Part 7 (1/2)
”It is certain,” exclaimed my uncle in a tone of triumph. ”But silence, do you hear me? silence upon the whole subject; and let no one get before us in this design of discovering the centre of the earth.”
CHAPTER VII.
A WOMAN'S COURAGE
Thus ended this memorable seance. That conversation threw me into a fever. I came out of my uncle's study as if I had been stunned, and as if there was not air enough in all the streets of Hamburg to put me right again. I therefore made for the banks of the Elbe, where the steamer lands her pa.s.sengers, which forms the communication between the city and the Hamburg railway.
Was I convinced of the truth of what I had heard? Had I not bent under the iron rule of the Professor Liedenbrock? Was I to believe him in earnest in his intention to penetrate to the centre of this ma.s.sive globe? Had I been listening to the mad speculations of a lunatic, or to the scientific conclusions of a lofty genius? Where did truth stop? Where did error begin?
I was all adrift amongst a thousand contradictory hypotheses, but I could not lay hold of one.
Yet I remembered that I had been convinced, although now my enthusiasm was beginning to cool down; but I felt a desire to start at once, and not to lose time and courage by calm reflection. I had at that moment quite courage enough to strap my knapsack to my shoulders and start.
But I must confess that in another hour this unnatural excitement abated, my nerves became unstrung, and from the depths of the abysses of this earth I ascended to its surface again.
”It is quite absurd!” I cried, ”there is no sense about it. No sensible young man should for a moment entertain such a proposal. The whole thing is non-existent. I have had a bad night, I have been dreaming of horrors.”
But I had followed the banks of the Elbe and pa.s.sed the town. After pa.s.sing the port too, I had reached the Altona road. I was led by a presentiment, soon to be realised; for shortly I espied my little Grauben bravely returning with her light step to Hamburg.
”Grauben!” I cried from afar off.
The young girl stopped, rather frightened perhaps to hear her name called after her on the high road. Ten yards more, and I had joined her.
”Axel!” she cried surprised. ”What! have you come to meet me? Is this why you are here, sir?”
But when she had looked upon me, Grauben could not fail to see the uneasiness and distress of my mind.
”What is the matter?” she said, holding out her hand.
”What is the matter, Grauben?” I cried.
In a couple of minutes my pretty Virlandaise was fully informed of the position of affairs. For a time she was silent. Did her heart palpitate as mine did? I don't know about that, but I know that her hand did not tremble in mine. We went on a hundred yards without speaking.
At last she said, ”Axel!”
”My dear Grauben.”
”That will be a splendid journey!”
I gave a bound at these words.
”Yes, Axel, a journey worthy of the nephew of a savant; it is a good thing for a man to be distinguished by some great enterprise.”
”What, Grauben, won't you dissuade me from such an undertaking?”
”No, my dear Axel, and I would willingly go with you, but that a poor girl would only be in your way.”
”Is that quite true?”