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07 - Conversation and Discovery - Journey to the Center of the Earth - Jules Verne · Science Fiction Books

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  Speaker 1: Chapter seven, Conversation and Discovery. When I returned, dinner was ready.
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  Speaker 1: This meal was devoured by my worthy relative with avidity
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  Speaker 1: and veracity. His shipboard diet had turned his interior into
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  Speaker 1: a perfect gulf. The repast, which was more Danish than Icelandic,
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  Speaker 1: was in itself nothing, but the excessive hospitality of our
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  Speaker 1: hosts made us enjoy it doubly. The conversation turned upon
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  Speaker 1: scientific matters, and Monsieur Fridericson asked my uncle what he
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  Speaker 1: thought of the public library library, Sir, cried my uncle,
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  Speaker 1: it appears to me a collection of useless, odd volumes
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  Speaker 1: and a beggarly amount of empty shelves. What, cried mister Fridericson,
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  Speaker 1: Why we have eight thousand volumes of most rare and
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  Speaker 1: valuable works, some in Scandinavian language, besides all the new
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  Speaker 1: publications from Copenhagen, eight thousand volumes, My dear sir, why
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  Speaker 1: where are they? Cried my uncle, scattered over the country,
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  Speaker 1: Professor Hardwig. We are very studious, my dear sir. Though
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  Speaker 1: we do live in Iceland. Every farmer, every laborer, every
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  Speaker 1: fisherman can both read and write. And we think that
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  Speaker 1: books instead of being locked up in cupboards far from
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  Speaker 1: the site of students, should be distributed as widely as possible.
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  Speaker 1: The books of our library are therefore passed from hand
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  Speaker 1: to hand without returning to the library shelves, perhaps for years.
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  Speaker 1: Then when foreigners visit you, there is nothing for them
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  Speaker 1: to see. Well, sir, foreigners have their own libraries, and
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  Speaker 1: our first consideration is that our humbler classes should be
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  Speaker 1: highly educated. Fortunately, the love of study is innate in
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  Speaker 1: the Icelandic people. In eighteen sixteen we found that a
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  Speaker 1: literary society and mechanics institute, many foreign scholars of eminence
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  Speaker 1: are honorary members. We publish books destined to educate our people,
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  Speaker 1: and these books have rendered valuable services to our country.
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  Speaker 1: Allow me to have the honor Professor Hardwig to enroll
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  Speaker 1: you he as an honorary member. My uncle, who already
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  Speaker 1: belonged to nearly every literary and scientific institution in Europe,
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  Speaker 1: immediately yielded to the amiable wishes of the good Monsieur Friedrichsen.
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  Speaker 1: And now he said, after many expressions of gratitude and
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  Speaker 1: good will, if you will tell me what books you
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  Speaker 1: expect to find, perhaps I may be of some assistance
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  Speaker 1: to you. I watched my uncle keenly for a minute
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  Speaker 1: or two. He hesitated, as if unwilling to speak, to
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  Speaker 1: speak openly, was perhaps to unveil his projects. Nevertheless, after
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  Speaker 1: some reflection he made up his mind. Well, mister Friedrichsen,
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  Speaker 1: he said, in an easy, unconcerned kind of way, I
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  Speaker 1: was desirous of ascertaining if, among other valuable works, you
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  Speaker 1: had any of the learned Arnsock Neussom. Arnsocknussom, cried the
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  Speaker 1: professor of Rekiyevic. You speak of one of the most
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  Speaker 1: distinguished scholars of the sixteenth century, of the great naturalist,
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  Speaker 1: the great alchemist, the great traveler. Exactly so, one of
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  Speaker 1: the most distinguished men connected with Icelandic science and literature,
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  Speaker 1: as you say, sir, a man illustrious above all. Yes, sir,
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  Speaker 1: all this is true. But his works we have none
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  Speaker 1: of them, not in Iceland. There are none in Iceland
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  Speaker 1: or elsewhere, answered the other sadly. Why so, because arnstock
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  Speaker 1: Newsom was persecuted for heresy, and in fifteen seventy three
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  Speaker 1: his works were publicly burnt at Copenhagen by the hands
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  Speaker 1: of the common hangman. Very good capital, murmured my uncle
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  Speaker 1: to the great astonishment of the worthy icelander, you said, sir. Yes, yes,
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  Speaker 1: all is clear. I see the link in the chain.
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  Speaker 1: Everything is explained, and I now understand by Arnstock Newsom,
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  Speaker 1: put out of court, forced to hide his magnificent discoveries,
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  Speaker 1: was compelled to conceal beneath the veil of an incomprehensible cryptograph.
