, but they were private. Every one joined in praising the
lecturer to himself.

Ivan thanked every one for their approval, but with a coldly reticent
manner, and soon disengaged himself from his admirers to go in search
of his hostess; he wished to thank her for her kindness.

Theudelinde received him with smiles. Countess Angela was with her,
leaning on the back of her aunt's chair. The young girl had just said:

"You looked, auntie, quite lovely--a perfect Queen Mab."

The smile these words had called to Theudelinde's face still lingered
round her lips when Ivan presented himself. For these five minutes of
beauty she was indebted to this man, and was not ungrateful. She gave
him her hand, and thanked him in the most gracious manner for the
enjoyment he had given her.

"I owe you something," returned Ivan. "When you honored my house with
a visit, you gave me a diamond which you allowed me to burn before
your eyes. I now in return for your goodness on that occasion give you
this diamond, which was created before your eyes." With these words he
handed her a piece of carbon, which he had taken from the voltaic
pillar. "As I explained to you in my lecture, coal can be changed by
electricity into a diamond, and in this condition can cut glass."

"Ah!" cried the Countess Angela, her eyes beaming with pleasure, "let
us try the experiment now. Where is there a glass? Yes, one of the
pier-glasses. Come."

Countess Theudelinde was also excited. She stood up, and went with the
others to the pier-glass.

"Write one of the letters of the alphabet," said Angela, and watched
Ivan attentively. She was curious to see the letter he would choose.
If he were vain, as very likely he was, he would write his own initial
"I"; if a toady and flatterer, like most of the people round her aunt,
he would choose "T," as the countess's initial; and if he were a silly
fool, like so many other men, he would write "A." In either of these
cases he would have seen on the beauty's face a scornful smile.

Ivan took the piece of coal, and with the point wrote on the glass the
letter "X." Both ladies expressed their astonishment at seeing the
coal write, and Countess Theudelinde assured Ivan it should be
preserved carefully with her other jewels.

Countess Angela stood so near Ivan that the folds of her dress touched
him.

"I believe," she said, slowly, "every word you told us. I beg of you
do not tell me that all your romantic descriptions were