Clara: So this is raw lead ore. Concordia (Shabby): You should have seen when we had cases and cases of gin around here. Clara: Why? To isolate individual elements from the alcohol? Anataeus (Shabby): Yes, exactly. Clara: How resourceful of you. Concordia (Shabby): That’s a sharp deduction, Clara. Clara: I’ve always been interested in alchemy, but my mother says it’s too dangerous for me to pursue. Clara: She thinks I’d explode the place. Anataeus (Shabby): Alchemy is dangerous, but not in the way your mother thinks. ----------- Anataeus (Shabby): Extracting the essence of lead from ore... there’s something no alchemist has had to do for centuries. Clara: Solving these ancient problems for yourself must be fascinating, though. Anataeus (Shabby): Maybe. Clara: In a way, you’re reinventing the field on your own. Anataeus (Shabby): That’s one way to look at it. For my part, I keep thinking I’ve traveled backward in time. Clara: What fun, though! Retracing the origins of alchemy.