The Golden Ingot by Fitzjames O'Brien
Section [1 | 2]

the golden ingot

by Fitzjames O'Brien

I had just retired to rest, with my eyes almost blind with_the study of a new work on physiology by M . brown-Sequard, when_the night bell was pulled violently .

it_was winter, and I confess I grumbled as I rose and went downstairs to open the door . twice that week I had_been aroused long after midnight for_the most trivial causes . once, to attend upon_the son and heir of a wealthy family, who had cut his thumb with a penknife, which, it seems, he insisted on taking to bed with_him; and once, to restore a young gentleman to consciousness, who had_been found by his horrified parent stretched insensible on_the staircase .Diachylon in_the one case and ammonia in_the other were all that my patients required; and I had a faint suspicion that_the present summons was perhaps occasioned by no case more necessitous than those I_have quoted . i_was too young in my profession, however, to neglect opportunities . it_is only when a physician rises to a very large practice that he_can afford to_be inconsiderate . i_was on_the first step of_the ladder, so I humbly opened my door .

a woman was standing ankle deep in_the snow that lay upon_the stoop .I caught but a dim glimpse of her form, for_the night was cloudy; but I_could hear her teeth rattling like castanets, and, as_the sharp wind blew her clothes close to her form, I_could discern from_the sharpness of_the outlines that she was very scantily supplied with raiment .

" come in, come in, my good woman," I_said hastily, for_the wind seemed to catch eagerly at_the opportunity of making itself at home in my hall, and was rapidly forcing an entrance through_the half- open door ." come in, you_can tell me all you_have to communicate inside ."

she slipped in like a ghost, and I closed the door . while i_was striking a light in my office, I_could hear her teeth still clicking out in_the dark hall, till it seemed as_if some skeleton was chattering . as_soon_as I obtained a light I begged her to enter the room, and, without occupying myself particularly about her appearance, asked her abruptly what her business was .

" my father has met with a severe accident," she said, " and requires instant surgical aid .I entreat you to_come to him immediately ."

the freshness and_the melody of her voice startled me . such voices rarely, if ever, issue from any but beautiful forms .I looked at her attentively, but, owing to a nondescript species of shawl in_which her head was wrapped, I_could discern nothing beyond what seemed to_be a pale, thin face and large eyes . her dress was lamentable . an old silk, of a color now unrecognizable, clung to her figure in those limp folds which are so eloquent of misery . the creases where it had_been folded were worn nearly through, and_the edges of_the skirt had decayed into a species of irregular fringe, which_was clotted and discolored with mud . her shoes-- which were but half concealed by_this scanty garment-- were shapeless and soft with moisture . her hands were hidden under the ends of_the shawl which covered her head and hung down over a bust, the outlines of_which, although angular, seemed to possess grace . poverty, when partially shrouded, seldom fails to interest: witness the statue of_the veiled beggar, by Monti .

" in what manner was your father hurt ? " I asked, in a tone considerably softened from_the one in_which I put my first question .

" he blew himself up, sir, and_is terribly wounded ."

"Ah ! he_is in some factory, then ? "

" no, sir, he_is a chemist ."

"A chemist ? why, he_is a brother professional . wait an instant, and_I_will slip on my coat and go with_you . do_you live far from here ? "

" in_the Seventh avenue, not more than two blocks from_the end of_this street ."

" so_much the better . we_will_be with_him in_a_few_minutes . did you leave anyone in attendance on him ? "

" no, sir . he_will allow no one but myself to enter his laboratory . and, injured as he_is, I_could_not induce him to quit it ."

" indeed ! he_is engaged in some great research, perhaps ? I_have known such cases ."

we were passing under a lamp- post, and_the woman suddenly turned and glared at me with a look of_such wild terror that for an instant I involuntarily glanced round me under the impression that some terrible peril, unseen by me, was menacing us both .

"Don't--don't ask me any questions," she said breathlessly ." he_will tell you all . but do, oh, do hasten ! good god ! he_may_be dead by_this_time ! "

I_made no reply, but allowed her to grasp my hand, which she did with a bony, nervous clutch, and endeavored with some difficulty to_keep pace with_the long strides-- I_might well call them bounds, for they seemed the springs of a wild animal rather than_the paces of a young girl-- with_which she covered the ground . not a word more was uttered until we stopped before a shabby, old- fashioned tenement house in_the Seventh avenue, not far above Twenty- third street . she pushed the door open with a convulsive pressure, and, still retaining hold of_my hand, literally dragged me upstairs to what seemed to_be a back offshoot from_the main building, as high, perhaps, as_the fourth story . in a moment more I_found myself in a moderate- sized chamber, lit by a single lamp . in one corner, stretched motionless on a wretched pallet bed, I beheld what I supposed to_be the figure of_my patient .