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  Speaker 1: The secret? What secret? A secret? Which stammered my uncle.
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  Speaker 1: Have you discovered some wonderful manuscript, cried mister Fridericson. No, No,
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  Speaker 1: I was carried away by my enthusiasm. A mere supposition.
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  Speaker 1: Very good, sir, But really to turn to another subject,
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  Speaker 1: I hope you will not leave our island without examining
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  Speaker 1: into its mineralogical riches. Well, the fact is I am
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  Speaker 1: rather late. So many learned men have been here before me. Yes, yes,
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  Speaker 1: but there is still much to be done, cried Monster Fridericson.
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  Speaker 1: You think so, said my uncle, his eyes twinkling with
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  Speaker 1: hidden satisfaction. Yes, you have no idea how many unknown mountains,
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  Speaker 1: glaciers volcanoes there are which remain to be studied. Without
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  Speaker 1: moving from where we sit, I can show you one
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  Speaker 1: yonder on the edge of the horizon. You see Sneffles. Oh, yes, Sneffles,
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  Speaker 1: said my uncle, one of the most curious volcanoes in existence,
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  Speaker 1: the crater of which has been rarely visited, extinct, extinct
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  Speaker 1: any time these five hundred years. Was the ready reply. Well,
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  Speaker 1: said my uncle, who dug his nails into his flesh
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  Speaker 1: and pressed his knees tightly together to prevent himself leaping
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  Speaker 1: up with joy. I have a great mind to begin
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  Speaker 1: my studies with an examination of the geological mysteries of
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  Speaker 1: this mount cephal Feissel. What do you call it? Sneffeles,
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  Speaker 1: My dear sir. This portion of the conversation took place
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  Speaker 1: in Latin, and I therefore understood all that had been said.
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  Speaker 1: I could scarcely keep my countenance when I found my
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  Speaker 1: uncle so cunningly concealing his delight and satisfaction. I must
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  Speaker 1: confess that his artful grimaces put on to conceal his
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  Speaker 1: happiness made him look like a new Mephistopheles. Yes, yes,
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  Speaker 1: he continued, Your proposition delights me. I will endeavor to
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  Speaker 1: climb to the summit of Sneffels, and, if possible, would
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  Speaker 1: ascend into its crater. I very much regret, continued mister Friederickson,
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  Speaker 1: that my occupation will entirely preclude the possibility of my
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  Speaker 1: accompanying you. It would have been both pleasurable and profitable
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  Speaker 1: if I could have spared the time. No, No, A
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  Speaker 1: thousand times, no, cried my uncle. I do not wish
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  Speaker 1: to disturb the serenity of any man. I thank you, however,
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  Speaker 1: with all my heart. The presence of one so learned
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  Speaker 1: as yourself would no doubt have been most useful. But
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  Speaker 1: the duties of your office and profession before everything. In
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  Speaker 1: the innocence of his simple heart, our host did not
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  Speaker 1: perceive the irony of these remarks. I entirely approve your project,
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  Speaker 1: continued the Icelander, after some further remarks. It is a
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  Speaker 1: good idea to begin by examining this volcano. You will
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  Speaker 1: make a harvest of curious observations. In the first place,
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  Speaker 1: how do you propose to get to Sneffeles by sea?
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  Speaker 1: I shall cross the bay, of course. That is a
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  Speaker 1: most rapid route, of course, but still it cannot be done.
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  Speaker 1: Why we have not an available boat in all? Rekievich
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  Speaker 1: replied the other. What to be done? You must go
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  Speaker 1: by land along the coast. It is longer, but much
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  Speaker 1: more interesting. Then I must have a guide, of course,
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  Speaker 1: and I have your very man, somebody on whom I
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  Speaker 1: can depend, Yes, an inhabitant of the peninsula on which
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  Speaker 1: Sneffels is situated. He is a very shrewd and worthy
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  Speaker 1: man with whom you will be pleased. He speaks Danish
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  Speaker 1: like a Dane. When can I see him to day? No, tomorrow.
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  Speaker 1: He will not be here before tomorrow, be it, replied
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  Speaker 1: my uncle with a deep sigh. The conversation ended by
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  Speaker 1: compliments on both sides. During the dinner, my uncle had
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  Speaker 1: learned much as to the history of Armstock Neussom the
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  Speaker 1: reasons for his mysterious and hieroglyphical document. He also became
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  Speaker 1: aware that his host would not accompany him on his
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  Speaker 1: adventurous expedition, and that next day we should have a guide.
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  Speaker 1: End of Chapter seven