invention, which should have made his fortune, and which had not made
it.  He had hoped that this warlike weapon, a true /chef-d'oeuvre/, in
his opinion superior in precision and range to any other known, would
be appreciated, according to its merits, by competent judges, and
would one day be adopted for the equipment of the entire Austro-
Hungarian infantry.  By means of unremitting perseverance, he had
succeeded in obtaining the appointment of an official commission to
examine it.  The commission decided that the Larinski musket possessed
certain advantages, but that it had three defects: it was too heavy,
the breech became choked too rapidly with oil from the lubricator, and
the cost of manufacture was too high.  Count Abel did not lose courage.
He gave himself up to study, devoted nearly two years to perfecting
his invention, and applied all his increased skill to rendering his
gun lighter and less costly.  When put under test, the new firearm
burst, and this vexatious incident ruined forever the reputation of
the Larinski gun.  Far from becoming enriched, the inventor had sunk
his expenses, his advances of every kind; he had recklessly squandered
both revenue and capital, which, to be sure, was not very
considerable.