the queen, followed by Procida, into a small laboratory filled with all the mysterious appurtenances of his art. The learned doctor busied himself in clearing a space in the centre of the apartment and arranging in a circle sun-dry jars and a brazier, while the philosopher king, opening a cabinet, took thence some dried and withered sea-weed, which he threw into the brazier and kindled into a flame. The blazing kelp was soon reduced to ashes, which Procida carefully gathered into an old empty crucible, and set before the queen. Alphonso advancing took up the cruci-ble, saying, " "What seest thou, my sister ?" " A dull, gray powder," she replied. Bîe then placed a tube from one of the jars within the crucible, and bidding her regard it attentively, submitted it to a chemical process which she did not understand, re-peating his question. • " I now see," replied Eleanora, with astonishment, " the dull powder transformed into little shining globules like silver." "Thou mayst take them in thine hand," said the phi-losopher, after a pause ; " they will not harm thee." With some timidity the wondering queen received the metallic drops, almost fearing that her brother was a necro-mancer as the priests affirmed. " Canst judge if it be a metal ?" said Alphonso, enjoying her confusion. " My sight and touch assure me of the fact. Yet whence—" " Is it not a miracle," interrupted the philosopher, laugh-ing, " more real than thy fancied transubstantiation?" A frown gathered on the serene brow of the lovely queen •—but commiserating his impiety as sincerely as he pitied her ignorance, with forced gayety she replied, " Nay, heaven works not miracles by the hands of such unbeliev-ers as thou. I fear me lest evil spirits have aided thee, as they did the Egyptians with their enchantments and she handed the globules to the philosopher. 424 HEROINES OF THE CRUSADES.