oliver was saying4 ,and to think1 said she1 of ,monseigneur the ,marquis visiting me1 the ,widow ,munier6 ,you forget1 mother1 said ,oliver4 ,you are no longer ,widow ,munier1 you are ,madame de ,monnire4 ,henri opened the door4 ,the ,marquis de ,flourens1 he announced2 and the marquis entered the room with his feathered hat and his clouded cane in his hand4 ,this is ,monsieur ,oliver de ,monnire8 said he4 ,oliver bowed4 ,and this lady8 ,permit me1 said ,oliver2 my mother4 ,madame de ,monnire courtesied so low that she nearly sat down upon the floor4 ,she was profoundly agitated2 she was frightened2 she would rather be somewhere else4 ,she was pleased4 ,yes1 it was delicious having a marquis visit one in one's own house4 ,and you1 madame1 said the marquis1 if ,i may be permitted to ask1 did me the honor of calling upon me this morning8 ,madame de ,monnire nodded4 ,she was embarrassed at the thought of what she had done2 she could not speak4 ,oliver spoke for her4 ,she obliged me1 said he1 by executing a little commission for me4 ,pardon me1 monseigneur1 that1 knowing your interest as a collector1 ,i took the liberty of sending a small specimen to you4 ,i have your forgiveness8 ,forgiveness6 exclaimed the marquis4 ,you ask me to forgive you8 ,my dear child1 ,i cannot accept such a gift4 ,it is too great6 ,do not speak so1 said ,oliver4 ,it is nothing--a trifle4 ,nothing6 cried the marquis2 a trifle6 ,it is worth twenty-five thousand livres4 ,what then8 said ,oliver4 ,i have many others4 ,you embarrass me by making so much of such a little thing4 ,let me beg that you will not refuse to accept of this trifle--as a connoisseur--as a collector of curios-- ,ah6 said the marquis1 there you touch me--as a connoisseur--as a collector4 ,well1 then1 ,i accept it4 ,but you--you say you have many others like this8--you are also a connoisseur8 ,yes1 said ,oliver4 ,i have been indulging a very considerable taste in that direction for the past year4 ,i think ,i may say now that ,i have as fine a collection of diamonds as any in ,europe4 ,would that ,i might be permitted to see them6 said the marquis4 ,you shall1 said ,oliver2 at least some of them4 ,i can show you but a few at present4 ,if you will pardon me for a moment1 ,i will go and bring them4 ,he was gone1 and ,madame de ,monnire and ,monseigneur the ,marquis were left alone together4 ,for all this while the poor woman had been sitting dazed and bewildered4 ,the words that had fallen upon her ears had overwhelmed her4 ,that bit of glass--that little bit of cut-glass--was worth twenty-five thousand livres6 ,twenty-five thousand livres6 ,monseigneur the ,marquis himself had said so6 ,twenty-five thousand livres6 and ,oliver had given it to the marquis as a trifle6 ,twenty-five thousand livres6 and she with her own ears had heard ,oliver say that he had many more bits of glass like it6 ,yes1 he had gone this very moment to bring them there and show them to the marquis4 ,twenty-five thousand livres6 ,was she dreaming or was she waking8 ,twenty-five thousand livres6 ,she was amazed2 she was bewildered2 she was stupefied4 ,in the midst of all1 the marquis turned to her4 ,and you1 madame1 said he1 why did you not wait this morning1 and let me at least thank you for this magnificent gift8 ,madame de ,monnire's head was spinning4 ,twenty-five thousand livres6 said she4 ,ah1 ,i see1 said the marquis4 ,you are embarrassed at the considerableness of it4 ,it is1 indeed1 from one point of view1 a treasure2 but we connoisseurs1 madame1 we collectors1 we frequently exchange these little precious curiosities4 ,it is our habit4 ,madame de ,monnire rose for a moment to the surface of her bewilderment4 ,yes1 said she2 that is true2 and thereupon sank again into the gulf4 ,twenty-five thousand livres6 she murmured to herself4 ,just then ,oliver returned4 ,in his hand he carried a small box of curiously-wrought iron4 ,unlocking it1 he raised the lid1 removed a layer of cotton1 and then1 tilting it1 emptied upon the table a handful of diamonds1 that fell flashing and sparkling like broken fragments of sunlight4 ,one or two of the gems rolled across the table and fell hopping to the floor1 but ,oliver did not appear to notice them4 ,there was a pause of blank and utter silence4 ,madame de ,monnire herself could not have been more amazed at the sight she beheld than was the ,marquis de ,flourens4 ,oliver spread out the gems upon the table with his hand1 as though they were so many glass beads4 ,it was the marquis who broke the silence4 ,mon ,dieu6 he whispered at last1 and fetched a breath so deep that it seemed to come from the pit of his stomach4 ,then he roused himself4 ,you have dropped some upon the floor1 said he4 ,i saw them fall4 ,and he would have stooped to find them4 ,oliver smiled4 ,it is of no importance1 said he4 ,henri will find them by-and-by4 ,for a while the marquis examined the stones in silence1 picking out some of the larger gems1 and scrutinizing them closely and critically1 one after another4 ,it is a most magnificent collection1 my young friend1 said he at last4 ,i never saw a finer lot of diamonds in my life1 excepting the ,king's4 ,oh1 these are but a few1 said ,oliver4 ,i am sorry that ,i have not some of my larger and finer stones to show you4 ,only a few8 repeated the marquis4 ,and how much1 then1 do you suppose that this collection of diamonds is worth8 ,that would be hard to tell1 said ,oliver1 smiling4 ,but perhaps not more than half a million livres4 ,none of the stones are very large or fine4 ,illustration3 ,,oliver ,,spread ,,out ,,the ,,gems ,,upon ,,the ,,table ,,with ,,his ,,hand4 ,not large8 ,not fine8 cried the marquis1 and he picked out a diamond from among the rest4 ,what1 then1 do you call this8 ,it is off color1 said ,oliver4 ,it is a treasure that a king might covet6 cried the marquis1 enthusiastically4 ,oliver laughed4 ,you admire it8 said he4 ,then do me the favor to accept it4 ,the marquis rose to his feet4 ,oh1 he cried1 this is too much6 ,i do not dare4 ,you pain me by refusing1 said ,oliver4 ,as a connoisseur1 monseigneur1 as a collector-- ,ah6 said the marquis1 there you touch me again4 ,as a collector--well1 then1 ,i accept it1 and he slipped it into his waistcoat pocket4 ,embrace me1 ,oliver6 ,oliver's mother was long past wondering at anything1 or else she might have thought it a little strange to see ,oliver--,oliver1 the son of ,jean ,munier1 the tailor--clasped in the arms of ,monseigneur the ,marquis of ,flourens4 ,the marquis released ,oliver from his embrace and sat down again4 ,but tell me1 said he1 you and madame1 you then live here8 ,he looked around1 and ,oliver's eyes followed his4 ,it certainly was a poor house for one who could empty half a million livres' worth of diamonds upon a table4 ,for the present1 said ,oliver1 yes4 ,we have been very poor1 my mother and ,i4 ,he paused4 ,the marquis's eyes were resting intently upon him1 and he felt that the other waited for further explanation4 ,he had already arranged a story1 but now that the time had come to tell it1 his courage almost failed4 ,my uncle1 said he at last1 came back from ,america about a year ago1 and found us very poor--my mother and me4 ,he was rich4 ,again he paused for a moment1 and then continued3 ,he came from ,brazil1 where he was the owner of a diamond mine4 ,but this uncle of yours1 said the marquis1 where is he now8 ,he is dead1 said ,oliver4 ,he is in heaven4 ,oliver's mother heard what he said through all the buzzing of the thoughts in her head4 ,so1 then1 thought she to herself1 my brother-in-law is dead1 is he8 ,and you8 said the marquis4 ,i8 said ,oliver4 ,i have inherited his fortune4 ,it is all in diamonds4 ,madame ,munier pricked up her ears4 ,she was growing interested4 ,her ,oliver1 then1 had inherited a fortune4 ,and your uncle's name--what was it8 said the marquis4 ,his name8 said ,oliver4 ,his name was ,henri1 the ,chevalier de ,monnire-,croix4 ,the devil6 whispered ,oliver's mother to herself4 ,i did not know that we were so well connected4 ,she was past being surprised at anything now4 ,de ,monnire-,croix8 repeated the marquis4 ,de ,monnire-,croix8 ,the name is not familiar4 ,perhaps not1 said ,oliver4 ,my uncle was very young--a mere child--when he went to ,america1 and for the twelve months past since his return to ,france he and ,i have been living quietly together in ,paris1 where he was engaged in settling his affairs4 ,the marquis was looking steadily at him4 ,is your family of long descent8 said he4 ,not very2 as ,i said1 my father was very poor2 you know1 monseigneur1 how sadly poor people of good family may be in the country-- ,he hesitated1 and then stopped4 ,but1 said the marquis1 presently1 you say your uncle is dead4 ,had he1 then1 no other heirs than you8 ,had he no children8 ,no1 said ,oliver4 ,and you inherit all--all his wealth8 ,all4 ,it is then considerable8 ,it is one of the greatest fortunes in ,france4 ,can you prove that to me8 ,i can4 ,embrace me1 my dear child6 ,as the marquis rode back again to the chteau he sat in the corner of the coach1 meditating deeply over all that he had seen and heard4 ,the ,chevalier de ,monnire-,croix1 he muttered to himself--the ,chevalier de ,monnire-,croix4 ,then he suddenly aroused himself from his meditations1 thrust his thumb and finger into his waistcoat pocket1 and drew out the diamond that ,oliver had given him4 ,he held it in a dozen different lights1 examining it keenly and critically4 ,finally he thrust it back again into the pocket whence he had taken it4 ,at least1 said he1 his diamonds are real4 ,why1 then1 should he not be of noble family if he chooses8 ,a half a million livres' worth of diamonds1 and that1 as he tells me1 only a small part of his wealth6 ,very well1 then1 his uncle was a chevalier and he is a prince--the ,prince de ,golconda1 if he chooses4 ,oliver stood for a long while looking out of the window after the marquis's coach had driven away4 ,he felt very uneasy2 he wished that he had not told those lies2 they frightened him4 ,he felt as if he could see them already flying home again to roost4 ,but he need not have been afraid4 ,and then1 besides1 if there was a cloud1 it had had a silver edge3 the last words that the marquis had uttered had been3 ,my dear ,oliver1 let me hope that we may soon see you at the chteau--you and your mother 7that was an after-thought71 for my daughter ,cleste will find it very stupid with no young people about4 ,i shall not1 however1 be able to show you my collection of diamonds1 unfortunately2 they are at present--ahem6--in ,paris4 ,,scene ,,fifth4--,a garden at the ,chteau de ,flourens4 ,a garden such as ,watteau loved to paint--bosky trees1 little stretches of grassy lawn1 white statues of nymphs and fauns peering from among the green leaves1 a statue of a naiad pouring water from a marble urn1 green with moss1 into a marble basin1 green with moss4 ,in front of all1 the smooth river1 dusked and dappled now and then by little breezes that slowly sway the tops of the tall poplar-trees4 ,the little birds sing1 and patches of sunlight and shadow flicker upon the grass4 ,enter ,oliver and ,mademoiselle ,cleste4 ,she carries a pink parasol that makes her face glow like a rose leaf1 and ,oliver walks by her side4 ,that morning ,oliver had paid his first visit to the chteau4 ,his master had trained him well in the ways of the world during the twelvemonth he had lived with him in ,paris2 nevertheless1 he came to the chteau quivering with trepidation4 ,but now the trepidation had passed and gone1 and it was all like the bewildering glamour of some strange dream--the presence of his love no longer dumbly reflected from the smooth1 passionless mirror1 but in warm living flesh and blood1 breathing and articulate4 ,she spoke2 she smiled2 it was divine4 ,a little wind blew a gauze of hair across her soft cheek now and then as they walked together2 her sleeve brushed against ,oliver's arm1 and ,oliver's heart quivered and thrilled4 ,that night was to him but a succession of dreams1 coming one after another like a continuous panorama1 only each separate picture centred in one figure1 and ,oliver himself walked along beside her1 and told her that he loved her4 ,it was a deliciously restless night4 ,after ,oliver had gone home1 the marquis lingered for a moment or two in madame's apartment1 standing with his back to the fireplace listening while she talked to him4 ,illustration3 ,,enter ,,oliver ,,and ,,mademoiselle ,c,,leste4 ,i do not like him1 said she2 he is ostentatious4 ,who ever heard of wearing diamond knee and shoe buckles in the country8 ,the solitaire pin in his cravat was enormous4 ,it was a magnificent diamond1 said the marquis4 ,he is an adventurer1 replied the marquise4 ,the marquis felt in his waistcoat pocket1 and brought out the two diamonds that ,oliver had given him4 ,he held them in the palm of his hand under the nose of the marquise4 ,bah6 said he2 you talk like a fool1 ,matilde4 ,do