" he is_there," said the girl; " go to him . see if he_is dead--I dare not look ."

I_made my way as_well as I_could through_the numberless dilapidated chemical instruments with_which the room was littered .a French chafing dish supported on an iron tripod had_been overturned, and was lying across the floor, while the charcoal, still warm, was scattered around in various directions .Crucibles, alembics, and retorts were confusedly piled in various corners, and on a small table I_saw distributed in separate bottles a number of mineral and metallic substances, which I recognized as antimony, mercury, plumbago, arsenic, borax, etc . it_was veritably the apartment of a poor chemist . all the apparatus had the air of being second- hand . there_was no luster of exquisitely annealed glass and highly polished metals, such as dazzles one in_the laboratory of_the prosperous analyst . the makeshifts of poverty were everywhere visible . the crucibles were broken, or gallipots were used instead of crucibles . the colored tests were_not in_the usual transparent vials, but were placed in ordinary black bottles . there_is nothing more melancholy than to behold science or art in distress .a threadbare scholar, a tattered book, or a battered violin is a mute appeal to our sympathy .

I approached the wretched pallet bed on_which the victim of chemistry was lying . he breathed heavily, and had his head turned toward the wall .I lifted his arm gently to arouse his attention ." how goes it, my poor friend ? " I asked him ." where are_you hurt ? "

in a moment, as_if startled by_the sound of_my voice, he sprang up in_his bed, and cowered against the wall like a wild animal driven to bay ." who_are you ? I don't know you . who brought you here ? you_are a stranger . how dare you come into my private rooms to spy upon me ? "

and as he uttered this rapidly with a frightful nervous energy, I beheld a pale distorted face, draped with long gray hair, glaring at me with a mingled expression of fury and terror .

" I_am no spy," I answered mildly ."I heard that you had met with an accident, and_have come to cure you . I_am Dr .Luxor, and here_is my card ."

the old man took the card, and scanned it eagerly ." you_are a physician ? " he inquired distrustfully .

" and surgeon also ."

" you_are bound by oath not to reveal the secrets of your patients ."

" undoubtedly ."

" I_am afraid that I_am hurt," he continued faintly, half sinking back in_the bed .

I seized the opportunity to_make a brief examination of_his body . I_found that_the arms, a part of_the chest, and a part of_the face were terribly scorched; but it seemed to_me that there_was nothing to_be apprehended but pain .

" you_will_not reveal anything that you_may learn here ? " said the old man, feebly fixing his eyes on my face while i_was applying asoothing ointment to_the Burns ." you_will promise me ."

I nodded assent .

" then i_will trust you . cure me-- i_will pay you well ."

I_could scarce help smiling . if Lorenzo de' Medici, conscious of millions of ducats in_his coffers, had_been addressing some leech of_the period, he_could_not have spoken with aloftier air than this inhabitant of_the fourth story of a tenement house in_the Seventh avenue .

" you_must keep quiet," I answered ." let nothing irritate you . i_will leave acomposing draught with your daughter, which she will give_you immediately . i_will_see you in_the morning . you_will_be well in a week ."

" thank god ! " came in a murmur from adusk corner near the door .I turned, and beheld the dim outline of_the girl, standing with clasped hands in_the gloom of_the dim chamber .

" my daughter ! " screamed the old man, once more leaping up in_the bed with renewed vitality ." you_have seen her, then ? when ? where ? Oh, may a thousand cur--"

" father ! father ! anything-- anything but that .Don't, don't curse me ! " and_the poor girl, rushing in, flung herself sobbing on her knees beside his pallet .

"Ah, brigand ! you_are there, are_you ? sir," said he, turning to_me, " I_am the most unhappy man in_the_world . talk of Sisyphus rolling the ever-recoiling stone-- of Prometheus gnawed by_the vulture since_the birth of_time . the fables yet live . there_is my rock, forever crushing me back ! there_is my eternal vulture, feeding upon my heart ! there ! there ! there ! " and, with an awful gesture of malediction and hatred, he pointed with_his wounded hand, swathed and shapeless with bandages, at_the cowering, sobbing, wordless woman by his side .

i_was too_much horror- stricken to attempt even to soothe him . the anger of blood against blood has an electric power which paralyzes bystanders .

" listen to_me, sir," he continued, " while I skin this painted viper . I_have your oath; you_will_not reveal . I_am an alchemist, sir . since i_was twenty- two years old, I_have pursued the wonderful and subtle secret . yes, to unfold the mysterious rose guarded with_such terrible thorns; to decipher the wondrous table of emerald; to accomplish the mystic nuptials of_the red king and_the white queen; to marry them soul to soul and body to body, forever and ever, in_the exact proportions of land and water-- such has_been my sublime aim, such has_been the splendid feat that I_have accomplished ."

