your majesty sees, the
knee bends and the upper part drops on the chair."

"So it does!" exclaimed Napoleon, joyously, but suddenly his brow became
dark and his eyes gloomy. "Alas," he said, thoughtfully, "were Lannes
still alive, I might have at least offered him a substitute for the
limbs he lost." He stared at the ingenious work, and stroking his face
quickly said, "You assert, also, sir, that a man may use that hand, and
hold any thing with it?" asked Napoleon, lifting up the neatly-gloved
hand.

"Sire, it is just as good as one new-grown. The human will controls
every limb and moves these artificial fingers just as well as the
natural ones. Will your majesty be so kind as to order me to take
something from the table with this hand which you see now stretched
out?"

The emperor drew a ring, adorned with a large diamond, from his finger,
and laid it on the table. "Let the machine pick up this ring," he said.

Maelzl took the hand, and, touching the spring fixed at the wrist, the
fingers bent immediately and seized the ring. Napoleon looked humorously
at his astonished marshals and generals. "Now, gentlemen," he said, "we
need no longer be afraid of bullets, for if we lose the hands and feet
that God has given us, we can replace them by those made by Mr. Maelzl."

"Sire," said Mr. Maelzl, smiling, "will you convince yourself that my
artificial hand cannot merely pick up, but also retain an object? Will
your majesty try to take the ring from it?"

Napoleon seized the ring, but the fingers held it with irresistible
tenacity. "Indeed, these are very sensible fingers," exclaimed Napoleon;
"they do not give up what they once get hold of."

"Yes, sire, they will. I touch this spring, and the fingers open again."

"No, no," exclaimed the emperor, "let them keep this time what they
have, and wear the ring as a memento. I will allow them only to deliver
it to their maker, who knows not only how to use his own hands so
skilfully, but also to manufacture serviceable ones for others. No
thanks, sir! we are greatly indebted to you, and not you to us, and it
certainly behooves me to thank you in the name of the brave soldiers
whose lost limbs you replace so ingeniously. When the precious day of
peace will come, people will be able to do without your invention, but I
am afraid we shall not live to see that day. We are, I fear, always
exposed to the horrors of war. Hence, your invention is a blessing that
cannot be appreciat