few
preparatory experiments, he concluded with a panegyric upon modern chemistry,
the terms of which I shall never forget: -
    »The ancient teachers of this science,« said he, »promised impossibilities,
and performed nothing. The modern masters promise very little; they know that
metals cannot be transmuted, and that the elixir of life is a chimera. But these
philosophers, whose hands seem only made to dabble in dirt, and their eyes to
pore over the microscope or crucible, have indeed performed miracles. They
penetrate into the recesses of nature, and show how she works in her hiding
places. They ascend into the heavens: they have discovered how the blood
circulates, and the nature of the air we breathe. They have acquired new and
almost unlimited powers; they can command the thunders of heaven, mimic the
earthquake, and even mock the invisible world with its own shadows.«
    Such were the professor's words - rather let me say such the words of fate,
enounced to destroy me. As he went on, I felt as if my soul were grappling with
a palpable enemy; one by one the various keys were touched which formed the
mechanism of my being: chord after chord was sounded, and soon my mind was
filled with one thought, one conception, one purpose. So much has been done,
exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein, - more, far more, will I achieve: treading
in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers,
and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation.
    I closed not my eyes that night. My internal being was in a state of
insurrection and turmoil; I felt that order would thence arise, but I had no
power to produce it. By degrees, after the morning's dawn, sleep came. I awoke,
and my yesternight's thoughts were as a dream. There only remained a resolution
to return to my ancient studies, and to devote myself to a science for which I
believed myself to possess a natural talent. On the same day, I paid M. Waldman
a visit. His manners in private were even more mild and attractive than in
public; for there was a certain dignity in his mien during his lecture, which in
his own house was replaced by the greatest affability and kindness. I gave him
pretty nearly the same account of my former pursuits as I had given to his
fellow-professor. He heard with attention the little narration concerning my
studies, and smiled at the names of Cornelius Agrippa and Paracelsus, but
without the contempt that M