'The Diamond Lens' by Fitz-James O'Brien, Part One

 

Our story today is called "The Diamond Lens¹. " It was written by Fitz-James O'Brien. We will tell the story in two parts. Now, here is Maurice Joyce with part one of "The Diamond Lens."

When I was ten years old, one of my older cousins gave me a microscope. The first time I looked through its magic lens, the clouds that surrounded my daily life rolled away. I saw a universe of tiny living creatures in a drop of water. Day after day, night after night, I studied life under my microscope.

The fungus² that spoiled my mother’s jam was, for me, a land of magic gardens. I would put one of those spots of green mold³ under my microscope and see beautiful forests, where strange silver and golden⁴ fruit hung from the branches of tiny trees. I felt as if I had discovered another Garden of Eden.

Although I didn’t tell anyone about my secret world, I decided⁵ to spend my life studying the microscope.

My parents had other plans for me. When I was nearly twenty years old, they insisted that I learn a profession even though we were a rich family, and I really didn’t have to work at all. I decided to study medicine in New York.

This city was far away from my family, so I could spend my time as I pleased. As long as I paid my medical school fees⁶ every year, my family would never know I wasn’t attending any classes. In New York, I would be able to buy excellent microscopes and meet scientists from all over the world. I would have plenty of money and plenty of time to spend on my dream. I left home with high hopes.

Two days after I arrived in New York, I found a place to live. It was large enough for me to use one of the rooms as my laboratory⁷. I filled this room with expensive scientific equipment that I did not know how to use. But by the end of my first year in the city, I had become an expert with the microscope. I also had become more and more unhappy.

The lens in my expensive microscope was still not strong enough to answer my questions about life. I imagined there were still secrets in Nature that the limited power of my equipment prevented me from knowing.

I lay awake nights, wishing to find the perfect lens – an instrument of great magnifying⁹ power. Such a lens would permit¹⁰ me to see life in the smallest parts of its development. I was sure that a powerful¹¹ lens like that could be built. And I spent my second year in New York trying to create it.

I experimented with every kind of material. I tried simple glass, crystal¹² and even precious¹³ stones. But I always found myself back where I started.

My parents were angry at the lack of progress in my medical studies. I had not gone to one class since arriving in New York. Also, I had spent a lot of money on my experiments.

One day, while I was working in my laboratory, Jules Simon knocked at my door. He lived in the apartment just above mine. I knew he loved jewelry¹⁴, expensive clothing and good living. There was something mysterious about him, too. He always had something to sell: a painting, a rare¹⁵ stature¹⁶, an expensive pair of lamps.

I never understood why Simon did this. He didn’t seem to need the money. He had many friends among the best families of New York.

Simon was very excited as he came into my laboratory. “O my dear fellow!” he gasped¹⁷. “I have just seen the most amazing thing in the world!”

He told me he had gone to visit a woman who had strange, magical¹⁸ powers. She could speak to the dead and read the minds of the living. To test her, Simon had written some questions about himself on a piece of paper. The woman, Madame¹⁹ Vulpes, had answered all of the questions correctly.

Hearing about the woman gave me an idea. Perhaps she would be able to help me discover the secret of the perfect lens. Two days later, I went to her house.

Madame Vulpes was an ugly woman with sharp, cruel eyes. She didn’t say a word to me when she opened the door, but took me right into her living room. We sat down at a large round table, and she spoke²⁰. “What do you want from me?”

“I want to speak to a person who died many years before I was born.”

“Put your hands on the table.”

We sat there for several minutes. The room grew darker and darker. But Madame Vulpes did not turn on any lights. I began to feel a little silly. Then I felt a series²¹ of violent²² knocks. They shook the table, the back of my chair, the floor under my feet and even the windows.

Madam Vulpes smiled. “They are very strong tonight. You are lucky. They want you to write down the name of the spirit you wish to talk to.”

I tore a piece of paper out of my notebook and wrote down a name. I didn’t show it to Madame Vulpes.

After a moment, Madame Vulpes’ hand began to shake so hard the table moved. She said the spirit was now holding her hand and would write me a message.

I gave her paper and a pencil. She wrote something and gave the paper to me. The message read: “I am here. Question me.” It was signed “Leeuwenhoek.”

I couldn’t believe my eyes. The name was the same one I had written on my piece of paper. I was sure that an ignorant²³ woman like Madame Vulpes would not know who Leeuwenhoek was. Why would she know the name of the man who invented the microscope?

