but the captain shook his head in a manner that implied plainly:
"Decidedly there is nothing to hope from this poor devil!"

After his outburst Roch fled across the garden crying hoarsely:

"Billions! Billions!"

Gaydon turned to the director and remarked:

"I told you how it would be."

Then he rushed after his patient, caught him by the arm, and led him,
without any attempt at resistance, into the pavilion and closed the
door.

The Count d'Artigas remained alone with the director, Captain Spade
having strolled off again in the direction of the wall at the bottom
of the park.

"You see I was not guilty of exaggeration, Count," said the director.
"It is obvious to every one that Thomas Roch is becoming daily worse.
In my opinion his case is a hopeless one. If all the money he asks for
were offered to him, nothing could be got from him."

"Very likely," replied the Count, "still, if his pecuniary demands are
supremely absurd, he has none the less invented an engine the power of
which is infinite, one might say."

"That is the opinion expressed by competent persons, Count. But what
he has discovered will ere long be lost with himself in one of these