adventurers1 then1 give away seventy-five thousand livres' worth of diamonds as though they were chestnuts8 ,did you ever hear of an adventurer who carried around a half a million livres' worth of diamonds in a little box8 ,no2 he may not be an aristocrat1 but he is certainly an ,aladdin4 ,so ,oliver was made welcome at the chteau whenever he chose to come4 ,by the time that a month had passed1 he had grown into a certain intimacy4 ,they all liked him2 even madame had condoned his diamonds and liked him4 ,then one morning the marquis received an astounding letter from his protg4 ,monseigneur1 it said1 ,i recognize in you a true and kind friend1 a man of the world upon whom ,i can depend4 7,oliver's master in ,paris had done wonders for him2 he really wrote very well47 ,i am1 monseigneur1 troubled and harassed4 ,i am young and without experience4 ,i now have with me here my whole fortune1 which consists entirely of diamonds--the gleaning of years from my ,american uncle's mines in ,brazil4 ,i do not think that ,i overestimate1 monseigneur1 in saying that that fortune is worth-- 7,i will not repeat what the figures were1 they were so tremendous1 so unbelievable1 that the marquis laid the letter down1 and gazed around him bewildered4 ,if this is true1 said he1 drawing a deep breath1 my young friend is the richest man in ,france4 ,thereupon he picked up the letter1 and read the figures over again1 and then over again4 ,he must have made a mistake of a cipher1 said the marquis4 ,but no2 the amount was not only given in numbers1 but written out in full--there could be no mistake4 ,the marquis resumed the reading of the epistle47 ,i am1 continued the letter1 tormented with fears at having this vast amount in my house--,i should think so1 muttered the marquis to himself--which1 though at present a profound secret1 may at any time be discovered4 ,what dangers ,i would then be in1 ,i leave you to judge for yourself4 ,i have1 monseigneur1 no friends1 no relatives1 of sufficient age and experience to advise me in my difficulties4 ,accordingly ,i turn to you1 who have shown me so much kindness1 and beseech you that you will so far continue it--,i may say increase it--as to take charge of this treasure1 and advise me as to how ,i may best dispose of it4 ,such was the matter of ,oliver's letter4 ,the ,marquis de ,flourens sat for a long while meditating very deeply and seriously upon what he had read4 ,that same morning ,oliver received a note from him1 ,bring your little fortune1 my child1 it said4 ,what a father may do for a son1 ,i will do for you4 ,,scene ,,sixth4--,the marquis's cabinet4 ,the marquis discovered seated at a table1 drumming upon it with his fingers1 and awaiting the coming of ,oliver1 who has just been announced4 ,enter ,oliver1 carrying a stout iron-bound box1 which he deposits upon the table4 ,your treasure is in that box8 says the marquis4 ,oliver nodded4 ,he was very pale4 ,the marquis arose1 and not only locked the door1 but even covered the key-hole from the drilling of inquisitive eyes4 ,now1 my dear child1 said he1 turning to ,oliver with a smile1 let us see what we have in our box2 and he drew his chair again to the table beside which ,oliver was standing4 ,they were both of them agitated--the marquis from expectancy1 and ,oliver from the great cast of the die of his life1 which he had determined that day to make4 ,the hand with which he unlocked the box was as cold as ice4 ,the contents of the box was covered with a layer of cotton4 ,oliver removed it1 and then by two straps lifted out a shallow wooden tray covered with purple velvet1 and filled with a glittering mass of diamonds of the purest water1 nearly all of them large and fine4 ,the marquis's eyes gleamed as brightly as the stones themselves4 ,below the tray was another layer of cotton4 ,oliver removed it and then another tray2 then another layer of cotton and another tray1 until there were eight of them spread upon the table--it could hold no more4 ,there are two more trays in the box1 said ,oliver1 but it is not necessary that ,i should show you them2 these are sufficient4 ,the marquis did not reply2 he was overwhelmed by what he beheld2 it seemed to him that he saw the treasures of ,golconda4 ,oliver observed his silence1 and1 looking up1 saw that his face had grown white with the intensity of his emotions4 ,at last he drew a deep breath1 and raised his eyes to ,oliver's2 then feeling in his pocket1 he drew forth his handkerchief and wiped his face4 ,his voice was husky when he spoke4 ,but this vast1 this unbelievable treasure1 said he1 what security shall ,i give you if you intrust it to me to manage for you8 ,the opportunity for ,oliver's coup had arrived4 ,the marquis himself had given him the very chance which he sought1 but now that he was face to face with it1 he trembled1 he hesitated1 he feared to put his happiness to the test of speech4 ,yet he knew that now or never was the time to cast the die of his hopes upon the table of fate4 ,he braced himself1 gathered all the force of his will1 and as the blinding rush of resolution overwhelmed him1 he saw only the marquis's face and the marquis's eyes looking into his4 ,your security1 said he1 hoarsely--and his voice sounded in his ears as though it was not his own--your security--let it--let it be--your daughter4 ,the words were spoken4 ,there came a long pause of deep1 intense silence1 through which ,oliver could hear the throbbing blood singing in his ears4 ,the marquis never moved a hair1 but sat looking into ,oliver's eyes4 ,oliver felt a dry1 hard lump gather in his throat2 he tried to swallow it4 ,the marquis pushed back his chair and arose4 ,oliver's eyes dumbly followed his motion4 ,the marquis began walking up and down the room1 but he did not say ,no4 ,after a while he stopped before one of the windows and there stood a while1 with his hands clasped behind him1 looking out upon the lawn and the river beyond4 ,minute after minute passed in a straining tensity of silence4 ,oliver began to feel as though he could bear it no longer4 ,suddenly the marquis spoke3 ,my daughter8 said he1 half aloud and half to himself4 ,the words meant nothing1 but they were not words of refusal4 ,oliver felt a great wave of blinding hope sweep over him4 ,suddenly the marquis turned and came back to the table4 ,he motioned ,oliver to a chair4 ,let us talk this matter over1 said he1 seriously1 and they both sat down4 ,oliver's heart thumped within him like a trip-hammer4 ,do you know1 said the marquis1 what a thing it is that you ask8 ,do you know that you ask an alliance with one of the noblest houses of ,france8 ,oliver could not answer4 ,and you1 continued the marquis1 who are you8 ,i do not know you2 nobody knows you4 ,you may be what you represent yourself to be2 you may be an adventurer4 ,oliver's heart was sinking like a plummet of lead4 ,my diamonds are real1 he croaked4 ,illustration3 ',,do ,,you ,,know1' ,,said ,,the ,,marquis1 ',,what ,a ,,thing ,,it ,,is ,,that ,,you ,,ask8' ,the marquis smiled1 and then a long space of silence fell4 ,at last he spoke again1 and his words shot through ,oliver's heart like a dart4 ,what settlement1 then1 would you propose to make upon your wife8 said he4 ,wife6 ,oliver's heart thrilled with the sudden keenness of that pang of sharp delight4 ,his brain whirled in an eddy of dizzy light4 ,at last1 with a supreme effort1 he found his tongue4 ,anything1 he cried--anything that you choose6 ,the marquis smiled again4 ,we are ardent1 said he4 ,i see that if this matter is to be carried forward1 ,i must act not only as a father1 but as a friend4 ,i confess to you1 ,oliver1 that ,i am deeply in debt1 that ,flourens is mortgaged to the last inch4 ,would you be willing to release ,flourens1 and then settle the estate upon your wife8 ,yes1 said ,oliver1 eagerly4 ,the marquis's smile grew wider than ever4 ,that is good1 said he4 ,but you must know that you are one of the richest men in ,france1 ,oliver4 ,you should do even more than that for your wife4 ,i will settle upon her everything that ,i have in the world1 said ,oliver4 ,the marquis laughed4 ,ah6 said he1 we are certainly too ardent--far too ardent4 ,half of your fortune would be sufficient2 or three-quarters of it1 at the most4 ,she shall have either1 as you may choose1 said ,oliver4 ,i suppose1 said the marquis1 that it will be best that ,i should manage her fortune for her8 ,yes1 said ,oliver4 ,and you shall manage mine also1 if you choose4 ,the marquis saw that there was no limit to ,oliver's complacency4 ,and you will subscribe to that8 said he4 ,yes1 said ,oliver4 ,i am willing to subscribe to anything4 ,the marquis rose from the chair1 and opened his arms4 ,embrace me1 my son1 said he4 ,oliver could have cried with happiness4 ,and may ,i1 said he1 tremulously1 when the marquis had released him from his arms--may ,i then-- ,he hesitated2 he could not believe that he had reached such a dizzy pinnacle of happiness4 ,the marquis laughed4 ,you will find mademoiselle in the garden1 said he4 ,,scene ,,seventh4--,the ,watteau-like garden described before--the trees1 the statues1 the fountains1 the flowers1 the river4 ,mademoiselle ,cleste is discovered sitting in the shade1 reading1 and making just such a picture as the great artist would have painted upon a fan4 ,enter ,oliver1 running down the steps of a terrace1 dizzy with joy1 like one in the bewildering glamour of a golden dream4 ,he seemed to tread upon air6 ,the blue sky1 green foliage1 the flowers1 the statues1 the rivers1 swam together in a confusion of bewildered delight4 ,at the sound of his footsteps she raises her eyes1 and lays aside her book1 and greets him with the smile of an acquaintance4 ,oh6 said she2 it is you1 then8 ,i have been waiting for you4 ,oliver's heart was fluttering within him4 ,at first he could not speak1 and she must have read his joy and his secret in his face1 for the rosy hue upon her cheeks deepened4 ,he sank upon his knees beside her4 ,i love you1 he whispered1 tremulously4 ,her face was turned away from him1 but she did not withdraw the hand which he held4 ,there was a long time of silence4 ,oliver raised her hand to his lips4 ,but my father1 she murmured at last4 ,he bade me seek you here1 cried ,oliver1 eagerly4 ,then again3 ,oh1 ,cleste1 ,i love you6 ,i love you6 ,she turned her face towards him2 her eyes met his then4 ,could he believe it8 ,was it real8 ,his lips met others1 soft1 warm1 fragrant4 ,the flowers1 the parterres1 the trees1 the blue sky1 the white marble statues--all dissolved into a golden ether4 ,flourens8 ,it was heaven6 ,madame the ,marquise made no objection to it all4 ,she had become accustomed to ,oliver and his diamonds4 ,he was a pleasant1 cheerful1 handsome fellow4 ,it made her heart feel lighter to have him about4 ,as was said1 she had forgiven the ill taste of the display of diamonds1 and now expressed her approval of the arrangement4 ,oliver's heaven was without a cloud4 ,,scene ,,eighth4--,the marquis's private closet4 ,a month had passed--a month of delight1 of joy1 of love2 and then one morning the ,marquis de ,flourens let fall a torpedo in the midst of ,oliver's little paradise4 ,that morning1 when ,oliver went to the chteau1 the marquis sent for him4 ,oliver found him seated at the table1 playing idly with a gold pencil-case4 ,he did not ask ,oliver to be seated1 but went directly to the point4 ,illustration3 ,,he ,,sank ,,on ,,his ,,knees ,,beside ,,her4 ,a week from next ,monday1 said he1 we shall go to ,paris4 ,you also1 my dear ,oliver4 ,oliver stood like one stunned4 ,he made no answer1 but his mind1 in a single sweep1 cleared the whole horizon4 ,to ,paris6 ,he remembered the master's commands--those commands so terribly absolute2 he remembered his threats of punishment if he 7,oliver7 should disobey that mandate4 ,what was that threat8 ,oliver remembered it well4 ,it was that that terrible mysterious being1 who had so nearly doomed him to a dreadful1 unspeakable death1 would crush him1 would annihilate him1 would make him wish a thousand times1 in his torments1 that he had never been born4 ,those were almost the very words1 and ,oliver had not forgotten them4 ,he had learned much of his master in the year that he had lived with him1 and he knew that that threat was not idle4 ,he knew that the master would do as he said to the last jot and tittle4 ,that cool1 smiling1 sinister devil6 ,he could destroy all of this happiness as easily as one can destroy a beautiful soap-bubble that a child has created from nothing4 ,i do not wish to go to ,paris1 said ,oliver1 huskily4 ,the marquis's face darkened4 ,not wish to go to ,paris8 he repeated4 ,but you must go1 ,oliver4 ,no1 said ,oliver2 ,i do not wish to go4 ,i shall not go4 ,i would rather stay here at ,flourens4 ,i do not like ,paris4 ,the marquis came over and took ,oliver by the button of his coat4 ,his face was not pleasant to see4 ,you do not like ,paris6 said he4 ,very well2 then you