together with a few cooking utensils, completed a stock of furniture
which was worthy of its proprietor.

On entering the cabin, Ben Zoof's first proceeding was to throw on
the fire a liberal supply of coals, utterly regardless of the groans

of poor Isaac, who would almost as soon have parted with his
own bones as submit to such recklessexpenditure of his fuel.

The perishing temperature of the cabin, however, was sufficient
justification for the orderly's conduct, and by a little skillful

manipulation he soon succeeded in getting up a tolerable fire.
The visitors having taken what seats they could, Hakkabut closed the door,

and, like a prisoner awaiting his sentence, stood with folded hands,
expecting the captain to speak.

"Listen," said Servadac; "we have come to ask a favor."
Imagining that at least half his property was to be confiscated, the Jew

began to break out into his usual formula about being a poor man and having
nothing to spare; but Servadac, without heeding his complainings, went on:

"We are not going to ruin you, you know."
Hakkabut looked keenly into the captain's face.

"We have only come to know whether you can lend us a steelyard."
So far from showing any symptom of relief, the old miser exclaimed,

with a stare of astonishment, as if he had been asked for some
thousand francs: "A steelyard?"

"Yes!" echoed the professor, impatiently; "a steelyard."
"Have you not one?" asked Servadac.

"To be sure he has!" said Ben Zoof.
Old Isaac stammered and stuttered, but at last confessed that perhaps

there might be one amongst the stores.
"Then, surely, you will not object to lend it to us?"

said the captain.
"Only for one day," added the professor.

The Jew stammered again, and began to object. "It is a very
delicateinstrument, your Excellency. The cold, you know,

the cold may do injury to the spring; and perhaps you are going
to use it to weigh something very heavy."

"Why, old Ephraim, do you suppose we are going to weigh a mountain with it?"
said Ben Zoof.

"Better than that!" cried out the professor, triumphantly; "we are going
to weigh Gallia with it; my comet."

"Merciful Heaven!" shrieked Isaac, feigning consternation
at the bare suggestion.

Servadac knew well enough that the Jew was holding out only for a
good bargain, and assured him that the steelyard was required for no

other purpose than to weigh a kilogramme, which (considering how much
lighter everything had become) could not possibly put the slightest

strain upon the instrument.
The Jew still spluttered, and moaned, and hesitated.

"Well, then," said Servadac, "if you do not like to lend us your steelyard,
do you object to sell it to us?"

Isaac fairly shrieked aloud. "God of Israel!" he ejaculated,
"sell my steelyard? Would you deprive me of one of the most

indispensable of my means of livelihood? How should I weigh
my merchandise without my steelyard--my solitary steelyard,

so delicate and so correct?"
The orderly wondered how his master could refrain from strangling

the old miser upon the spot; but Servadac, rather amused than otherwise,
determined to try another form of persuasion. "Come, Hakkabut, I see

that you are not disposed either to lend or to sell your steelyard.
What do you say to letting us hire it?"

The Jew's eyes twinkled with a satisfaction that he was unable to conceal.
"But what security would you give? The instrument is very valuable;"

and he looked more cunning than ever.
"What is it worth? If it is worth twenty francs, I will leave

a deposit of a hundred. Will that satisfy you?"
He shook his head doubtfully. "It is very little; indeed, it is

too little, your Excellency. Consider, it is the only steelyard
in all this new world of ours; it is worth more, much more.

If I take your deposit it must be in gold--all gold.
But how much do you agree to give me for the hire--

the hire, one day?"
"You shall have twenty francs," said Servadac.

"Oh, it is dirt cheap; but never mind, for one day, you shall have it.
Deposit in gold money a hundred francs, and twenty francs for the hire."

The old man folded his hands in meek resignation.
"The fellow knows how to make a good bargain," said Servadac, as Isaac,

after casting a distrustful look around, went out of the cabin.
"Detestable old wretch!" replied the count, full of disgust.

Hardly a minute elapsed before the Jew was back again, carrying his
precious steelyard with ostentatious care. It was of an ordinary kind.

A spring balance, fitted with a hook, held the article to be weighed;
a pointer, revolving on a disc, indicated the weight of the article.

Professor Rosette was manifestly right in asserting that such a machine
would register results quite independently of any change in the force

of attraction. On the earth it would have registered a kilogramme
as a kilogramme; here it recorded a different value altogether,

as the result of the altered force of gravity.
Gold coinage to the worth of one hundred and twenty francs was handed

over to the Jew, who clutched at the money with unmistakable eagerness.
The steelyard was committed to the keeping of Ben Zoof, and the visitors

prepared to quit the _Hansa_.
All at once it occurred to the professor that the steelyard

would be absolutelyuseless to him, unless he had the means
for ascertaining the precisemeasurement" target="_blank" title="n.测量；尺寸；宽度">measurement of the unit of the soil

of Gallia which he proposed to weigh. "Something more you must
lend me," he said, addressing the Jew. "I must have a measure,

and I must have a kilogramme."
"I have neither of them," answered Isaac. "I have neither.

I am sorry; I am very sorry." And this time the old Jew spoke the truth.
He would have been really glad to do another stroke or two of business

upon terms as advantageous as the transaction he had just concluded.
Palmyrin Rosette scratched his head in perplexity, glaring round upon

his companions as if they were personallyresponsible for his annoyance.
He muttered something about finding a way out of his difficulty,

and hastily mounted the cabin-ladder. The rest followed, but they had hardly
reached the deck when the chink of money was heard in the room below.

Hakkabut was locking away the gold in one of the drawers.
Back again, down the ladder, scrambled the little professor,

and before the Jew was aware of his presence he had seized him
by the tail of his slouchy overcoat. "Some of your money!

I must have money!" he said.
"Money!" gasped Hakkabut; "I have no money." He was pale with fright,

and hardly knew what he was saying.
"Falsehood!" roared Rosette. "Do you think I cannot see?"

And peering down into the drawer which the Jew was vainly
trying to close, he cried, "Heaps of money! French money!

Five-franc pieces! the very thing I want! I must have them!"
The captain and his friends, who had returned to the cabin looked

on with mingled amusement and bewilderment.
"They are mine!" shrieked Hakkabut.

"I will have them!" shouted the professor.
"You shall kill me first!" bellowed the Jew.

"No, but I must!" persisted the professor again.
It was manifestly time for Servadac to interfere. "My dear professor,"

he said, smiling, "allow me to settle this little matter for you."
"Ah! your Excellency," moaned the agitated Jew, "protect me!

I am but a poor man--"
"None of that, Hakkabut. Hold your tongue." And, turning to Rosette,

the captain said, "If, sir, I understand right, you require some silver
five-franc pieces for your operation?"

"Forty," said Rosette, surlily.