FRANKLIN AND DE ROMAS 167 



thunder? Does it not seem to you foolish to suppose 

 that such a plaything can direct the thunderbolt and 

 master it? The magistrate of Nerac must, however, 

 by wise meditations on the nature of thunder, have 

 acquired the certainty of success, to dare thus, be- 

 fore hundreds of witnesses, to undertake this at- 

 tempt, the failure of which would cover him with 

 confusion. The result of this terrible conflict be- 

 tween thought and thunder cannot be in doubt: 

 thought, as always, when well directed, will gain the 

 upper hand. 



" Behold, now, the clouds, forerunners of the 

 storm, are coming near the kite. De Romas moves 

 the exciter toward the tin cylinder suspended at the 

 end of the cord, and suddenly there is a flash of light. 

 It is produced by a dazzling spark which darts upon 

 the exciter, crackles, emits a flash of lightning, and 

 immediately disappears. " 



"That is just what we got yesterday evening," ob- 

 si-rved Jules, "when we put the end of a key near the 

 strip of warmed and rubbed paper; it is what the 

 cat's back showed us when it was stroked with the 

 hand. 91 



"The very same thing," replied his uncle. 

 "Thunder, beads of fire from the cat, sparks from 

 paper all are due to electricity. But let us return 

 to de Romas. We see that there is electricity, the 

 thunderbolt in miniature, in the kite's string. It is 

 inoffensive yet, on account of its feeble quantity ; so 

 de Romas does not hesitate to draw it forth with his 

 finger. Every time he brings his finger near the 

 cylinder, he draws a spark like that received by the 