shall stay here1 my dear ,oliver--you and your fortune4 ,but in that case1 my child1 you need never come here to the chteau again4 ,you comprehend me8 ,oliver looked out of the window4 ,cleste was waiting for him upon the terrace4 ,never had she looked so exquisitely beautiful4 ,he groaned4 ,then ,i will go1 said he4 ,the marquis opened his arms4 ,embrace me1 ,oliver1 he cried4 ,oliver yielded himself to the caress1 but he wished the marquis to the devil4 ,,act ,,iii4--,,paris4 ,,scene ,,first4--,madame de ,pompadour's salon4 ,some dozen courtiers1 male and female1 are gathered in a group at a little distance1 but not too far away1 from a sofa standing by an open window1 just where the breeze comes in pleasantly from without4 ,a lady dressed in negligee robe de chambre of blue satin lies upon the sofa1 propped up with pillows4 ,she is slowly fanning herself with a very charmingly painted fan1 listening the while impassively to the subdued talk1 and the occasional ripple of laughter that follows some more than usually apt observation or repartee4 ,she does not talk or smile herself1 but only continues fanning herself with slow impassiveness4 ,she is still beautiful1 but she is somewhat haggard and worn1 and even the powder and rouge1 and an occasional patch here and there1 cannot altogether hide the leaden pallor of ill health4 ,it is ,madame de ,pompadour1 and it is one of the days in which she feels more than usually unwell4 ,the conversation of those around chiefly concerns two lovers1 whom all ,paris is just now petting and caressing1 the young and charming ,monsieur de ,monnire-,croix and his fiance ,mademoiselle de ,flourens4 ,the match is altogether a singular and remarkable one4 ,those who have seen the young man report him very handsome1 but it is whispered that he is of obscure origin4 ,were it not for his stupendous wealth1 the story of which is very well authenticated1 it would have been a dreadful misalliance4 ,as it is1 that wealth is so great as to level all distinctions1 and the world has not only forgiven the match1 but has been vastly interested in the love affair4 ,the talk of it has reached even ,madame de ,pompadour's ears1 and she has been pleased to express a desire to have them presented to her4 ,the day and the time for that presentation has arrived1 and that perhaps is why the conversation just now concerns the lovers4 ,madame de ,berry protests that they are the handsomest couple that she has ever seen2 their love so innocent1 so deliciously childlike4 ,they are a new ,corydon and ,phyllis--,cupidon and ,psyche4 ,in them ,arcadia is come again4 ,it is the prettiest thing in the world to see their uneasiness when separated1 their fond glances when together4 ,monsieur de ,gontat had heard the ,duchesse de ,choiseul speak of them the other day4 ,she declares them her latest passion1 and says that they are like that which the poets describe1 and which nobody ever saw before4 ,she loves to have them near her--the dear ,duchesse--and says that they make her feel that life is not altogether like the new screen that ,monsieur ,watteau has just finished for her1 not altogether flat1 not altogether surface1 not all pretended simplicity in powder and patches1 and with painted fan to hide a painted blush2 she says they make her have a better opinion of herself4 ,so the buzz of talk goes on1 and ,madame de ,pompadour fans herself and listens impassively4 ,then the talk suddenly turns to the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine1 who has grown such a favorite1 not only with ,madame de ,pompadour1 but of late with his ,majesty himself4 ,monsieur de ,gontat tells of the last wonder relating to him4 ,yesterday his ,majesty sent for him4 ,monsieur ,count1 said he1 they say that you can remove flaws from a diamond4 ,is it so8 ,yes1 sire1 answered the count4 ,then here is a diamond that would be worth fifty thousand livres except for this flaw2 it is not worth five thousand now4 ,can you remedy it8 ,i can try1 sire1 answers the count1 and he slips it into his waistcoat4 ,would you believe it8 ,he brings it in this morning sound and whole and without flaw4 ,i myself1 says ,monsieur de ,gontat1 was present when the jeweller appraised it4 ,his ,majesty said that he would keep it as one of the greatest curiosities of his cabinet4 ,monsieur de ,gontat had hardly ended his story when ,oliver and ,cleste were announced4 ,madame de ,pompadour ceased her fanning and turned her head languidly as they were ushered across the room and presented4 ,the ,marquis de ,flourens1 who had come with them1 was also presented4 ,he paid his respects1 and then immediately withdrew to one side1 and was absorbed in the little group of those in waiting4 ,madame reached out her hand to ,cleste4 ,come hither1 my child1 and let me look at you1 said she4 ,cleste came timidly forward1 and ,madame de ,pompadour took her by the hand4 ,she drew her down until the girl kneeled upon the floor beside the sofa4 ,the poor sick woman looked long and earnestly into her young face4 ,you are beautiful1 you are young1 you are happy1 she murmured4 ,you are happy1 are you not8 ,illustration3 ,,she ,,drew ,,her ,,down ,,until ,,the ,,girl ,,kneeled ,,upon ,,the ,,floor ,,beside ,,her4 ,yes1 answered ,cleste1 in a whisper4 ,and you love ,monsieur de ,monnire-,croix8 ,yes1 whispered ,cleste again1 and her voice thrilled4 ,madame de ,pompadour fetched a little half-sigh1 which faded to a smile before it had left her lips4 ,ah6 said she1 it is the young who are happy4 ,then1 after a moment's pause1 ,will you kiss me1 child8 ,cleste bent forward1 and her fresh young innocent lips met those others--so soiled1 so wan and faded4 ,it was all as effectively done as anything upon the boards of the ,comdie ,franaise4 ,madame de ,pompadour turned with a smile1 and beckoned to ,oliver4 ,come1 ,monsieur ,count1 said she1 your place should be here beside your lady2 and she motioned to him to kneel beside ,cleste4 ,oliver saw the ladies and gentlemen who stood around smile4 ,he was embarrassed2 he blushed like a school-boy2 but there was nothing for him to do but to kneel4 ,cleste saw his confusion1 and furtively reached out her little hand and gave his an encouraging squeeze4 ,madame de ,pompadour saw it and smiled4 ,yes1 it certainly was ,arcadian4 ,at that moment another arrival was announced1 ,monsieur the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine6 ,now and then the name of the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine1 and the story of his strange doings1 reached even to the paradise of the lovers4 ,occasionally ,oliver heard a breath of these things1 and when he heard it he trembled--the breath was sinister and smelt from the pit4 ,but he was not troubled for long at a time2 his cockle floated gayly along the stream of fateful happiness2 he was too absorbed in his love-dreams to burden his thoughts with the fear of being overwhelmed in the dark waters upon which that cockle swam4 ,nevertheless1 the name1 falling so unexpectedly upon ,oliver's ears1 came with a certain shock of dread4 ,he bent his head as he kneeled1 and for a time did not dare to look around4 ,the new-comer came forward with the well-assured air of a favorite4 ,oliver could feel him coming nearer and nearer4 ,rise1 my children1 said ,madame de ,pompadour4 ,and as they obeyed1 she presented ,oliver to the other4 ,monsieur de ,st4 ,germaine1 said she1 let me present to you ,monsieur de ,monnire-,croix4 ,oliver slowly raised his eyes1 and then his heart crumbled away within him4 ,it was the master6 ,illustration3 ,,monsieur ,,the ,,count ,,de ,,st4 ,,germaine6 ,it seemed to ,oliver as though the room darkened around him1 and he saw but one thing--that cold1 handsome face4 ,his ears rang as though with a chime of bells4 ,the floor seemed to rock beneath his feet1 for he knew what to expect when those thin lips parted--he would be denounced1 exposed1 here before ,madame de ,pompadour and her court4 ,his heart shrunk together1 but he steeled himself to face the coming blow4 ,but he was mistaken4 ,the thin lips parted1 the face lit up with a smile4 ,ah1 cried the well-known voice1 it is ,oliver2 it is the little ,oliver6 ,you do not remember me4 ,no8 ,oh1 well1 it is not likely you would2 and yet ,i was the dearest friend that your poor uncle1 who is now in ,paradise1 had in the world4 ,he turned to the others who stood there1 still holding ,oliver by the hand1 which he had taken when he first began speaking4 ,the world1 said he1 does not yet know half the romance connected with this young man4 ,his uncle ,henri1 ,chevalier de ,monnire-,croix1 was one of the richest men in ,france4 ,poor soul6 he is dead now1 but when he lived he was the owner of one of the largest diamond mines in ,brazil4 ,diamonds6 ,the world has never seen the like of the ,chevalier de ,monnire-,croix's diamonds6 ,and now this young man has been left heir to them all4 ,henri de ,monnire-,croix and ,i were in ,brazil together1 and it was with him that ,i gained what little knowledge ,i possess concerning precious stones2 ,i may say1 indeed1 that he was my teacher in that knowledge4 ,i was intimately acquainted with his affairs1 and know that ,oliver1 as is reputed of him1 is one of the richest men in ,europe4 ,all who were present listened to the count's speech with breathless interest and in dead silence4 ,but to ,oliver the words he heard spoken lifted him at a bound from the gulf of despair into which he was falling4 ,the master did not mean to ruin him just then4 ,the rebound from the tensity of the strain was too great for him to bear4 ,the ground beneath his feet heaved and rocked1 the room spun around and around4 ,he heard some one1 he knew not whom1 give a sharp exclamation2 he felt a strong1 sinewy arm clasp him about the body2 he knew it was the master's arm1 and then--nothing4 ,,scene ,,second4--,a room in the ,htel de ,flourens1 whither ,oliver has been removed after having fainted in madame's salon4 ,it is the next day1 and ,oliver is discovered lying upon a sofa1 limp1 heart-sick1 overshadowed by the looming of coming misfortune4 ,the ladies have sent many inquiries as to his health1 and two little notes from ,cleste are lying upon the table at his elbow4 ,enter suddenly ,henri1 who is in attendance upon him4 ,a gentleman to see monsieur1 said the valet1 and almost instantly another voice1 speaking from behind him1 said3 ,it is ,i1 ,oliver4 ,i have taken the liberty of an old friend of your dear uncle2 ,i was anxious concerning your health1 and so followed immediately4 ,you need not wait1 ,henri--to the valet4 ,he entered as he spoke1 and waiting for a moment to make sure that ,henri had gone1 then closed the door and turned to ,oliver1 who now sat speechless1 motionless1 fascinated1 with eyes fixed1 and a face as white as wax4 ,he drew forward a chair1 and placing it close to ,oliver1 sat for a long time looking fixedly and intently at him4 ,at last1 without removing his eyes1 he drew out his snuffbox--the famous snuffbox that ,madame de ,pompadour had given him with her own hands--and took a pinch of snuff with a deal of gusto4 ,well1 said he1 have you nothing to say to me8 ,i thought1 said ,oliver1 dully1 that it was you who had1 perhaps1 something to say to me4 ,the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine laughed4 ,something to say to you8 said he4 ,oh6 ,you mean1 perhaps1 about that looking-glass of mine1 upon which you drew that accursed sign with one of those very diamonds that ,i had taught you to make8 ,perhaps you thought that by doing so you would prevent my following your motions for the future4 ,well1 as far as the mirror is concerned1 you were right2 you have spoiled it for me4 ,you1 who are generally so dull1 sometimes surprise one with sudden gleams of your bucolic cunning4 ,i confess that you did most effectually what you intended2 you ruined that looking-glass forever4 ,so far as ,i am concerned1 ,i can never see anything in it again4 ,are you not deserving of punishment for that8 ,oliver strove to speak1 but his white lips uttered no sound4 ,again1 said the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine1 ,i commanded you when we parted that you should never return to ,paris2 ,i forbade you imperatively1 absolutely1 from coming4 ,i unbosomed myself to you and told you all2 ,i confessed to you that ,i feared your influence upon my destiny4 ,what has resulted8 ,you1 knowing that you have taken away all my means of following your movements1 did return here against those express commands that ,i had laid upon you1 braving all my threats of punishment4 ,should you not be punished for that8 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,count ,,de ,,st4 ,,germaine1 ,,without ,,removing ,,his ,,eyes ,,from ,,his ,,victim1 ,,took ,,another ,,deep1 ,,luxurious ,,pinch ,,of ,,snuff4 ,i could not help it1 said ,oliver1 hoarsely2 the marquis compelled me to come4 ,once more the other laughed4 ,i know nothing of that1 said he4 ,i only know that you are here4 ,why you are here concerns yourself1 and not me4 ,now what do you think that ,i am about to do to you1 ,oliver8 ,i do not know1 said ,oliver4 ,and he hid his face in his trembling hands4 ,the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine1 without removing his eyes from his victim1 took another deep1 luxurious pinch of snuff4 ,then he shut the lid with a snap1 and slipped the box again into his pocket1 but all that time his eyes never once moved from the cowering ,oliver4 ,suddenly he burst out laughing1 and clapped the lad upon the shoulder4 ,i will tell you what ,i will do to you1 ,oliver1 said he2 ,i will forgive you6 ,do you hear me8 ,i will forgive you6 ,oliver slowly removed his hands from his face1 and looked up with dumb bewilderment4 ,you forgive me8 he repeated1 stupidly4 ,yes1 ,i forgive you4 ,a long pause of silence followed1 during which ,oliver looked intently and earnestly into that smiling face1 so close to his own4 ,that smiling face--it was an impenetrable mask1 it was the face of a sphinx1 and ,oliver might almost as well have tried to read the one as the other4 ,yet there was a soul behind it1 and that soul could not entirely be hidden2 one glimpse of it flashed out through the eyes4 ,oliver saw it and shuddered4 ,you forgive me8 he repeated4 ,what do you mean8 ,i do not comprehend4 ,what would you have me do8 ,the other shrugged his shoulders and raised his eyebrows4 ,what would ,i have you do8 said he4 ,you surprise me6 ,i talk to you1 and you do not seem to hear me4 ,i say that ,i forgive you1 and you do not seem to understand4 ,what ,i mean is that you shall continue to live here1 as you have already done1 in an atmosphere of happiness and love4 ,it is beautiful1 as all ,paris says2 it is delightful6 ,after all1 ,i cannot punish you1 for ,i have not the heart to interfere with it4 ,by-and-by you shall marry ,mademoiselle ,cleste4 ,oliver never removed his looks from the other's face4 ,marry ,cleste8 he murmured1 mechanically4 ,certainly1 said the other1 ,i never saw you so dull4 ,i said that you were to marry ,mademoiselle ,cleste--to marry her4 ,but1 there6 ,i see what it is4 ,you are not yet recovered from your illness in ,madame de ,pompadour's salon4 ,it was indeed insufferably hot4 ,poor lady6 she is like a green cockatoo1 she cannot abide a touch of cold4 ,but ,i weary you2 ,i will take another opportunity of visiting you4 ,but remember1 my dear ,oliver1 ,i forgive you4 ,au revoir6 ,he was gone2 and ,oliver sat as ,monsieur de ,st4 ,germaine had left him1 clad in his dressing-gown1 and seated upon the edge of the sofa1 leaning with his elbows upon his knees1 his hands clasped before him1 and his eyes fixed dully upon the floor4 ,forgive him6 ,his soul told him that he need expect no forgiveness from that cold1 iron heart4 ,what should he do8 ,how should he escape the fate which he felt was hanging over him8 ,the master had said that he was to marry ,cleste4 ,upon the eve of that marriage1 perhaps1 he would come and proclaim him the cheat1 the charlatan that he was4 ,he shuddered as he pictured the shame of the humiliation of such a disclosure4 ,suddenly a thought flashed upon him1 like light upon the darkness3 why not tell ,cleste his story8 ,why not confess all to her1 and throw himself upon her mercy8 ,his shame would be less1 and she would scorn him less1 than if he waited for the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine to expose him4 ,his heart stood still at the thought of ,cleste's grief and despair4 ,and ,paris6 ,how ,paris would laugh at the denouement of that romance which it now petted and approved4 ,in a sudden rush of determination1 and without giving himself time for second thought1 he drew paper and ink towards him1 and set himself to write a letter to ,cleste4 ,it was a blundering1 blotted letter4 ,it took him a long1 long time to write it1 but at last it was done2 in it he told her all2 and then1 still without giving himself time to think1 he rang the bell1 and ,henri appeared4 ,he hesitated1 for one last moment1 with a shrinking heart4 ,what will monsieur have8 said ,henri4 ,take this letter1 said ,oliver1 with one last1 desperate resolve1to ,mademoiselle ,cleste1 and--and wait her answer4 ,yes1 monsieur4 ,oliver watched the man as he crossed the room1 as he noiselessly closed the door2 he was gone4 ,how long the answer was in returning ,oliver never could tell4 ,it might have been only a few minutes that he walked up and down the room4 ,it seemed to him hours4 ,monsieur1 a letter4 ,oliver turned sharply4 ,it was ,henri1 and he presented upon his tray a little note4 ,it was1 as far as outward appearance was concerned1 almost exactly like those two others upon the table2 but what was within8 ,oliver hardly dared touch it4 ,he opened it slowly1 hesitatingly2 there were only three words1 ,i love you--that was all4 ,yes1 that was all4 ,oliver sat looking at it with eyes that blinded more and more1 until at last one hot drop fell with a pat upon the open sheet4 ,then even ,henri's presence was not enough to inspire self-control4 ,he broke down1 and began crying1 and probably1 if ,henri thought anything at all1 it was that there had been a quarrel4 ,,scene ,,third4--,the grand salon of the ,htel de ,flourens2 the hour1 near midnight4 ,oliver is discovered walking rapidly and agitatedly up and down the length of the great room1 still illuminated by a thousand and one candles4 ,and now the last guest has been gone for some time1 the last huge unwieldy coach has rumbled away1 and the dull silence seems to hum and buzz after the clatter of the afternoon and night4 ,he is married4 ,oliver is still bewildered4 ,he is like one in a dream2 he only half knows what he does and says2 he only half senses what he sees and hears2 his heart thrills almost agonizingly with joy and triumph4 ,cleste is his1 his very own1 his wife2 and what is more1 it has been arranged that he and she are to depart for ,flourens--dear1 sweet1 beautiful ,flourens--the very next morning4 ,some days before1 ,oliver had proposed the departure to the marquis1 and the marquis had made no objection4 ,he had made but one stipulation1 that he himself should remain in ,paris4 ,there are many matters of business to attend to1 he had said4 ,we have as yet been able to dispose of only a minute portion of our diamonds4 ,the amount we have realized upon them has been enormous1 yet it is only a drop or two taken from the bucket4 ,it had been arranged that ,oliver was to see the marquis upon some final business that very night1 and so it is that he is now discovered walking so impatiently up and down the empty room at that hour1 his heart thrilling with joy and delight4 ,but through all ,oliver's joy and delight there ran every now and then a discordant pang of uneasiness1 for suddenly1 in spite of himself1 his thoughts would flash back upon the memory of the master1 and under that vivid sinister flash of recollection his soul shrank and trembled within him4 ,twelve hours still stretched between him and that time of departure4 ,what might not happen in twelve hours8 ,twelve hours1 muttered ,oliver to himself4 ,i would give all my diamonds if they were passed and gone4 ,he thought of ,cleste1 and a keen thrill pierced through his heart2 he thought of the master1 and another keen thrill--this time heart-sickening--shot through him as the other had done4 ,no matter1 he muttered to himself1 the morning will soon come and we will be miles away1 with nothing to fear and with nothing to think of but our love4 ,he pressed his face against the window and looked out into the night1 then he turned and pulled out his watch impatiently and looked at it2 it was ten minutes of twelve4 ,i wish he would make haste1 he muttered4 ,as though in answer to his impatient murmur1 the door opened and a servant announced that the marquis was ready to see him now in his closet4 ,oliver found him seated at his escritoire1 with books and papers spread out before him4 ,he took the chair that the marquis indicated1 and then the marquis began talking to him4 ,oliver did not know what he was saying2 whenever the other would pause for a reply1 he would say1 ,yes1 yes1 that is so1 or1 ,i think not1 as the words seemed to demand2 sometimes he understood what was said1 but more generally it might as well have been spoken in ,greek4 ,then1 said the marquis1 if ,i understand correctly1 you are entirely satisfied with my management of your affairs8 ,oliver was beginning to grow weary of this business4 ,yes1 said he1 restlessly1 yes1 ,i am entirely satisfied4 ,manage them as you choose2 ,i do not care2 it is of no importance4 ,the marquis opened his arms4 ,embrace me6 he cried4 ,you are generosity itself2 ,i admire generosity6 ,your confidence in me touches me4 ,you must know1 ,oliver1 that ,i manage most discreetly4 ,we have lived here1 as you are aware1 without stint or economy--it would have been wrong for me to limit that generosity of yours which ,i so much admire--but yet ,i have not been extravagant2 for not only have we maintained the establishment here in ,paris1 but we have also paid off the debts upon it1 as well as upon ,flourens4 ,yes1 ,flourens is freed2 and ,i--,i am not to be outdone in generosity2 those ancestral estates of ,flourens that have been in the hands of our family for generations--he waved his hand--,i give them to you1 ,oliver1 and to ,cleste for your own4 ,i thank you1 said ,oliver4 ,the marquis paused for a moment2 his own generosity moved him profoundly4 ,but ,i was about to say1 continued he1 presently1 that the reason more especially why ,i called you here was to let you see how few of our diamonds have been disposed of4 ,i will show you4 ,i do not care to see1 said ,oliver4 ,pardon me1 said the marquis1 but you must see them1 my dear ,oliver4 ,it is business4 ,look6 yonder is the chest of diamonds4 ,i have had it brought here to-day not only to show you how little of the contents we have as yet disposed of1 but also because ,i expect three merchants from ,amsterdam to visit me to-morrow and inspect the gems4 ,they write to me that they have formed a company for the purchase of a quantity of them4 ,while he was speaking he had taken a bunch of keys from a secret compartment of the escritoire4 ,one of them was the key of the chest4 ,he thrust it into the lock1 drew back the bolts1 and opened the lid4 ,you see1 said he1 there is not one-tenth of this first tray of diamonds that we have as yet disposed of4 ,oliver glanced indifferently at them4 ,the rest of the trays1 continued the marquis1 have not yet been touched4 ,i will show them to you4 ,i do not care to see them1 said ,oliver2 ,i will take your word for it4 ,if there is nothing further that you care to speak to me about1 ,i would like to be excused2 there are many things that ,i have to prepare for my journey4 ,ah6 said the marquis1 ,i see these dull affairs of business1 they are of no interest to you4 ,youth is so impetuous6 ,it is better1 said he1 as he locked the chest and replaced the keys in the secret compartment of his escritoire--it is better to possess youth and love than all the wealth and gems of the ,indies4 ,go1 my dear ,oliver1 and trust in me4 ,i will manage your affairs1 my child1 as though they were my own4 ,oliver did not wait for a second bidding2 he flew from the place and the tiresome talk of diamonds and business4 ,as he was about to enter the room which he had left only a little while before1 he hesitated for a moment1 he knew not why4 ,a sudden pang shot through him1 and he pressed his hand to his bosom4 ,that instant a clock rang out sharply in the silence4 ,he counted the twelve strokes1 and then opened the door4 ,some one stood looking out of the window1 his face close to the glass4 ,he wore a long black cloak1 beneath which he carried a large oval frame of some sort4 ,oliver walked mechanically up the room1 and as he advanced that other turned slowly towards him4 ,oliver's heart gave a great bound1 and then stood quite still within him4 ,the next instant every grain of strength seemed to slip away from him2 his knees grew suddenly weak and smote together2 his hands dropped with a leaden heaviness to his sides1 and his tongue clave to the roof of his mouth4 ,it was the master6 ,a moment or two of dead silence followed1 and in the heavy1 breathless stillness the sharp ticking of a clock sounded with piercing distinctness upon ,oliver's tensely-drawn nerves4 ,the master said not a word1 but he looked upon him with a cool1 contained smile of ineffable complacency4 ,at last1 somehow1 ,oliver found his voice4 ,you6 he said1 hoarsely2 and then again1 with a gulp3 ,you6 ,how came you here8 ,the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine laughed4 ,how came ,i here8 ,i walked here4 ,that does not satisfy you8 ,well1 no matter4 ,i have1 as you may know1 many1 very many1 ways of coming and going as ,i choose4 ,just now it is sufficient that ,i am here4 ,and for what have you come8 said ,oliver1 in that same slow1 hoarse voice4 ,for a while the master leaned against the deep window-casing1 and looked at him from under his brows1 his eyes burning like green sparks4 ,for what did ,i come1 ,oliver8 said he at last4 ,i will tell you4 ,you must know that ,i have a silly habit of keeping my promises4 ,did ,i not make you the richest man in ,france8 ,did ,i not teach you the secret of the water of wealth8 ,did ,i not teach you all that you know1 and make you all that you are8 ,very good4 ,by so doing ,i fulfilled one part of a promise ,i some time made you4 ,now ,i have come to fulfil the other part4 ,i promised you then that should you ever return to ,paris ,i would ruin you2 ,i am going to ruin you4 ,i promised that ,i would crush you2 ,i am about to crush you4 ,i promised to make your life a hell2 ,i will make it a hell4 ,i will make you wish a thousand times that you had never been born4 ,when ,i first met you in ,madame de ,pompadour's salon1 ,i read in your face your fear that ,i would betray you4 ,ah1 no6 that would have been childish2 it would have been petulant2 it would have been impatient and premature4 ,no1 ,oliver2 ,i have waited until now1 and what do you think ,i have waited for8 ,oliver's lips moved1 but he could not answer4 ,he stood leaning with his hand upon the side of the table1 stunned and dizzied4 ,he felt as though every word that the master spoke struck a leaden blow upon his heart4 ,but the other did not wait for a reply4 ,he flung back his cloak1 and brought forth that which he carried beneath it4 ,it was the magic mirror1 upon the face of which was drawn the sign that1 as ,oliver knew1 stood between his master and his supernatural power4 ,the master stood it upon the table beside ,oliver1 and then1 brushing the dust from his hands1 turned a smiling face upon his victim4 ,you cannot guess8 said he1 returning to the question he had asked4 ,ah1 well1 it does not matter4 ,i will tell you4 ,i intend to pierce your heart through that young wife of yours1 ,oliver4 ,the words struck upon ,oliver's ears like a blow1 and like a blow shattered into fragments the dull1 heavy1 icy despair that rested upon him4 ,my wife6 he cried4 ,my wife6 ,oh ,god6 ,you devil6 ,you at least shall die6 ,his dress-sword hung at his side1 and as he spoke he flashed it out4 ,but the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine only laughed4 ,come1 said he1 we are silly2 we are childish4 ,do you think1 then1 that ,i am afraid of your sword8 ,ha6 ,as he uttered the exclamation he struck his hands sharply together1 and it seemed to ,oliver as though the blow had fallen upon him physically4 ,sparks of fire danced before his eyes2 for a few seconds his head spun like a teetotum1 and the objects in the room flew around him in a dizzy horizontal whirl4 ,suddenly the whirling stopped1 and as his brain recovered from its confusion1 he saw before him again the pale1 smiling face of the master4 ,he still held his sword in his hand1 but he was powerless4 ,it was as though a leaden weight hung upon his will4 ,he could move neither hand nor foot4 ,put up your sword1 my child1 said the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine4 ,oliver strove to resist the command1 but it was as though his body was not his own--as though the master controlled it4 ,his arm appeared to rise of itself1 stiffly1 and the sword slid back again into the scabbard4 ,now1 then1 said the master1 look into the mirror and see what you shall see2 it is spoiled forever to my sight1 but for you its power is as great as ever4 ,look6 ,oliver fixed his gaze upon the smooth1 brilliant surface of the glass as he was bidden to do4 ,his own face stood there for a moment1 then blurred1 faded1 dissolved4 ,then on this brilliant surface he saw ,cleste4 ,she stood in her own room as he stood here before the glass--stiffened in every limb--fixed1 immovable1 as though the same leaden power that overmastered him overmastered her4 ,illustration3 ,,oliver ,,fixed ,,his ,,gaze ,,upon ,,the ,,smooth1 ,,brilliant ,,surface ,,of ,,the ,,glass4 ,the master stood with his eyes fixed upon ,oliver's face1 and perhaps he saw in that face all that ,oliver saw in the mirror4 ,ha6 said he1 it is as ,i had hoped1 my dear ,oliver4 ,i congratulate you2 your wife is yours in heart and soul4 ,that is the secret of my power over her4 ,i reduce you to my will by my occult power1 and at the same time ,i reduce her also4 ,observe now what comes of it4 ,he made a rapid pass in the air1 and in an instant ,oliver saw ,cleste's stiff and rigid form become soft and relaxed4 ,her face was still white and stony1 her eyes were still set intently as ever1 but she began moving4 ,reaching her hand out before her1 as though feeling her way in darkness1 she passed out of the door of the room4 ,the master had ceased smiling now1 and he stood motionlessly with his gaze fixed upon ,oliver's face4 ,his brows were drawn together2 his eyes sparkled and glanced like those of a snake2 his very head seemed to flatten and broaden like a serpent's when it fixes its victim4 ,he made a quick gesture with his hands1 and ,oliver saw ,cleste stop1 take up a cloak from a chair and wind it around her face and body until she was completely disguised4 ,then she moved again1 and presently ,oliver saw that she had passed out into the dark court-yard4 ,as she drew near the great gate-way1 he saw that it stood open1 although1 no doubt1 the porter had long since closed it4 ,then1 in a moment1 ,cleste stopped short1 and ,oliver saw that a coach1 with unlighted lamps1 stood near at the open gate-way4 ,suddenly the door of the coach opened1 and some one leaped out from within2 swiftly1 silently1 like a hideous distorted shadow4 ,the lanterns at the gate were unlighted1 but ,oliver knew that distorted1 shadow-like figure at once1 and as clearly as though he saw it with the eyes of his soul--it was ,gaspard4 ,gaspard thrust his hand into his bosom and drew forth something long and dark4 ,as he approached her ,cleste began struggling1 as though with the inflexible though invisible power that held her4 ,in her struggles the cloak fell away from her face1 and ,oliver had one dreadful glimpse of it4 ,the next instant it was hidden4 ,gaspard1 with one sudden movement1 and in spite of her blind struggles1 had drawn the black bag over her head and shoulders4 ,at that sight ,oliver gave a shrill1 piping1 inarticulate cry4 ,the next instant he saw ,gaspard pick her up bodily1 and1 running forward1 fling her limp1 death-like form into the coach1 leap in himself1 close the door with a crash that ,oliver almost heard1 and the next moment rumble away into the darkness4 ,oh ,god6 whispered ,oliver4 ,oh ,god6 ,poor ,cleste6 poor ,cleste6 ,that will do1 said the master2 you need look no more2 and in answer to his words ,oliver turned towards him4 ,a shadow of a dusky pallor lay upon the master's face1 and beads of sweat stood on his forehead4 ,it is very difficult1 he observed1 to psychologize two people at once in this way1 and they so far distant from one another4 ,i am glad that ,gaspard has taken charge of the case1 and removed the strain from me4 ,oliver heard the words with a certain dumb consciousness through the agony that hummed in his ears4 ,he felt his face twitching and writhing1 and drops of sweat trickled down his forehead4 ,the master replaced his handkerchief and took a pinch of snuff1 looking keenly at his victim4 ,you see1 said he1 it is uncomfortable1 this being ruined2 but then we should have thought of that before we came back to ,paris4 ,but ,i am not yet done with you1 ,oliver4 ,you have lost your wife2 now your wealth must follow4 ,do you see this8 and he drew something from his pocket and put it upon the table beside him4 ,it was the phial with the black label1 marked with this symbol--,symb #afi that phial which ,oliver had brought from the mysterious chambers4 ,when you and ,i parted company1 ,oliver1 and ,i asked you whether you were satisfied with the result of our twelve months of labor1 and you said ',yes1' you did not think of or care for this other bottle2 you were contented with the diamonds alone4 ,it would have been wiser1 ,oliver1 if you had insisted upon knowing the properties of this phial of liquor4 ,what they are ,i will presently show you4 ,in destroying that mirror with your accursed signs you did me irreparable harm4 ,nevertheless1 ,i know that your diamonds are in this house1 for ,i have1 through certain ,amsterdam merchants1 who are agents of mine1 taken care that they should be brought here at this time4 ,through your present psychological condition1 ,i can also read in your mind that you know where they are4 ,take this phial1 ,oliver1 and lead the way to them4 ,i will follow1 and direct you what further to do4 ,once more ,oliver strove to resist1 but he was powerless4 ,it was as though his will was held in bonds of steel4 ,he took the phial as the master directed1 and with the same leaden1 heavy steps led the way to the marquis's cabinet1 the master following behind him4 ,with the same stiff obedience to the master's will1 he went to the escritoire1 opened it1 brought out the keys1 unlocked the chest1 and flung back the lid4 ,the master took the bottle from his resistless hand1 and uncorked it with his gleaming teeth4 ,what followed1 ,oliver only partly saw4 ,he heard a bubbling1 hissing sound2 he saw a dull1 heavy1 yellow smoke arise to the ceiling1 where it spread out to slowly widening rings4 ,then it was done1 and the master closed the lid4 ,and now1 ,oliver1 said he1 since you have been so kind as to do with your diamonds as ,i desired1 ,i will ask you to do one thing more before we leave this cabinet4 ,sit down at yonder table1 and write a letter4 ,i will dictate it for you4 ,again ,oliver did as he was bidden2 he drew a sheet of paper before him1 and dipped the pen into the ink4 ,monseigneur1 said the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine1 and ,oliver began writing--,i thank you for all of your kindness to me4 ,those diamonds were false1 and more worthless than paste4 ,what they are1 you may see for yourself by looking into the chest4 ,i am a charlatan1 monseigneur1 and have by a trick imposed these artificial diamonds upon you4 ,they have now resolved themselves back into their original form1 and ,i1 in the mean time1 have escaped from your impending wrath with your daughter1 whom ,i love4 ,it will be useless1 monseigneur1 for you to seek to discover our hiding-place4 ,where we have gone you can never follow4 ,let me say here that my name is not ,oliver de ,monnire-,croix1 but that it is ,oliver ,munier1 and that ,i am the son of ,jean ,munier1 a poor tailor of ,flourens1 as you yourself might have discovered had you taken the trouble4 ,adieu1 monseigneur1 and may better luck attend you at cards than in the choice of your son-in-law4 ,,oliver4 ,there1 ,oliver1 said the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine1 this letter will1 ,i flatter myself1 put the finishing-touch to your ruin4 ,seal it and address it1 and then let us return to the other room4 ,and you shall call the servant and send the letter to papa-in-law4 ,once more mechanically obeying1 ,oliver led the way to the apartment they had quitted4 ,the master pointed to the bell1 and in answer ,oliver struck it4 ,after some delay the servant appeared1 looking with sleepy wonder from ,oliver to the visitor1 and back again4 ,oliver turned to the man1 and then he heard his own voice speaking as though it belonged to some one else4 ,take this letter directly to your master1 said he4 ,it is of the greatest importance1 and bid him from me go instantly to his cabinet4 ,tell him something has happened to his diamonds1 and that he will see it all for himself4 ,go1 ,i say6 ,there was something in his tone1 something in his look1 that sent the man off like a flash4 ,the master laughed as the fellow shut the door4 ,that man1 said he1 has never been so surprised in his life before4 ,you should have observed his face when you spoke to him2 it was a study4 ,but now ,i must leave you1 ,oliver4 ,i have some little matters to attend to1 and then ,i must go and see whether ,gaspard has taken your wife to my apartments as ,i bade him4 ,i am obliged to you for having done everything that ,i asked you in such an accommodating manner4 ,in return ,i will give you a piece of advice3 go to the river1 ,oliver1 and throw yourself into the water2 it is the easiest way to end your troubles4 ,your wife you shall never see again as long as you live4 ,your fortune--he drew his fingers together1 and then spread them quickly open with a puff--it is gone2 and papa1 the marquis--should you happen to fall into his hands it might be very unpleasant4 ,yes1 take my advice and throw yourself into the water2 the disagreeableness will be only for a moment1 and then your troubles will be over and done with4 ,adieu1 my child4 ,now go2 it is my order that you drown yourself4 ,,scene ,,fourth4--,the marquis's dressing-room4 ,the marquis is discovered reclining in dishabille beside a table where some five or six tapers are burning2 he has been very wearied with the excitement of the day4 ,but1 on the whole1 he is satisfied with himself2 he is glad that ,oliver is going back to ,flourens1 and still more glad that he will have entire care of the diamonds4 ,he holds a book idly in his hand1 and gazes upward at the ceiling as though through a perspective of pleasant inward thoughts4 ,a knock at the door awakens him sharply from his reveries1 and the next moment ,august enters with ,oliver's letter4 ,what is it8 said the marquis4 ,ah6 a letter from ,oliver1 that dear1 simple ,oliver4 ,let me see what he has to say4 ,he laid aside his book1 and opening the letter1 began reading4 ,as he read1 the smile faded from his lips1 his jaw dropped1 his eyes glared1 and a heavy1 ashy1 leaden pallor fell upon his face4 ,as he ended1 the letter dropped from his limp hand and fell fluttering to the floor4 ,then the marquis rose to his feet2 he placed his out-stretched fingers to his forehead1 and stood for a moment or two glaring about him4 ,then the color came flaming back to his face2 it grew red1 it grew redder1 it became purple4 ,suddenly he roused himself with a choking1 inarticulate cry4 ,he snatched up one of the candles from the table and rushed from the room1 flinging aside ,august1 who stood in his way1 and sent him tumbling backward over a chair and falling with a tremendous clatter to the floor4 ,he never stopped for an instant until he had reached his private cabinet1 into which he burst tumultuously4 ,he tore open the escritoire1 and feeling blindly within it1 found the key of the chest4 ,then he dragged forth the chest1 and thrust the key into the lock4 ,he flung back the lid1 and1 leaning over1 gazed stupidly down and in4 ,where was the glittering treasure that he had left lying upon those velvet-covered trays8 ,it was gone6 ,nothing left but a mass of muddy charcoal1 here and there whitened as though turned to ashes by the touch of fire1 and all wet with a pungent fluid that had stained the purple velvet to a dirty reddish-yellow4 ,jean6 ,edward6 ,franois6 ,it was the marquis's voice1 and it rang terribly through the silence of the ,htel de ,flourens4 ,the next instant there came a crash and a heavy fall1 and when the frightened servants crowded around the open door and into the marquis's cabinet1 they beheld their master lying upon his face under the table1 with an overturned chair upon him1 and one arm1 with its clinched hand1 under his face4 ,he was snoring with stertorous breathing4 ,illustration3 ,,they ,,beheld ,,their ,,master ,,lying ,,upon ,,his ,,face ,,under ,,the ,,table4 ,,act ,,iv4 ,,scene ,,first4--,the ,seine at midnight4 ,darkness as of death1 and1 excepting for the hollow murmur of the river1 silence as of the grave1 utter and profound4 ,the sky above is a dim1 misty opalescence of moonlit stillness2 against it rise great1 towering1 crazy buildings1 sharp-roofed1 gabled1 as black as ink4 ,across the narrow stretch of intervening water tower other buildings--crazy1 sharp-roofed1 gabled1 as black as ink--and above all loom the great spires of the church into the pale sky1 ponderous1 massive1 silent4 ,one broken strip of moonlight stretches across parapet and roadway of the bridge1 white and still4 ,all around it is gaping blackness4 ,suddenly there is a little movement in the darkness1 the sound of a stumbling step1 halting and uneven1 and then some one appears in the white patch of moonlight4 ,it is ,oliver1 pale1 hollow-eyed1 dishevelled1 his hair tangled1 his lace cravat torn open at the throat1 his waistcoat unbuttoned1 his silk stockings stained and spattered with mud4 ,he reels like a drunken man as he struggles against the invisible power that holds him relentless as fate4 ,step by step that power thrusts him1 struggling and shuffling1 towards the parapet of the bridge4 ,he mounts it and flings one leg over the edge4 ,beneath him in the inky blackness he can hear but not see the water rushing onward under the arches4 ,suddenly some one touched ,oliver lightly upon the shoulder1 and instantly he felt the same physical effect that had happened when the master had struck his hands together in the room at the ,htel de ,flourens4 ,it was as though a blow had fallen upon him4 ,bright sparks danced and flashed before his eyes1 his brain spun like a teetotum in a dizzy horizontal whirl1 and he clutched the cold stones with his fingers to save himself from falling4 ,then suddenly the sparks vanished and the whirling ceased1 and he awoke sharply as though it were from some horrid nightmare4 ,he gazed stupidly around him1 still sitting upon the parapet of the bridge2 the figure of a woman stood within ten paces of him1 her waxy-white face turned full upon him1 her unwinking eyes1 sparkling in the moonlight1 fixed full upon his4 ,illustration3 ,,suddenly ,,some ,,one ,,touched ,,oliver ,,slightly ,,upon ,,the ,,shoulder4 ,oliver's heart leaped within him4 ,it was the woman whom he had seen in the streets of ,flourens that night when the pretended ,american uncle lodged with him and his mother1 and her face looked upon him now just as it had looked upon him when he peered down upon her from the garret window4 ,he slipped from the parapet of the bridge1 and1 crouching in the shadow on the foot-way1 ran rapidly and noiselessly away from that dreadful1 impassive presence4 ,then1 reaching the end of the bridge1 and without slacking his speed1 he plunged into and wound in and out through the crooked streets1 leading he knew not whither4 ,why he ran he did not know1 but something seemed to impel him onward4 ,suddenly he passed across another patch of moonlight1 and as he ran plunging into the shadow upon the farther side1 he turned his head and looked over his shoulder4 ,a keen thrill shot through the very marrow of his bones2 she was following him--silently1 noiselessly1 swiftly4 ,he quickened his gait into a run1 winding his way in and out through the by-ways4 ,as he passed into and out of the dull red glare of a solitary lantern1 he looked over his shoulder again4 ,he could see that dim shape still following him1 silent1 ghost-like4 ,his heart gave another great leap as it had done at first1 and then began to thump against his ribs4 ,the sweat was running down his face in streams1 his breath came thick and heavy1 and he felt as though he were stifling1 but still he ran onward in swift headlong flight1 though his feet felt heavy and leaden1 as they do in a nightmare dream4 ,on he dashed through mud and puddles in the crooked streets or on the side-way1 for he did not choose his path now through the empty blackness1 now across a patch of moonlight1 now under the dull glare of a lantern4 ,he had no need to look behind1 for his soul knew that she still followed4 ,suddenly he saw a narrow1 crooked passage-way in front of him4 ,without pausing to think1 he doubled like a hare and shot into it4 ,it opened into a stony court surrounded with squalid houses1 huge1 black1 silent4 ,at the farther end was a blind wall1 and ,oliver's heart crumbled away within him1 for an escape was at an end4 ,he darted one look over his shoulder--she was there2 he could just see the dim outline of her form flitting through the darkness4 ,the next moment he ran headlong against the wall and there flattened himself1 spreading out his palms over the rough surface1 hiding his face against his hands1 panting and sobbing like a dumb creature4 ,five seconds passed1 ten1 twenty4 ,oliver looked fearfully over his shoulder1 and then hid his face again2 she was there1 silent1 motionless2 the faint glimmer of her white face turned full upon him4 ,again he looked2 she neither approached him nor drew away1 and by-and-by the impassive harmlessness of her stillness seemed to breathe a breath of softness upon the black rigor of his terror4 ,a faint spark of courage began to glimmer in his heart1 and one by one the scattered forces of his will1 torn asunder by the tumult of his blind terror1 began to gather together and to cohere into some form4 ,suddenly there came a quick flash of thought to his mind4 ,it was plain she meant him no harm1 and she was in some mysterious way connected with the strange dark life of the master3 might she not give him some news of ,cleste8 ,he turned suddenly around towards the woman1 and instantly as he did so1 exactly timing her movements with his1 she also turned4 ,fearing she might escape1 he stepped quickly forward2 instantly she began to move away2 he quickened his pace1 she also quickened hers2 he began to run1 her feet moved quickly1 silently2 she seemed to make no exertion1 but he neither gained nor lost a foot4 ,at last1 seeing the uselessness of this crazy race through the silent and deserted streets1 he finally stopped2 instantly he did so1 she also stopped4 ,what is it you want of me8 said ,oliver4 ,then1 again1 receiving no reply1 ,what is it you want of me8 ,still she made no answer1 but stood there motionless1 silent4 ,then go your way6 he burst out1 desperately1 at last4 ,i know you now4 ,you are like all the rest2 you are a devil6 ,as he spoke he turned and began to walk away1 but he had not gone twenty steps when1 looking over his shoulder1 he saw that she was following him again1 as she had followed him at first4 ,again he stopped and turned1 and again1 as though she were his shadow1 she also stopped and turned4 ,a long pause of silence followed4 ,madame1 said ,oliver1 at last1 ,i do not know why you thus choose to dog my footsteps2 is there anything that you desire of me8 ,no answer4 ,he waited for a while2 the silence weighed upon him like lead4 ,i have done you no harm1 said he1 at last2 why do you follow me thus persistently8 ,are you set as a spy upon me8 ,surely the master has ruined me enough6 ,does he desire that ,i should take my own life8 ,i was about to destroy it when ,i saw you at the bridge over there4 ,he waited breathlessly for a reply1 but there was no answer4 ,who are you8 he burst out after a while4 ,you frighten me with your dreadful1 mysterious presence6 ,what have ,i to do with you1 or you with me8 ,she remained as motionless and as silent as a statue4 ,listen6 said ,oliver4 ,it is less dreadful to follow you than to have you pursue me4 ,yes1 ,i will follow you4 ,it is but of little consequence whither you take me1 for nothing worse can happen to me than that which ,i have already suffered4 ,yes1 ,i will follow you4 ,he advanced as he spoke2 the woman moved away4 ,this time ,oliver did not hasten his steps as he had done heretofore1 but1 keeping his eyes upon her1 followed her doggedly and stubbornly4 ,once more they came out upon the street which they had at first left1 and so to the bridge1 which they crossed4 ,now and then1 dreading lest he might lose her in the blackness of the night1 ,oliver hastened his steps1 but invariably she quickened hers1 so that at last he gave over any fear that she might escape4 ,a hope began to grow and expand in his bosom3 whither was she leading him8 ,on and on they went2 ,oliver took no heed whither4 ,the streets now became broader and better lighted2 they had come to a better quarter of the town4 ,but ,oliver did not look about him2 he kept his eyes fixed upon his mysterious guide2 now he did not dare to lose her4 ,suddenly she turned at right angles and entered a narrow1 closed alley-way4 ,oliver hurried after1 and as he emerged into a little1 stony court lit by the dull red glow of a lantern1 he saw her whom he followed pause for an instant before a door-way1 and the next moment enter4 ,he leaned against the wall beside which he stood1 shuddering and trembling in the rush of a blinding hope4 ,but there was no time for hesitation2 he must follow instantly if he would not lose sight of his silent guide4 ,he advanced boldly1 and without a moment's hesitation pushed open the door and entered the passage-way within4 ,,scene ,,second4--,the master's apartments4 ,his guide must have been waiting for him1 for1 by the light of the lantern without1 he saw that silent and mysterious figure moving before him1 like a part of the shadowy darkness itself4 ,for some distance he made his way along the gloomy passage1 feeling with his hand against the wall4 ,suddenly he fell1 with a noisy rattle and clatter1 upon the lower steps of a stair-way that led steeply up into a yawning blackness above4 ,he did not hesitate a moment1 but began ascending the stairs1 still feeling his way with one hand against the wall and the other stretched out in the darkness before him4 ,so he came at last to a little landing-place1 and advancing slowly1 his other hand presently touched the panels of a door4 ,he fumbled for a second or two until he found the latch1 then lifting it with a click1 he entered4 ,the bare1 plastered passage-way through