Beneath the shelter of one hut， in the bright blazeof the same fire， sat this varied group of adventurers，all so intent upon a single object that of whatever elsethey began to speak their closing words were sure to beilluminated with the Great Carbuncle. Several relatedthe circumstances that brought them thither. One hadlistened to a traveller’s tale of this marvellous stonein his own distant country， and had immediately beenseized with such a thirst for beholding it as could only bequenched in its intensest lustre. Another， so long ago aswhen the famous Captain Smith visited these coasts， hadseen it blazing far at sea， and had felt no rest in all theintervening years till now that he took up the search. Athird， being encamped on a hunting-expedition full fortymiles south of the White Mountains， awoke at midnightand beheld the Great Carbuncle gleaming like a meteor， sothat the shadows of the trees fell backward from it. Theyspoke of the innumerable attempts which had been madeto reach the spot， and of the singular fatality which hadhitherto withheld success from all adventurers， thoughit might seem so easy to follow to its source a light thatoverpowered the moon and almost matched the sun. Itwas observable that each smiled scornfully at the madnessof every other in anticipating better fortune than thepast， yet nourished a scarcely-hidden conviction that hewould himself be the favored one. As if to allay their toosanguine hopes， they recurred to the Indian traditionsthat a spirit kept watch about the gem and bewilderedthose who sought it either by removing it from peak topeak of the higher hills or by calling up a mist from theenchanted lake over which it hung. But these tales weredeemed unworthy of credit， all professing to believethat the search had been baffled by want of sagacity orperseverance in the adventurers， or such other causes asmight naturally obstruct the passage to any given pointamong the intricacies of forest， valley and mountain.
In a pause of the conversation the wearer of the prodigiousspectacles looked round upon the party， making eachindividual in turn the object of the sneer which invariablydwelt upon his countenance.
“So， fellow-pilgrims，” said he， “here we are， seven wisemen and one fair damsel， who doubtless is as wise as anygraybeard of the company. Here we are， I say， all boundon the same goodly enterprise. Methinks， now， it werenot amiss that each of us declare what he proposes to dowith the Great Carbuncle， provided he have the good hapto clutch it. What says our friend in the bearskin？ Howmean you， good sir， to enjoy the prize which you havebeen seeking the Lord knows how long among the CrystalHills？”
“How enjoy it！” exclaimed the aged Seeker， bitterly. “Ihope for no enjoyment from it： that folly has past longago. I keep up the search for this accursed stone becausethe vain ambition of my youth has become a fate upon mein old age. The pursuit alone is my strength， the energy ofmy soul， the warmth of my blood and the pith and marrowof my bones. Were I to turn my back upon it， I shouldfall down dead on the hither side of the notch which isthe gateway of this mountain-region. Yet not to have mywasted lifetime back again would I give up my hopes of isdeemed little better than a traffic with the evil one. Now，think ye that I would have done this grievous wrong tomy soul， body， reputation and estate without a reasonablechance of profit？”
“Not I， pious Master Pigsnort，” said the man with thespectacles. “I never laid such a great folly to thy charge.”
“Truly， I hope not，” said the merchant. “Now， as touchingthis Great Carbuncle， I am free to own that I have neverhad a glimpse of it， but， be it only the hundredth partso bright as people tell， it will surely outvalue the GreatMogul’s best diamond， which he holds at an incalculablesum； wherefore I am minded to put the Great Carbuncleon shipboard and voyage with it to England， France，Spain， Italy， or into heathendom if Providence should sendme thither， and， in a word， dispose of the gem to the bestbidder among the potentates of the earth， that he mayplace it among his crown-jewels. If any of ye have a wiserplan， let him expound it.”
“That have I， thou sordid man！” exclaimed the poet.
“Dost thou desire nothing brighter than gold， that thouwouldst transmute all this ethereal lustre into such drossas thou wallowest in already？ For myself， hiding the jewelunder my cloak， I shall hie me back to my attic-chamberin one of the darksome alleys of London. There night andday will I gaze upon it. My soul shall drink its radiance；it shall be diffused throughout my intellectual powersand gleam brightly in every line of poesy that I indite.
Thus long ages after I am gone the splendor of the GreatCarbuncle will blaze around my name.”
“Well said， Master Poet！” cried he of the spectacles.
“Hide it under thy cloak， sayest thou？ Why， it will gleamthrough the holes and make thee look like a jack-o’-lantern！”
“To think，” ejaculated the lord De Vere， rather to himselfthan his companions， the best of whom he held utterlyunworthy of his intercourse— “to think that a fellow in atattered cloak should talk of conveying the Great Carbuncleto a garret in Grubb street！ Have not I resolved withinmyself that the whole earth contains no fitter ornamentfor the great hall of my ancestral castle？ There shall itflame for ages， making a noonday of midnight， glitteringon the suits of armor， the banners and escutcheons， thathang around the wall， and keeping bright the memory ofheroes. Wherefore have all other adventurers sought theprize in vain but that I might win it and make it a symbolof the glories of our lofty line？ And never on the diademof the White Mountains did the Great Carbuncle hold aplace half so honored as is reserved for it in the hall of theDe Veres.”
