My Library

wealth—knowledges, that neither Peru’s treasures nor the mines of Ind can buy; and that Ravalette possessed an abundant store of these priceless riches, there was not a single lingering doubt. “As his last words sounded the death-knell of all my fondly air-built castles, I became apprised of a fact that had heretofore escaped my notice; and this was, that, for the last ten minutes, a mounted groom, having a led horse in hand, had stood patiently waiting under a large tree at the south-eastern terminus of our promenade. As the old man placed the sealed paper in my hand, this groom advanced and assisted his master to mount, and, as soon as he was firmly seated in the saddle, they both gave rein and spur, and, urging the steeds into a round gallop, both horsemen were out of sight before I could recover from the stupor of surprise into which the proceeding had thrown me.”