AMERICAN STORIES

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

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

Our story today is called "The Diamond Lens. " 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 fungus that spoiled my mother’s jam was, for me, a

land of magic gardens. I would put one of those spots of
green mold under my microscope and see beautiful
forests, where strange silver and golden 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

decided 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 fees 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 laboratory. 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 magnifying power. Such a lens
would permit me to see life in the smallest parts of its
development. I was sure that a powerful 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, crystal and even precious 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 jewelry, expensive
clothing and good living. There was something
mysterious about him, too. He always had something to
sell: a painting, a rare statue, 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 gasped. “I have just seen the most
amazing thing in the world!”

He told me he had gone to visit a woman who had

strange, magical 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, Madame 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 spoke. “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 series of
violent 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 ignorant 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 atoms. 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 toward me as he bent 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 nervously 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 grabbed 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 enormous 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 drunk. I felt as calm as
ever…for I believed that I knew Simon’s secret.

Now it's your turn to use the words in this story. Have
you ever discovered something you thought was more
unusual than anything else in the world? What are
some interesting scientific discoveries you like to read
about? Write to us in the Comments Section or on
our Facebook page.

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For Teachers
This lesson plan is based on the CALLA Approach and
teaches the learning strategy of predicting to help
students engage with the story.

Lesson Plan - The Diamond Lens, Part 1 by Fitz-James

O'Brien
Quiz - The Diamond Lens by Fitz-James O'Brien
(Part 1)

Start the Quiz to find out

Start Quiz
 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.

______________________

Words in This Story

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

lens - n. a clear curved piece of glass or plastic that is

used to make things look clearer, smaller, or bigger

magnify - 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

'The Diamond Lens' by Fitz-James

O'Brien, Part Two
#story
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