Joseph Balsamo by Alexandre Dumas Read Free Book Online Page B

man.
    ” Yes, diamond dust but in the middle of it ? “
    ” Yes, yes ; a brilliant of the size of a millet-seed.”
    ” The size is nothing ; we shall attain to the union of the dust, and make the grain of millet-seed a grain of hemp-seed, aod of the grain of hemp-seed a pea. But first, my dear Acharat, put a funnel on my chimney, and a conductor on the carriage, that the rain may not do-scend through my chimney, and that the lightning may go and sport itself elsewhere.”
    “Yes, yes ; doubt it not. Be calm.”
    ” Again, again, this eternal Be calm! You make me swear. Youth mad youth ! presumptuous youth ! ” cried the old man, with a laugh of scorn, which showed all his toothless gums, and made his eyes sink deeper in their hollow sockets.
    ” Master,’* said Acharat, ” your fire is going out, your crucible cooling. But what is in the crucible ? “
    “Look into it.”
    The young man obeyed, uncovered the crucible, and found in it a heap of vitrified charcoal, about the size of a small seed.
    ” A diamond ! ” cried he ; then, after a slight examination of it, ” Yes, but stained, incomplete, valueless ! “
    ” Because the fire was put out because there is no fun-nel on the chimney. “
    ” Let me look at it again, master,” said the young man, turning in his hand the diamond, which sometimes shot forth brilliant rays and sometimes was dull. ” Good ! pardon me, and take some food.”
     
    JOSEPH BALSAMO. 39
    ” It is unnecessary ; I took my spoonful of elixir two hours ago.”
    ” You are mistaken, dear master ; it was at six in the morning that you took it.”
    ” AVell, and what o’clock is it now ?”
    ” Half-past eight in the evening.”
    ” Heaven and earth ! another day past ! gone forever ! But the days are shorter than they were ; there are not twenty-four hours in them now.”
    ” If you will not eat, sleep at least for some minutes.”
    ” AVell, yes, I will sleep two hours yes, just two hours, Look at your watch, and in two hours awake me.”
    ” I promise to do rio.”
    “Dost thou know, dear Acharat,” said the old man, in a caressing tone, ” when I sleep, I always fear it will be for eternity so in two hours you will wake me. Will you not ? Promise it swear it I”
    ” I swear it, master.”
    ” In two hours ? “
    ” In two hours.”
    Just then, something like the trampling of a horse was heard, and then a shout which indicated alarm and surprise.
    “What does that mean?” cried the traveler; and hurriedly opening the carriage door, he leaped out.
     

CIIAPTEE III
    LOKEXZA FELICIAXI.
    WE shall now inform the reader what passed outside, while the philosopher and the traveler were conversing inside the carriage.
    At the noise of the thunderbolt, which struck down two of the horses, and caused the other two to rear so frightfully, the lady in the cabriolet, as we have said, had fainted. She remained for some minutes motionless ; then, as fear alone had caused her to swoon, by slow degrees her consciousness returned.
     
    40 JOSEPH BALSAMO.
    ” Ah, heaven ! ” she exclaimed, ” abandoned here helpless with no human creature to take pity on me ! “
    ” Madame ‘ replied a timid voice, ” I am here, if I can be of any service to you.”
    At the sound of this voice, which seemed close to her ear, the young lady rose, put her head out between the leather curtains, and found herself face to face with a young man, who was standing on the step of the cabriolet.
    “It was you who spoke, sir ? ” said she.
    ” Yes, madume,” answered the young man.
    ” And you offered me your services ? “
    “Yes.”
    ” But first, tell me what has happened ? “
    ” The thunderbolt, which fell almost on your carriage, broke the traces of the front horses, and one of them ran off with the postilion.”
    The lady looked mieasily around. ” And he who rode the hinder horses ? ” she asked.
    ” He has just got into the carriage, madame.”
    ” Has he not been injured ?”
    ” Not