which he had come must have been the rear entrance to the apartments above1 for1 passing through the door1 he found himself in what appeared to be a small dining-room1 as well as he could see from the light that came from the stair-way beyond4 ,it also seemed to be richly and luxuriously furnished1 and he saw the multiple glimmering twinkle of the light in the passage-way beyond flickering upon polished silver and glass4 ,but he had no time for observation1 for before him he saw the figure which he followed just passing through the door upon the other side of the apartment1 and he hurried forward without stopping4 ,beyond the dining-room he came out upon a broad landing-place of a stair-way1 which upon the one hand led to the apartments above1 and upon the other to the ground-floor beneath4 ,the flitting1 shadow-like figure of his mysterious guide crossed this landing-place to a door-way opposite1 and as ,oliver1 without a moment's hesitation1 followed1 he found himself in a dressing-room4 ,by the ruddy light of the fire that glowed cheerfully in the grate1 he saw that the room was empty2 the woman had evidently passed through the door-way upon the other side of the apartment1 and so into the room beyond4 ,again ,oliver hurried forward1 and laid his hand upon the knob of the door4 ,he tried it2 the door was locked4 ,a hat with a black feather lay upon the table2 his eyes fell upon it1 and then his heart leaped into his throat4 ,it was the first spark of recognition1 and then in a flash that recognition was complete3 it was to the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine's apartments that he had been led by this strange1 silent guide4 ,illustration3 ',c,,leste6' ,,breathed ,,oliver ,,through ,,the ,,crack ,,of ,,the ,,door4 ,as ,oliver stood there looking about him1 a faint sound broke through the stillness--a dull1 stifled1 moaning cry4 ,again his heart bounded within him4 ,he bent his head and listened at the crack of the door4 ,could he have been mistaken8 ,he fancied that he heard a faint rustling in the room within1 and then--yes1 there could be no mistake this time6 ,it was the sound of some one crying4 ,cleste6 breathed ,oliver through the crack of the door4 ,no answer2 even the faint rustling that he had heard had ceased4 ,oliver's heart throbbed as though it would stifle him2 the blood hummed in his ears4 ,cleste6 ,who is there8 answered a faint voice from within4 ,that voice was sodden and husky with tears1 but ,oliver recognized it4 ,for a moment or two1 in the revulsion of his feelings1 he turned giddy and faint4 ,then he began to cry4 ,oh1 ,cleste1 he sobbed1 it is ,i--it is ,oliver6 ,i am come to save you4 ,open the door1 ,cleste1 and let me in6 ,i cannot1 said ,cleste4 ,it is locked2 there is no key4 ,but the woman who has just entered1 said ,oliver1 has she not the key8 ,the woman8 said ,cleste4 ,of whom do you speak1 ,oliver8 ,no one has entered here since that dreadful man who brought me here went away and left me4 ,oliver looked around him4 ,could she--that mysterious woman--have left the room by any other way8 ,no2 there were but two doors--the door through which he had followed her and the door at which he now stood4 ,she could have left the room in no other way4 ,it was very strange1 but ,oliver dismissed the subject from his mind4 ,this was no time to wonder over the many mysteries that involved the dark life of the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine4 ,he must save ,cleste4 ,courage1 ,cleste6 he breathed through the door4 ,i must go and leave you1 but ,i go to bring help to you4 ,i will save you1 ,cleste6 ,he had no plan for saving her1 as he thus promised to do2 but in the elation of his feelings upon having thus found her1 and in the elasticity of his youthful confidence1 he felt sure of his ability to do something4 ,but1 tell me1 ,oliver1 said ,cleste1 where am ,i8 ,why have ,i been brought here8 ,what is to happen to me8 ,who was the horrible man that drew that awful black hood over my face in the garden8 ,you are in the apartments of the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine1 answered ,oliver4 ,he of whom you speak was that ,gaspard1 and--and ,i--do not know what they will do to you1 ,cleste4 ,but courage1 my love4 ,i must go2 but do not be afraid2 ,i will save you1 ,i swear it6 ,but ,i must go4 ,if they find me here they will kill me--,what was that8 ,it was the sound of the closing of a door below2 of footsteps crossing the landing upon which ,oliver had followed his silent guide4 ,gaspard6 ,it was the voice of the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine6 ,oliver stood as though turned to stone4 ,he cast his despairing eyes around4 ,where should he escape8 ,to leave by the door was to face the master1 whose footsteps he could hear already climbing the stairs towards the room4 ,the window8 ,that meant horrible death upon the pavement beneath4 ,the wardrobe6 ,the thought was an inspiration4 ,it stood against the farther wall of the room1 a huge1 ponderous structure of carved and polished wood1 inlaid with arabesque patterns of lighter colors4 ,there was no time to lose2 the master was almost at the door4 ,the wardrobe was divided into two compartments separated by a wooden partition1 against which the folding doors closed4 ,oliver climbed into one of the sides and among the clothes that hung from the hooks above1 closing the door behind him4 ,as he did so he heard the footsteps of the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine enter the room4 ,gaspard1 with his usual silent1 cat-like step1 must have accompanied the master1 bearing a light1 for a bright yellow ray fell through the key-hole and traversed the clothes amid which ,oliver stood1 as though some one crossed the room with a candle4 ,oliver scarcely dared breathe as he stood there with palpitating heart1 the sweat trickling down his face in streams4 ,he swallowed and swallowed2 his mouth was dry and clammy4 ,the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine spoke2 his voice sounded loud and resonant upon ,oliver's tensity of nervous strain4 ,put the lights upon the table there1 ,gaspard1 and bring me my dressing-gown and slippers from the wardrobe yonder4 ,the words fell upon ,oliver's ears like a death-knell4 ,he braced himself to bear the coming shock4 ,it seemed to him that his brain swelled like a soap-bubble1 with a hollow1 ringing expansion4 ,he heard ,gaspard's soft footfalls approaching the closet2 it seemed as though it took minutes for him to cross the room4 ,he heard the clever servant's fingers fumbling at the door1 and then the wardrobe was opened--but not the side upon which he stood2 the dressing-gown and slippers hung in the other compartment4 ,oliver's heart gave a great leap1 and then he fell to trembling in every joint4 ,gaspard closed the door of the wardrobe again1 and ,oliver could hear his soft footfalls recrossing the floor1 and then the silky rustling as the master put on the dressing-gown and slippers4 ,that is good1 said the count4 ,now go and bring my chocolate1 and then we will look at the girl in the room yonder4 ,she is very pretty4 ,oliver heard the words as clearly as though he had been standing beside the speaker4 ,in an instant his prostrating terror vanished like a flash1 and in its place blazed up a consuming flame of rage4 ,he clinched his hands together until his finger-nails cut into his palms4 ,he was upon the point of flinging open the door of the wardrobe and bursting out into the room--of clutching that smooth1 complacent devil by the throat4 ,luckily for him1 his reason still had some governance over his action4 ,what could he1 ,oliver ,munier1 do against the powers of hell that the master had at his command8 ,no2 he must wait1 he must suffer to the last4 ,yes1 monsieur1 said ,gaspard1 and ,oliver could almost see the wretch leer4 ,then he heard ,gaspard close the door4 ,a little time of silence followed4 ,then the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine began walking restlessly up and down the room1 and after a while he fell to muttering to himself1 and as he passed and repassed close by the wardrobe1 ,oliver could catch snatches of what he was saying4 ,what is it that lies upon me to-night8 ,yes2 ,i feel an influence in this room4--,bah6 ,i am a fool6 ,why should ,i fear8 ,i have crushed and annihilated the only one who the stars say could harm me4--,those stars lied4 ,what harm could a heavy1 loutish peasant lad do to me8--,yes2 he must be drifting down the waters of the ,seine by now1 rolled over and over1 perhaps1 in the mud at the bottom4--,peste6 ,to think of his having the wit to destroy that mirror of mine6 ,if ,i could only consult it now ,i could make sure that he is out of my way4--,those fools are sometimes possessed with certain cunning of their own4 ,so he continued muttering to himself1 passing and repassing the wardrobe4 ,presently he stopped in his walk and his soliloquy1 and ,oliver heard a tinkling chink of china4 ,it was ,gaspard bringing in the chocolate4 ,then he heard the sound of a chair drawn back1 and then the faint gurgle of the liquor poured into the cup1 the rattle of the sugar in the bowl1 and the click of the spoon4 ,there was a pause1 and he could distinctly hear the master take a sip4 ,he replaced the cup4 ,now1 then1 ,gaspard1 the girl1 said he2 bring her-- ,he stopped abruptly1 and a long pause of silence followed4 ,what6 at length exclaimed the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine4 ,is it you again8 ,what1 then1 do you desire8 ,this makes the third time this week4 ,listen6 ,i have warned you1 ,i have besought you1 but it seems that ,i can influence you neither by the one nor the other4 ,i am weary of this importunity4 ,i will reason no more4 ,gaspard6 ,oliver heard a quick step1 a rustling1 and then the sound of a fierce1 silent struggle4 ,heretofore he had been afraid to move in the wardrobe2 now he could resist no longer4 ,he stooped1 and peered through the hole4 ,just across the room from him was ,gaspard1 grinning horribly as he struggled silently with some one4 ,yes2 it was with the woman whom ,oliver had followed there4 ,but that struggle lasted only for a moment4 ,the next1 ,gaspard had drawn his black bag over her head1 as ,oliver had seen him do once before4 ,then the struggle instantly ceased1 and she stood silent1 immovable4 ,gaspard picked her up1 flung her over his shoulder1 turned1 and the next moment had vanished out of the narrow range of ,oliver's outlook1 who1 however1 still remained with his eye glued to the key-hole4 ,suddenly an object intervened2 it was the back of the master's dressing-gown4 ,oliver could see nothing but just that little circle of cashmere cloth2 the master was not four feet away from him4 ,the cashmere cloth was innocent enough1 but the sight of it filled ,oliver again with that blind1 ungovernable rage4 ,he straightened himself from his observations at the key-hole4 ,but as he did so his elbow struck against the partition alongside of him4 ,he heard a rustle1 and knew as well as though he had seen it that his master had turned quickly4 ,what is that8 said the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine's voice1 sharply4 ,oliver knew that he was discovered1 and thereupon his blind rage broke through all restraints of reason and caution4 ,it is ,i6 he roared2 and flinging wide the door of the wardrobe1 he sprang like a cat at the throat of the other4 ,as he sprang he clutched1 and as he clutched he felt his fingers instinctively close not only around the soft folds of the cravat1 but also around the links of a chain beneath4 ,illustration3 ,,he ,,found ,,in ,,his ,,clinched ,,hand ,a ,,lace ,,cravat4 ,the master went staggering back at the unexpected attack1 and as he did so his slipper heel caught in the edge of the rug behind him1 and he fell4 ,but as he fell he shouted aloud1 ,gaspard6 ,help6 ,it was all over in an instant4 ,the master lay prostrate on the floor1 and as ,oliver staggered back from the recoil of the attack1 he found in his clutched hand a lace cravat and the chain1 which had parted from the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine's neck with a sharp snap4 ,something hung by the chain4 ,it was a little silver case1 thicker than1 but about half as long1 as a snuffbox4 ,there was a momentary pause as ,oliver stood glaring at the master1 still unconsciously clutching the cravat and the chain in his hand4 ,the other had raised himself1 and was now staring back at ,oliver with wild1 dilated eyes1 and a face haggard and white as death4 ,the next instant he sprang to his feet4 ,my talisman6 he shrieked4 ,give it to me6 and he raised his quivering fist in the air as though he would strike ,oliver with it4 ,at the same instant a shrill1 exultant voice sounded at the door3 ,keep it1 ,monsieur ,oliver1 keep it6 ,do not give it to him6 ,it is his life6 ,it was ,gaspard who spoke4 ,and as ,oliver turned