"Oh, indeed! they are covered with snow, of course?"
"Almost all the year. I have a château on the summit of one of those mountains, where only chamois can keep their footing."
"But how do you reach your château, monsieur le baron?"
"I have had a winding staircase constructed inside the mountain; it cost me a hundred thousand francs, but it's a wonderful piece of work, and people come hundreds of miles to see it. I trust, Monsieur Ménard, that I shall have the pleasure of showing it to you, and of entertaining you for some time at my castle of Krapach. I will give you a glass of a certain tokay which came to me from Tekely's cellar; and you will tell me what you think of it."
"Ah! monsieur le baron, you overpower me. But it must be very cold at your château, is it not?"
"It used to be very cold, in truth, in the days of my ancestors; but, thanks to recent scientific discoveries, I have found a way of modifying the temperature—a very simple method, which answers my purposes perfectly."
"What is it, pray, monsieur le baron?"
"I have built a gasometer under the château; gas, as you know, makes the earth very warm; indeed, in some places directly over the pipes, I raise green peas in January.—What is it, my dear count? drink, drink, or you will choke!"
Frédéric had, in fact, much difficulty in listening to this discourse, which Dubourg delivered with imperturbable gravity, while Ménard listened with childlike confidence to every word uttered by the baron.
At that moment, the conversation was interrupted by a violent shock, followed by an ominous cracking.