THE STORY OF THE MYSTERIOUS CHAMBERS.
A MONOLOGUE BY THE MASTER.
I.
The master drew his chair a little more around towards the fire, and drawing a gold toothpick from his waistcoat pocket, settled himself comfortably. "Did you ever hear," said he, "of a certain Spaniard, a very learned man, a great philosopher, and a renowned alchemist, named Raymond Lulli?"
"No," said Oliver; "I never heard tell of him."
"Or of Arnold de Villeneuve, the great French doctor, also a renowned alchemist?"
"No," said Oliver, "nor of him either."
"Well, that is not surprising; your attention has not been called to such matters, and they died more than four hundred years ago. Nevertheless, the history of the room you saw down yonder relates to them, and I am about to tell you the story of it as well as I know it.
"It was luck or chance or fate, or whatever you call it, that first turned Raymond Lulli's attention to alchemy. At the time he was studying Arabic in the mountains of Aranda, at the shrine of St. James de Castello.