y one, that they should give them up, as if there was nothing in
them but fancy. They should be examined into all the more earnestly and
scrupulously; and there was no doubt that the result would be the
discovery of a number of affinities of inorganic creatures for one
another, and of organic creatures for them, and again for each other,
which at present were unknown to us.

He had already spread out his apparatus of gold rings, marcasites, and
other metallic substances, a pretty little box of which he always
carried about with himself; and he suspended a piece of metal by a
string over another piece, which he placed upon the table. "Now, my
Lord," he said, "you may take what pleasure you please (I can see in
your face what you are feeling), at perceiving that nothing will set
itself in motion with me, or for me. But my operation is no more than a
pretense; when the ladies come back, they will be curious to know what
strange work we are about."

The ladies returned. Charlotte understood at once what was going on. "I
have heard much of these things," she said; "but I never saw the effect
myself. You have everything ready there. Let me try whether I can
succeed in producing anything."

She took the thread in her hand, and as she was perfectly serious, she
held it steady, and without any agitation. Not the slightest motion,
however, could be detected. Ottilie was then called upon to try. She
held the pendulum still more quietly and unconsciously over the plate on
the table. But in a moment the swinging piece of metal began to stir
with a distinct rotary action, and turned as they moved the position of
the plate, first to one side and then to the other; now in circles, now
in ellipses; or else describing a series of straight lines; doing all
the Earl's friend could expect, and far exceeding, indeed, all his
expectations.

The Earl himself was a little staggered; but the other could never be
satisfied, from delight and curiosity, and begged for the experiment
again and again with all sorts of variations. Ottilie was good-natured
enough to gratify him; till at last she was obliged to desire to be
allowed to go, as her headache had come on again. In further admiration
and even rapture, he assured her with enthusiasm that he would cure her
forever of her disorder, if she would only trust herself to his
remedies. For a moment they did not know what he meant; but Charlotte,
who comprehended immediately after, declined his wel