Quickly, I wrote a question on another piece of paper. “How can I create the perfect lens?” Leeuwenhoek wrote back: “Find a diamond of one hundred and forty carats. Give it a strong electrical charge. The electricity will change the diamond’s atoms²⁴. From that stone you can form the perfect lens.”

I left Madame Vulpes’ house in a state of painful excitement. Where would I find a diamond that large? All my family’s money could not buy a diamond like that. And even if I had enough money, I knew that such diamonds are very difficult to find.

When I came home, I saw a light in Simon’s window. I climbed the stairs to his apartment and went in without knocking. Simon’s back was toward²⁵ me as he bent²⁶ over a lamp. He looked as if he were carefully studying a small object in his hands. As soon as he heard me enter, he put the object in his pocket. His face became red, and he seemed very nervous.

“What are you looking at?” I asked. Simon didn’t answer me. Instead, he laughed nervously²⁷ and told me to sit down. I couldn’t wait to tell him my news.

“Simon, I have just come from Madame Vulpes. She gave me some important information that will help me find the perfect lens. If only I could find a diamond that weighs one hundred forty carats!”

My words seemed to change Simon into a wild animal. He rushed to a small table and grabbed²⁸ a long, thin knife. “No!” he shouted. “You won’t get my treasure! I’ll die before I give it to you!”

“My dear Simon,” I said, “I don’t know what you are talking about. I went to Madame Vulpes to ask her for help with a scientific problem. She told me I needed an enormous²⁹ diamond. You could not possibly own a diamond that large. If you did, you would be very rich. And you wouldn’t be living here.”

He stared at me for a second. Then he laughed and apologized.

“Simon,” I suggested, “let us drink some wine and forget all this. I have two bottles downstairs in my apartment. What do you think?”

“I like your idea,” he said.

I brought the wine to his apartment, and we began to drink. By the time we had finished the first bottle, Simon was very sleepy and very drunk³⁰. I felt as calm as ever…for I believed that I knew Simon’s secret.

Words in This Story

microscope – n. a device³¹ used to make very small things look larger so they can be studied

lens - n. a clear curved³² piece of glass or plastic that is used to make things look clearer, smaller, or bigger

magnify⁸ - v. to make (something) appear larger

ignorant - adj. lacking knowledge or information

carat – n. a unit for measuring the weight of jewels (such as diamonds) that is equal to 200 milligrams?

enormous - adj. very great in size or amount

1 lens   

n.透镜，镜片；镜头

参考例句：

• The lens of a camera forms images.照相机的镜头使图像形成。
• You should screen the lens of your camera from direct sunlight.你应该使照相机的镜头不直接照射到阳光。

2 fungus   

n.真菌，真菌类植物

参考例句：

• Mushrooms are a type of fungus.蘑菇是一种真菌。
• This fungus can just be detected by the unaided eye.这种真菌只用肉眼就能检查出。

3 mold   

n.模子，模型，铸模；vt.造型，浇涛

参考例句：

• Too often we try to mold our children into something they do not wish to be.我们常常试图把孩子塑造成他们自己不想成为的样子。
• Try to compact the sand into the mold.设法把这沙土堆积到模子里。

4 golden   

adj.金的，含金的，可贵的，金色的，贵重的，繁盛的

参考例句：

• My teacher is an Englishman with golden hair.我的老师是一个金黄色头发的英国人。
• It's a balmy evening,the golden time for lovers.这是一个暖和的夜晚，是恋人们的黄金时光。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 fees   

费用； （加入组织或做某事付的）费( fee的名词复数 )； 专业服务费； 咨询费； 报酬

参考例句：

• Employees are reimbursed for any legal fees incurred when they relocate. 员工调往异地工作时，他们可以报销由此产生的所有法律服务费用。
• As a scholar you will not have to pay college fees. 作为接受奖学金的学生，你不必付大学的费用。

7 laboratory   

n.实验室，化验室

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a laboratory.她捐款成立了一个实验室。
• Our laboratory equipment isn't perfect,but we must make do.实验室设备是不够理想，但我们只好因陋就简。

8 magnify   

vt.放大，扩大；夸大，夸张

参考例句：

• He tried to magnify the part he played in the battle.他试图夸大他在战斗中发挥的作用。
• Tony wanted to magnify that picture.托尼要把那张照片放大。

