We must only strive the more
to purify ourselves from, those gross and earthly feelings which
becloud the soul, and prevent her from piercing into nature's arcana."
"Alas!" thought Antonio, "if to be purified from all earthly feeling
requires that I should cease to love Inez, I fear I shall never
discover the philosopher's stone!"
In this way, matters went on for some time, at the alchymist's. Day
after day was sending the student's gold in vapour up the chimney;
every blast of the furnace made him a ducat the poorer, without
apparently helping him a jot nearer to the golden secret. Still the
young man stood by, and saw piece after piece disappearing without a
murmur: he had daily an opportunity of seeing Inez, and felt as if her
favour would be better than silver or gold, and that every smile was
worth a ducat.
Sometimes, in the cool of the evening, when the toils of the
laboratory happened to be suspended, he would walk with the alchymist
in what had once been a garden belonging to the mansion. There were
still the remains of terraces and balustrades, and here and there a
marble urn, or mutilated statue overturned, and buried among weeds and
flowers run wild. It was the favourite resort of the alchymist in his
hours of relaxation, where he would give full scope to his visionary
flights.
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