his dazed eyes1 he saw the clever servant standing in the door-way1 hopping up and down1 grinning1 wagging his head1 and waving his bony1 sinewy hands madly hither and thither4 ,oliver was stupefied with the tempest of passions that raged in and about him4 ,the master might have taken what he chose1 and he could not have moved to resist him4 ,but this the master did not do4 ,he gave a shrill1 piping1 despairing cry1 and the next moment made a rush for the door1 his cashmere dressing-gown flying behind him like brilliant wings4 ,he flung ,gaspard aside1 and the next instant ,oliver heard his pattering feet flying up the stairs4 ,what does it all mean8 said ,oliver1 stupidly4 ,what does it mean8 cried ,gaspard4 ,are you a fool8 ,open the box6 open the box6 ,oliver mechanically obeyed him4 ,within was a little roll of soft linen1 yellow with age4 ,he unrolled it1 and within that again found a little crystal ball about the size of a dove's egg4 ,he could see that it contained what appeared to be a dull1 phosphorescent mass that1 as he held it in his hand1 seemed to pulse and throb in the light of the candle2 now glowing with a bluish light1 now fading away to a dull1 milky opalescence4 ,again1 for the third time1 ,gaspard's snarling voice broke on his ear4 ,oh1 thou fool6 ,see him stand like a lump6 ,pig6 ,do you not know that the master is busy with his books8 ,a moment more and all is lost6 ,crush that ball1 or you are a dead man6 ,his words spurred ,oliver to sudden action4 ,he raised the globe high in the air1 and flung it upon the floor with all his force4 ,it burst with a flash of light and a report like a pistol1 and instantly the air was filled with a pungent1 reddish vapor4 ,the next instant1 as the thunder follows the flash of lightning1 there came a dull1 heavy rumbling1 as from the cellar1 and the floor swayed beneath ,oliver's feet1 as though the house were toppling4 ,he looked around2 the door-way at which ,gaspard had stood was empty2 the clever servant was gone4 ,then suddenly a confusion of sounds broke upon the stillness of the house3 struggles and scuffles1 snarling of voices1 and squeaking as though of rats1 the rattle and crash of furniture pushed about1 thumping and banging as of people wrestling and falling against the doors4 ,the next instant there was a sound of a heavy fall1 a shrill1 long-drawn1 quavering scream1 and then the lull of dead silence4 ,oliver stood like a statue1 listening1 as though he had been turned to stone4 ,he heard a door open1 and then the sound of footsteps1 and a strange clacking and clattering upon the stairs without2 a heavy panting and breathing4 ,oliver ran to the door and looked up the stairs4 ,gaspard was coming down out of the black gloom above4 ,over his shoulders he carried something limp1 like an empty skin or a bundle of clothes tied together4 ,part of what he carried he dragged clattering down the steps behind him2 another part1 a round lump the size of a man's head1 hung down over his shoulder1 wagging from side to side4 ,the next moment the clever servant had come into the square of light from the open door-way of the room4 ,that light fell full upon the round lump that hung wagging from his shoulder1 and in the one instant of passing1 ,oliver saw a dreadful1 a hideous face1 ashy-white1 and with eyes rolled1 one upward and one downward1 so that only a rim of the pupils showed4 ,the jaws gaped and clapped as the head wagged from side to side4 ,it was the face of the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine4 ,illustration3 ,,over ,,his ,,shoulders ,,he ,,carried ,,something ,,limp1 ,,like ,,an ,,empty ,,skin1 ,,or ,a ,,bundle ,,of ,,clothes ,,tied ,,together4 ,oliver stood spellbound1 horrified1 watching ,gaspard as he descended the steep flight of steps1 bearing that ghastly burden4 ,as the clever servant passed under the dull light of the lamp below he turned his head and looked up4 ,his mouth gaped wide with impish1 noiseless laughter2 he thrust his tongue into his cheek1 and with an ugly leer and wink of one of his black1 bead-like eyes1 he passed by and down the steps beyond1 the feet of the figure clicking from step to step behind him4 ,oliver watched him until he reached the bottom of the steps and passed out from the house into the night beyond2 there was the bang of a closing door1 and then dead silence4 ,the next moment ,oliver was at the door of the room wherein ,cleste was confined4 ,cleste6 he screamed1 for ,god's sake1 come6 ,leave this awful place6 ,what is it8 answered ,cleste from within4 ,am ,i then saved8 ,yes1 cried ,oliver1 in the same shrill voice1 you are saved6 ,but come6 come6 ,but the door1 said ,cleste4 ,it is locked1 ,oliver4 ,ah1 peste6 ,i had forgotten4 ,stand away from it4 ,as he spoke1 he rushed against the door1 flinging himself bodily upon it4 ,it shook1 but did not open4 ,again he dashed himself against it1 and this time with better success4 ,the lock snapped1 and as it flew open inward ,oliver plunged headlong into the room beyond4 ,cleste stood1 white and terrified1 in the middle of the floor4 ,but am ,i indeed saved8 said she4 ,where1 then1 is ,monsieur de ,st4 ,germaine8 ,do not ask me1 ,cleste1 cried ,oliver1 hoarsely4 ,come6 ,as they passed through the room beyond1 ,cleste looked up into his face4 ,what is it8 she cried4 ,what has happened1 ,oliver8 ,tell me4 ,but ,oliver could not answer2 he only shook his head4 ,upon the landing without1 ,cleste suddenly stopped and laid her hand upon his arm4 ,hark6 said she4 ,what is that8 ,oliver listened breathlessly4 ,a dull1 monotonous sobbing sounded through the house4 ,it came from the apartment above4 ,oh1 ,oliver6 cried ,cleste1 go and see what it is4 ,oliver shook his head4 ,i cannot go1 said he1 huskily4 ,i am afraid4 ,you do not know1 ,cleste1 what an awful place this is6 ,if you had seen what ,i have just beheld-- ,but you must go1 said ,cleste2 perhaps it is another in trouble like myself4 ,i will wait for you here1 ,oliver2 ,i am not afraid4 ,oliver could not resist such an appeal2 he turned1 and began heavily ascending the stairs to the floor above4 ,a door at a little distance stood ajar2 it was thence that the monotonous sounds came4 ,he advanced hesitatingly towards it1 and reaching out his hand1 pushed it1 and it gaped slowly open upon the room beyond4 ,oliver only looked within for a moment1 and then turned and walked stupidly away1 but what he saw in that one glance was impressed upon his mind in an image never to be erased4 ,tables and chairs were overturned2 books lay torn and scattered upon the floor4 ,in the middle of the room sat the woman whom he had first seen in the moonlit street at ,flourens1 and her pale1 vacant eyes were fixed blankly upon him4 ,her white lips were slightly parted1 but there was never a twitch upon the face that uttered those monotonous sobs that sounded dully through the silence4 ,upon the floor lay stretched1 bruised1 battered1 and bleeding1 the withered1 shrunken figure of an aged man1 his limbs a mass of dried skin and bones4 ,the yellow1 parchment-like skin was stretched over his head and his face so tightly that it seemed as though it would crack4 ,the shadow of death brooded upon him as he gazed with filmy1 sightless eyes into the dark hollow of eternity that lay beyond4 ,his breast1 for a long time motionless1 now and then heaved convulsively with the laboring breath4 ,such was the vision that ,oliver saw in that one glance4 ,then he turned and walked away4 ,who was it1 ,oliver8 said ,cleste4 ,oliver answered never a word1 but taking her by the hand1 led her forcibly down the stairs and out of the house4 ,,epilogue ,there was a seven days' gossip in ,paris4 ,all manner of rumors were afloat1 for strange things had happened at the ,htel de ,flourens4 ,the marquis had had a sudden stroke of apoplexy upon the very day of his daughter's wedding4 ,but when they had called the family1 she and that handsome young husband of hers were nowhere to be found4 ,they had left the htel1 and did not return again until long after nightfall4 ,where they had been was a profound secret which they kept locked within their own breasts4 ,but the poor marquis1 he was dying4 ,he had never once spoken since he had fallen under the attack4 ,dr4 ,raymond-,brasse1 and the other physicians who attended him1 said that it would be little less than a miracle if he lasted until ,wednesday4 ,presently other rumors began to get abroad4 ,that vast1 fabulous wealth of the interesting ,count de ,monnire-,croix had vanished2 not a crumb of it was left4 ,the debt had been paid off1 both upon the chteau and upon the htel1 but that was all4 ,it was almost inconceivable that the marquis had squandered that stupendous fortune away in three months1 but how else could the matter be explained8 ,it was all very strange and mysterious4 ,another thing agitated the world4 ,the ,count de ,st4 ,germaine had vanished6 ,he had gone6 ,it was rumored that the ,prince of ,hesse-,cassel had sent for him1 and that he had departed4 ,certainly the ,paris world saw him no more4 ,,after ,,the ,,play4 ,ting6 ,a-ling6 ,a-ling6 ,bring down the curtain1 the extravaganza is ended4 ,the red and blue flames are quenched1 the pasteboard scenery is pushed back against the wall1 the mock jewelry is tumbled into the bandbox1 and all the characters have gone into their dressing-rooms to wash the paint off their faces4 ,the lights are out1 and nothing is left4 ,but what does it mean8 ,who was ,monsieur de ,st4 ,germaine8 ,who was ,gaspard8 ,who was the old man who died just now8 ,and that mysterious woman1 was she the better life of ,nicholas ,jovus1 which he had materialized along with the evil life8 ,was it possible that he could not materialize the one without the other8 ,does it all mean-- ,my good friend1 why do you ask me8 ,you have seen just as much of this extravaganza as ,i4 ,by ,,howard ,,pyle4 ,,men ,,of ,,iron4 ,illustrated by the ,author4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 ,ornamental1 #b #jj4 ,a ,,modern ,,aladdin2 ,or1 ,the ,wonderful ,adventures of ,oliver ,munier4 ,an ,extravaganza in ,four ,acts4 ,illustrated by the ,author4 ,post #hvo1 ,cloth1 ,ornamental4 7,just ,ready47 ,,the ,,wonder ,,clock2 ,or1 ,four-and-,twenty ,marvellous ,tales3 being ,one for each ,hour of the ,day4 ,illustrated by the ,author4 ,embellished with ,verses by ,,katharine ,,pyle4 ,large #hvo1 ,ornamental1 ,half ,leather1 #c #jj4 ,,the ,,rose ,,of ,,paradise4 ,being a ,detailed ,account of ,certain ,adventures that happened to ,captain ,john ,mackra1 in ,connection with the famous ,pirate1 ,edward ,england1 in the ,year #agbj1 off the ,island of ,juanna1 in the ,mozambique ,channel1 writ by himself1 and now for the first time published4 ,illustrated by the ,author4 ,post #hvo1 ,ornamental ,cloth1 #a #be4 ,,pepper ,,and ,,salt4 ,or1 ,seasoning for ,young ,folk4 ,superbly ,illustrated by the ,author4 #dto1 ,ornamental ,cloth1 #b #jj4 ,published by ,,harper ,,brothers1 ,new ,york4 ,hand ,any of the above works will be sent by mail1 postage prepaid1 to any part of the ,united ,states1 ,canada1 or ,mexico1 on receipt of the price4 ,,by ,,charles ,,carleton ,,coffin4 ,these are not books for boys alone1 but well-arranged and carefully prepared histories of war1 profusely illustrated1 with authentic sketches of battle-fields1 historic places1 and buildings4--,observer1 ,n4 ,y4 ,mr4 ,coffin avoids the formality of historical narrative1 and presents his material in the shape of personal anecdotes1 memorable incidents1 and familiar illustrations4 ,he reproduces events in a vivid1 picturesque narrative4--,n4 ,y4 ,tribune4 ,,the ,,boys ,,of '#gf4 ,a ,history of the ,battles of the ,revolution4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,liberty4 ,,old ,,times ,,in ,,the ,,colonies4 ,,building ,,the ,,nation4 ,events in the ,history of the ,united ,states from the ,revolution to the ,beginning of the ,war between the ,states4 ,,drum-,,beat ,,of ,,the ,,nation4 ,the ,first ,period of the ,war of the ,rebellion1 from its ,outbreak to the ,close of #ahfb4 ,,marching ,,to ,,victory4 ,the ,second ,period of the ,war of the ,rebellion1 including the ,year #ahfc4 ,,redeeming ,,the ,,republic4 ,the ,third ,period of the ,war of the ,rebellion in the ,year #ahfd4 ,,freedom ,,triumphant4 ,the ,fourth ,period of the ,war of the ,rebellion1 from ,september1 #ahfd1 to its ,close4 ,profusely ,illustrated4 ,sq4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 ,ornamental1 #c #jj per volume4 ,published by ,,harper ,,brothers1 ,new ,york4 ,hand ,any of the above works will be sent by mail1 postage prepaid1 to any part of the ,united ,states1 ,canada1 or ,mexico1 on receipt of the price4 ,transcriber's ,note3 ,italics are indicated by underscores4 ,bolds are indicated by equal signs4 ,small capitals have been rendered in full capitals4 ,ligatures oe have been converted into oe4 ,a number of minor spelling errors have been corrected without note4