iece of bread and butter, said to
Lemulquinier: "Is it true you make diamonds and pearls?"

Lemulquinier patted the urchin's cheek.

"Yes, little fellow, it is true," he said. "Stick to your books, get
knowledge, and perhaps we will give you some."

They began to crowd round, and became more daring.

"You should show respect to a great man," said Lemulquinier. At this the
children laughed aloud, and began to shout: "Sorcerers! Old sorcerers!"
Lemulquinier sprang up with his stick raised, and the children, beating
a retreat, gathered up mud and stones. A workman, seeing Lemulquinier
making for the children with a stick, came to their rescue with the
dangerous cry: "Down with sorcerers!"

Thus emboldened, the children made a savage attack upon the two old men
with a shower of stones. At this moment Emmanuel came upon the scene. He
was too late. Claes had been suddenly jerked from the ideal world in
which he theorised and toiled into the real world of men. The shock was
too much for him; he sank into the arms of Lemulquinier, paralysed.

He lived in this condition for some time, expressing all his affection
and gratitude to Marguerite by pressing her hand with his cold fingers.
She refurnished the house, and surrounded him with comforts. His
children were affectionate to him. They came and sat by his bedside, and
took their meals in his room. His great happiness was listening to
Emmanuel's reading of the newspapers.

One night he became very much worse, and the doctor was summoned in
haste. The stricken man made violent efforts to speak. His lips
trembled, but no sound issued. His eyes were on fire with the thoughts
he could not utter. His face was haggard with agony. Drops of
perspiration oozed out of his forehead. His hands twitched convulsively
in the despair of his mind.

On the following morning his children saluted him with deepest and most
lingering love, knowing that the last hour was at hand. His face did not
light; he made none of his usual responses to their tender affection.
Pierquin signalled to Emmanuel, and he broke the wrapper of the
newspaper, and was about to read aloud in order to distract Claes, when
his eyes were arrested by the heading:

DISCOVERY OF THE ABSOLUTE

In a low voice he read the intelligence to his wife. It narrated that a
famous mathematician in Poland had made terms for selling the secret of
the Absolute, which he had discovered. As Emmanuel ceased to read,
Marguerite ask