9 magnifying   

放大的

参考例句：

• Fame is a magnifying-glass. 名誉是放大镜。
• It is unusual for people to press their differences by magnifying them. 对人们来说，以夸大差异的方式强调差异是不正常的。

10 permit   

n.许可证，许可，执照；vt.允许，容许；vi.容许

参考例句：

• The doctor will not permit mother up until her leg is better.在母亲的腿好些之前,医生不允许她起床。
• The soldiers had orders to permit no stranger through.士兵们接到命令不许任何陌生人通过。

11 powerful   

adj.有力的，有权力的，强大的

参考例句：

• The UN began to get more and more powerful.联合国开始变得越来越强大了。
• Such are the most powerful voices of our times!这些就是我们时代的最有力的声音！

12 crystal   

n.水晶，水晶饰品，结晶体；最好的玻璃器皿

参考例句：

• It used to be a crystal stream.那曾是条清澈见底的小溪。
• Those fine wine glasses are made of crystal.那些漂亮的酒杯是用水晶做的。

13 precious   

adj.宝贵的，珍贵的，过于精致的，珍爱的

参考例句：

• Each life is precious.生命都是宝贵的。
• Spring rain is as precious as oil.春雨贵如油。

14 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

15 rare   

adj.稀罕的，罕有的，珍贵的，稀薄的，半熟的，非常的；adv.非常

参考例句：

• It is rare to see a man over 160 years old.很少见到一个人能活到160岁。
• The zoo has a lot of rare animals in it.这个动物园有许多珍奇的动物。

16 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

17 gasped   

v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要

参考例句：

• She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
• People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 magical   

adj.魔术的，有魔力的，不可思议的

参考例句：

• I used to believe my mother had magical powers.我以前一直相信我母亲有奇妙的魔力。
• The effect of the medicine on the sick man was magical.药对病人的效力是不可思议的。

19 madame   

n.女士；夫人；小姐

参考例句：

• Madame Curie was the only famous woman scientist in the world.居里夫人是世界上唯一有名的女科学家。
• Radium is discovered by Madame Curie.镭是由居里夫人发现的。

20 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

21 series   

n.连续；系列

参考例句：

• The students have put forward a series of questions.学生们提出了一系列问题。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

22 violent   

adj.暴力的，猛烈的，激烈的，极端的，凶暴的，歪曲的

参考例句：

• The madman was violent and had to be locked up.这个精神病患者很凶暴，不得不把他锁起来。
• They caught him and gave him a violent beating.他们抓住了他，把他狠狠打了一顿。

23 ignorant   

adj.无知的，没有学问的，愚昧的，不知道的

参考例句：

• They are unbelievably ignorant.他们无知到令人难以置信的地步。
• He's not stupid,merely ignorant.他并不愚蠢，只是无知。

24 atoms   

原子( atom的名词复数 )； 原子能； 微粒； 微量

参考例句：

• A molecule of water consists of two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen. 水分子由两个氢原子和一个氧原子构成。
• A nuclear reactor is the apparatus in which atoms are split. 核反应堆是分裂原子的装置。

25 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

26 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

27 nervously   

adv.神情激动地，不安地

参考例句：

• He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
• He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

28 grabbed   

v.抢先，抢占( grab的过去式和过去分词 )；（尤指匆忙地）取；攫取；（尤指自私、贪婪地）捞取

参考例句：

• He was grabbed by two men and frogmarched out of the hall. 他被两个男人紧抓双臂押出大厅。
• She grabbed the child's hand and ran. 她抓住孩子的手就跑。

29 enormous   

adj.巨大的；庞大的

参考例句：

• An enormous sum of money is injected each year into teaching.每年都有大量资金投入到教学中。
• They wield enormous political power.他们行使巨大的政治权力。

30 drunk   

adj.醉酒的；(喻)陶醉的；n.酗酒者，醉汉

参考例句：

• People who drives when they are drunk should be heavily penalised.醉酒驾车的人应受重罚。
• She found him drunk when she came home at night.她晚上回家时，经常发现他醉醺醺的。

31 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。

32 curved   

a.弯曲的

参考例句：

• His lips curved in a barely perceptible smile. 他的嘴角弯了弯，露出一丝几乎察觉不到的笑容。
• The missile curved gracefully towards its target. 导弹呈优美的曲线状飞向目标。