"What an immense number of stars," she said, "astronomy must be a beautiful pursuit."
"It must be," he replied. "To soar far above this earth, to contemplate those worlds, to feel oneself lifted into space, to visit the moon with its mountains and rivers, plateaux and lakes; to accompany Venus and Mars and all the other planets in their course; to float, as it were, amongst these gigantic masterpieces of the Creator, to calculate their dimensions, to measure their course, to weigh those monsters; to bring to light the treasures of metal which they contain, by the aid of Spectrum. Analysis, all this and a great deal more which is associated with the science must be indeed full of wonderful exhiliration."
"To hear you talk, one would imagine that you yearn to be amongst all those stars and planets," said Adèle.
"It is not the case," he answered, "because—I'll tell you why—I am content to have Venus so near to me."
"I am afraid you will have to be Mars," she said somewhat anxiously.
"Not a bit of it," he replied cheerfully, "Mars is generally represented with a long beard, and look, I have but a slight moustache; have you ever noticed," he continued, "that all these planets move in circles. I think the circle is the ideal figure of the Creator. Man cannot measure a circle or sphere."
"I thought the heavenly bodies moved in ellipses," she interrupted.
"Yes, but ellipses are but a form of circles."
"Of course, I had never thought about it before, one has so much to learn in life. Nature's wonders are numerous and full of instruction for the thoughtful student. It seems to me sometimes that my soul converses with nature. A cloud obscures the sky, and I feel that cloud passing over my heart; a ray of sunshine illumines the earth, and causes my flowers to open their petals and the dew-drops on the grass to shine like millions of diamonds, and I smile."
"You have the soul of a poetess," he said.