I recognized at a glance, in_this incomprehensible farrago, the argot of_the true alchemist .Ripley, Flamel, and others have supplied the world, in their works, with_the melancholy spectacle of a scientific bedlam .

" two years since," continued the poor man, growing more and more excited with every word that he uttered--" two years since, I succeeded in solving the great problem-- in transmuting the baser metals into gold . none but myself, that girl, and god knows the privations I had suffered up_to that_time . food, clothing, air, exercise, everything but shelter, was sacrificed toward the one great end . success at last crowned my labors . that which Nicholas Flamel did in 1382, that which George Ripley did at Rhodes in 1460, that which Alexander Sethon and Michael Scudivogius did in_the seventeenth century, I_did in 1856 . I_made gold ! I_said to myself, ' i_will astonish New_York more than Flamel did Paris .' he_was a poor copyist, and suddenly launched into magnificence .I had scarce a rag to my back: i_would rival the Medicis . I_made gold every day .I toiled night and morning; for I_must tell you that I never was able to_make more than a certain quantity at_a_time, and_that by a process almost entirely dissimilar to_those hinted at in those books of alchemy I had hitherto consulted . but I had no_doubt that facility would come with experience, and_that ere long i_should_be able to eclipse in wealth the richest sovereigns of_the earth .

" so I toiled on . day after day I_gave to_this girl here what gold I succeeded in fabricating, telling her to store it away after supplying our necessities . i_was astonished to perceive that we lived as poorly as ever .I reflected, however, that_it_was perhaps a commendable piece of prudence on_the_part of_my daughter . doubtless, I_said, she argues that_the less we spend the sooner we_shall accumulate a capital wherewith to live at ease; so, thinking her course a wise one, I_did_not reproach her with her niggardliness, but toiled on, amid want, with closed lips .

" the gold which I fabricated was, as I_said before, of an invariable size, namely, a little ingot worth perhaps thirty or forty-five dollars . in two years I calculated that I had made five hundred of_these ingots, which, rated at an average of thirty dollars apiece, would amount to_the gross sum of fifteen thousand dollars . after deducting our slight expenses for two years, we ought_to_have had nearly fourteen thousand dollars left . it_was time, i_thought, to indemnify myself for_my years of suffering, and surround my child and myself with_such moderate comforts as our means allowed .I went to my daughter and explained to her that I desired to_make an encroachment upon our little hoard . to my utter amazement, she burst into tears, and told me that she had_not got a dollar-- that all of_our wealth had_been stolen from her . almost overwhelmed by_this new misfortune, I in vain endeavored to discover from her in what manner our savings had_been plundered . she_could afford me no explanation beyond what I_might gather from an abundance of sobs and a copious flow of tears .

" it_was a bitter blow, doctor, but nil desperandum was my motto, so I went to work at my crucible again, with redoubled energy, and made an ingot nearly every second day .I determined this_time to_put them in some secure place myself; but the very first day I set my apparatus in_order for_the projection, the girl Marion-- that_is my daughter's name-- came weeping to_me and implored me to allow her to_take care of_our treasure .I refused decisively, saying that, having found her already incapable of filling the trust, I_could place no faith in her again . but she persisted, clung to my neck, threatened to abandon me; in short, used so_many_of_the bad but irresistible arguments known to women that I had_not the heart to refuse her . she has since_that_time continued to take_the ingots .

" yet you behold," continued the old alchemist, casting an inexpressibly mournful glance around the wretched apartment, " the way we live . our food is insufficient and of bad quality; we never buy clothes; the rent of_this hole is amere nothing . what am I to_think of_the wretched girl who plunges me into_this misery ? is she a miser, think you ? -- or a female gamester ? -- or-- or--does she squander it riotously in places I_know not of ? O doctor, doctor ! do_not blame me if I heap imprecations on her head, for I_have suffered bitterly ! " the poor man here closed his eyes and sank back groaning on_his bed .

this singular narrative excited in me the strangest emotions .I glanced at_the girl Marion, who had_been a patient listener to_these horrible accusations of cupidity, and never did I behold a more angelic air of resignation than beamed over her countenance . it_was impossible that anyone with those pure, limpid eyes; that calm, broad forehead; that childlike mouth, could_be such a monster of avarice or deceit as_the old man represented . the truth was plain enough: the alchemist was mad-- what alchemist was there ever who was not ? -- and_his insanity had taken this terrible shape . I_felt an inexpressible pity move my heart for_this poor girl, whose

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