At last, however, I prevailed upon him to give me a piece of his precious stone--a piece no larger than a grain of rape seed....

He bid me take half an ounce of lead ...

and melt it in the crucible; for the Medicine would certainly not tinge more of the base metal than it was sufficient for....

He promised to return at nine o'clock the next morning....

But at the stated hour on the following day he did not make his appearance; in his stead, however, there came, a few hours later, a stranger, who told me that his friend the artist was unavoidably detained, but that he would call at three o'clock in the afternoon.