CHAPTER XXXII.
MAN AND GOD.
Nothing had meanwhile changed in the other part of the house. But theold wizard had seen Balsamo enter his study and carry away the remainsof Lorenza, which had recalled him to life.
Shrieks of "Fire!" from the old man reached Balsamo, when, rid of hisdread visitors, he had carried Lorenza back to the sofa where only twohours previously she had been reposing before the old sage broke in.
Suddenly he appeared to Althota' eyes.
"At last," said the latter, drunk with joy; "I knew you would have fear!see how I can revenge myself! It was well you came, for I was going toset fire to the place."
His pupil looked at him contemptuously without deigning a word.
"I am thirsty. Give me some water out of that bottle," he said wildly.
His features were breaking up fast; no steady fire was in his eyes, onlyfrightful gleams, sinister and infernal; under his skin was no moreblood. His long arms in which he had carried Lorenza as though she werea child, now dangled like cuttlefish's suckers. In anger had beenconsumed the strength momentarily restored him by desperation.
"You won't give me to drink? You want to kill me with thirst. You covetmy books and manuscripts and lore, my treasures! Ah, you think you willenjoy them--wait a bit. Wait, wait!"
Making a supreme effort, he drew from under the cushion on which he washuddled up a bottle which he uncorked. At the contact of air, a flamespouted up from the glass and Althotas, like a magic creature, shookthis flame around him.
Instantly, the writings piled up around the old man, the scatteredbooks, the rolls of papyrus extracted with so many hardships from thepyramids of Egypt and the libraries of Herculaneum, caught fire with thequickness of gunpowder. The marble flour was turned into a sheet offire, and seemed to Balsamo one of those fiery rings described by Dante.
No doubt the old man thought that his disciple would rush among theflames to save him, but he was wrong. He merely drew himself away calmlyout of the scope of the fire.
It enveloped the incendiary himself; but instead of frightening him itseemed as if he were in his element. The flame caressed him as if hewere a salamander, instead of scorching him.
Though as he sat, it devoured the lower part of his frame, he did notseem to feel it.
On the contrary, the contact appeared salutary, for the dying one'smuscles relaxed, and a new serenity covered his features like a mask.Isolated at this ultimate hour, the spirit forgot the matter, and theold prophet, on his fiery car, seemed about to ascend to heaven.
Calm and resigned, analysing his sensations, listening to his own pangsas the last voices of earth, the old Magus let his farewell sullenlyescape to life, hope and power.
"I die with no regret," he said; "I have enjoyed all earthly boons; Ihave known everything; I have held all given to the creature topossess--and I am going into immortality."
Balsamo sent forth a gloomy laugh which attracted the old man'sattention.
Althotas darted on him a look through the veiling flames, which wasimpressed with ferocious majesty.
"Yea, you are right: I had not foreseen one Thing--God!"
As if this mighty word had snatched the soul out of him, he dwindled upin the chair: his last breath had gone up to the Giver whom he hadthought to deprive of it.
Balsamo heaved a sigh, and without trying to save a thing from the pyreof this modern Zoroaster dying, he went down to Lorenza, having set thetrap so that it closed in all the fire as in an immense kiln.
All through the night the volcano blazed over Balsamo with the roaringof a whirlwind, but he neither sought to extinguish it or to flee. Afterhaving burnt up all that was combustible, and left the study bare to thesky, the fire went out, and Balsamo heard its last roar die away likeAlthota' in a sigh.