Darrow extended his investigations to the bookcase, and to a
drawer in the deal table. For over two hours he sorted notes, compared,
and ruminated, his brows knit in concentration. Jack did not try to
interrupt him. At the end of the time indicated, the scientist looked up
and made some trivial remark.
"Got it?" asked Jack.
"Yes," replied Darrow soberly. He reflected for several minutes longer;
then moved to the window and looked out over the city. Absolutely
motionless there he stood while the night fell, oblivious alike to the
roar and crash of the increasing panic and to the silent figures in the
darkened room behind him. At last he gave a sigh, walked quietly to the
electric light, and turned it on.
"It's the biggest thing--and the simplest--the world has ever known in
physics, Jack" said he, "but it's got to go."
"What?" asked Jack, rousing from the mood of waiting into which he had
loyally forced himself in spite of the turmoil outside.
"The man has perfected a combined system of special tuning and definite
electrical energy," said Darrow, "by which through an ordinary wireless
sender he can send forth into the ether what might be called deadening or
nullifying waves. You are no doubt familiar with the common experiment by
which two sounds will produce a silence. This is just like that. By means
of this, within the radius of his sending instrument and for a period of
time up to the capacity of his batteries, a man can absolutely stop
vibration of either heat, sound, light, or electricity length.
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