"Not for some months." "How, so long? I am impatient." "You must restrain your impatience--but we must have the boy settled
first, and the count will have been dead a longer time then, and we
shall not give so much scandal to the weak-minded fools that were his
friends, for it will be dangerous to have so many events happen about
the same period." "You shall act as you think proper--but the first thing to be done will
be, to get this cunning doctor quietly out of the way." "Yes." "I must contrive to have him seized, and carried to the mines." "Beneath the tower in which he lives is a trap-door and a vault, from
which, by means of another trap and vault, is a long subterranean
passage that leads to a door that opens into one end of the mines; near
this end live several men whom you must give some reward to, and they
will, by concert, seize him, and set him to work." "And if he will not work?" "Why, they will scourge him in such a manner, that he would be afraid
even of a threat of a repetition of the same treatment." "That will do. But I think the worthy doctor will split himself with
rage and malice, he will be like a caged tiger." "But he will be denuded of his teeth and claws," replied the countess,
smiling "therefore he will have leisure to repent of having threatened
his employers." *       *       *       *       *

Some weeks passed over, and the Count of Morven contrived to become
acquainted with the doctor. They appeared to be utter strangers to each
other, though each knew the other; the doctor having disguised himself,
he believed the disguise impenetrable and therefore sat at ease. "Worthy doctor," said the count to him, one day; "you have, no doubt, in
your studies, become acquainted with many of the secrets of science." "I have, my lord count; I may say there are few that are not known to
Father Aldrovani. I have spent many years in research." "Indeed!" "Yes; the midnight lamp has burned till the glorious sun has reached the
horizon, and brings back the day, and yet have I been found beside my
books." "'Tis well; men like you should well know the value of the purest and
most valuable metals the earth produces?" "I know of but one--that is gold!" "'Tis what I mean." "But 'tis hard to procure from the bowels of the earth--from the heart
of these mountains by which we are surrounded." "Yes, that is true. But know you not the owners of this castle and
territory possess these mines and work them?" "I believe they do; but I thought they had discontinued working them
some years." "Oh, no! that was given out to deceive the government, who claimed so
much out of its products." "Oh! ah! aye, I see now." "And ever since they have been working it privately, and storing bars of
gold up in the vaults of this--"

"Here, in this castle?" "Yes; beneath this very tower--it being the least frequented--the
strongest, and perfectly inaccessible from all sides, save the
castle--it was placed there for the safest deposit." "I see; and there is much gold deposited in the vaults?" "I believe there is an immense quantity in the vaults." "And what is your motive for telling me of this hoard of the precious
metal?" "Why, doctor, I thought that you or I could use a few bars; and that, if
we acted in concert, we might be able to take away, at various times,
and secrete, in some place or other, enough to make us rich men for all
our lives." "I should like to see this gold before I said anything about it,"
replied the doctor, thoughtfully. "As you please; do you find a lamp that will not go out by the sudden
draughts of air, or have the means of relighting it, and I will
accompany you." "When?" "This very night, good doctor, when you shall see such a golden harvest
you never yet hoped for, or even believed in." "To-night be it, then," replied the doctor. "I will have a lamp that
will answer our purpose, and some other matters." "Do, good doctor," and the count left the philosopher's cell. *       *       *       *       *

"The plan takes," said the count to the countess, "give me the keys, and
the worthy man will be in safety before daylight." "Is he not suspicious?" "Not at all." *       *       *       *       *

That night, about an hour before midnight,--the Count Morven stole
towards the philosopher's room. He tapped at the door. "Enter," said the philosopher. The count entered, and saw the philosopher seated, and by him a lamp of
peculiar construction, and incased in gauze wire, and a cloak. "Are you ready?" inquired the count. "Quite," he replied. "Is that your lamp?" "It is." "Follow me, then, and hold the lamp tolerably high, as the way is
strange, and the steps steep." "Lead on." "You have made up your mind, I dare say, as to what share of the
undertaking you will accept of with me." "And what if I will not?" said the philosopher, coolly. "It falls to the ground, and I return the keys to their place." "I dare say I shall not refuse, if you have not deceived me as to the
quantity and purity of the metal they have stored up." "I am no judge of these metals, doctor. I am no assayest; but I believe
you will find what I have to show you will far exceed your expectations
on that head." "'Tis well: proceed." They had now got to the first vault, in which stood the first door, and,
with some difficulty, they opened the vault door. "It has not been opened for some time," said the philosopher. "I dare say not, they seldom used to go here, from what I can learn,
though it is kept a great secret." "And we can keep it so, likewise." "True." They now entered the vault, and came to the second door, which opened
into a kind of flight of steps, cut out of the solid rock, and then
along a passage cut out of the mountain, of some kind of stone, but not
so hard as the rock itself. "You see," said the count, "what care has been taken to isolate the
place, and detach it from the castle, so that it should not be dependent
upon the possessor of the castle. This is the last door but one, and now
prepare yourself for a surprise, doctor, this will be an extraordinary
one." So saying, the count opened the door, and stepped on one side, when the
doctor approached the place, and was immediately thrust forward by the
count and he rolled down some steps into the mine, and was immediately
seized by some of the miners, who had been stationed there for that
purpose, and carried to a distant part of the mine, there to work for
the remainder of his life. The count, seeing all secure, refastened the doors, and returned to the
castle. A few weeks after this the body of a youth, mangled and
disfigured, was brought to the castle, which the countess said was her
son's body. The count had immediately secured the real heir, and thrust him into the
mines, there to pass a life of labour and hopeless misery. *       *       *       *       *

There was a high feast held. The castle gates were thrown open, and
everybody who came were entertained without question.