The Diamond Lens, Part 1

Announcer:  Now, theSpecial English program, AMERICAN STORIES.

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Our story today is called"The Diamond Lens. " It was written by Fitz-James O'Brien. We willtell the story in two parts.  Now, here is Maurice Joyce with part one of"The Diamond Lens."

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Storyteller:  When Iwas ten years old, one of my older cousins gave me a microscope. The first timeI looked through its magic lens, the clouds that surrounded my daily liferolled away. I saw a universe of tine living creatures in a drop of water. Dayafter day, night after nigh, I studied life under my microscope.

The fungus that spoiled mymother’s jam was, for me, a land of magic gardens. I would put one of thosespots of green mold under my microscope and see beautiful forests, wherestrange silver and golden fruit hung from the branches of tiny trees. I felt asif I had discovered another Garden of Eden.

Although I didn’t tellanyone about my secret world, I decided to spend my life studying themicroscope.

My parents had other plansfor me. When I was nearly twenty years old, they insisted that I learn aprofession even though we were a rich family, and I really didn’t have to workat all. I decided to study medicine inNew York.

This city was far away frommy family, so I could spend my time as I pleased. As long as I paid my medicalschool fees every year, my family would never know I wasn’t attending anyclasses. InNew York,I would be able to buy excellent microscopes and meet scientists from all overthe world. I would have plenty of money and plenty of time to spend on mydream. I left home with high hopes.

Two days after I arrived inNew York, I found aplace to live.  It was large enough for me to use one of the rooms as mylaboratory. I filled this room with expensive scientific equipment that I didnot know how to use. But by the end of my first year in the city, I had becomean expert with the microscope. I also had become more and more unhappy.

The lens in my expensivemicroscope was still not strong enough to answer my questions about life. Iimagined there were still secrets in Nature that the limited power of myequipment prevented me from knowing.

I lay awake nights, wishingto find the perfect lens – an instrument of great magnifying power. Such a lenswould permit me to see life in the smallest parts of its development. I wassure that a powerful lens like that could be built. And I spent my second yearinNew Yorktrying to create it.

I experimented with everykind of material. I tried simple glass, crystal and even precious stones. But Ialways found myself back where I started.

My parents were angry at thelack of progress in my medical studies. I had not gone to one class sincearriving inNew York.Also, I had spent a lot of money on my experiments.

One day, while I was workingin my laboratory, Jules Simon knocked at my door. He lived in the apartmentjust above mine. I knew he loved jewelry, expensive clothing and good living.There was something mysterious about him, too. He always had something to sell:a painting, a rare stature, an expensive pair of lamps.

I never understood why Simondid this. He didn’t seem to need the money.  He had many friends among thebest families ofNew York.

Simon was very excited as hecame into my laboratory. “O my deer fellow!” he gasped.  “I have just seenthe most amazing thing in the world!”

He told me he had gone tovisit a woman who had strange, magical powers. She could speak to the dead andread the minds of the living. To test her, Simon had written some questionsabout himself on a piece of paper. The woman, Madame Vulpes, had answered allof the questions correctly.

Hearing about the woman gaveme an idea. Perhaps she would be able to help me discover the secret of theperfect lens. Two days later, I went to her house.

Madame Vulpes was an uglywoman with sharp, cruel eyes. She didn’t say a word to me when she opened thedoor, but took me right into her living room. We sat down at a large roundtable, and she spoke. “What do you want from me?”

“I want to speak to a personwho died many years before I was born.”

“Put your hands on thetable.”

We sat there for severalminutes. The room grew darker and darker. But Madame Vulpes did not turn on anylights. I began to feel a little silly. Then I felt a series of violent knocks.They shook the table, the back of my chair, the floor under my feet and eventhe windows.

Madam Vulpes smiled. “Theyare very strong tonight. You are lucky. They want you to write down the name ofthe spirit you wish to talk to.”

I tore a piece of paper outof my notebook and wrote down a name. I didn’t show it to Madame Vulpes.

After a moment, MadameVulpes’ hand began to shake so hard the table move. She said the spirit was nowholding her hand and would write me a message.

I gave her paper and a pencil.She wrote something and gave the paper to me. The message read: “I am her.Question me.” I was signed “Leeuwenhoek.”

I couldn’t believe my eyes.The name was the same one I had written on my piece of paper. I was sure thatan ignorant woman like Madame Vulpes would not know who Leeuwenhoek was. Whywould she know the name of the man who invented the microscope?

Quickly, I wrote a questionon another piece of paper. “How can I create the perfect lens?” Leeuwenhoekwrote back: “Find a diamond of one hundred and forty carats. Give it a strongelectrical charge. The electricity will change the diamond’s atoms. From thatstone you can form the perfect lens.”

I left Madame Vulpes’ housein a state of painful excitement. Where would I find a diamond that large? Allmy family’s money could not buy a diamond like that. And even if I had enoughmoney, I knew that such diamonds are very difficult to find.

When I came home, I saw alight in Simon’s window. I climbed the stairs to his apartment and went inwithout knocking. Simon’s back was toward me as he bent over a lamp.  Helooked as if he were carefully studying a small object in his hands. As soon ashe heard me enter, he put the object in his pocket. His face became red, and heseemed very nervous.

“What are you looking at?” Iasked. Simon didn’t answer me. Instead, he laughed nervously and told me to sitdown. I couldn’t wait to tell him my news.

“Simon, I have just comefrom Madame Vulpes. She gave me some important information that will help mefind the perfect lens. If only I could find a diamond that weighs one hundredforty carats!”

My words seemed to changeSimon into a wild animal. He rushed to a small table and grabbed a long, thinknife. “No!” he shouted. “You won’t get my treasure! I’ll die before I give itto you!”

“My dear Simon,” I said, “Idon’t know what you are talking about. I went to Madame Vulpes to ask her forhelp with a scientific problem. She told me I needed an enormous diamond. Youcould not possible own a diamond that large. If you did, you would be veryrich. And you wouldn’t be living here.”

He stared at me for asecond.  Then he laughed and apologized.

“Simon,” I suggested, “letus drink some wine and forget all this. I have two bottles downstairs in myapartment. What do you think?”

“I like your idea,” he said.

I brought the wine to hisapartment, and we began to drink. By the time we had finished the first bottle,Simon was very sleepy and very drunk. I felt as calm as ever…for I believedthat I knew Simon’s secret.

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Announcer: You have justheard part one of the "The Diamond Lens" by Fitz-James O'Brien. Itwas adapted for Special English by Dona de Sanctis. Your storyteller wasMaurice Joyce.

Listen again next week forthe final part of our story told in Special English on the Voice of America.This is Shirley Griffith.

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