The Blind Spot
XXVII
SOLVED
It was a tiny thing, and most amazingly beautiful. It could not havestood as high as a canary; and had its feathers been made of gleamingsilver they could not have been lovelier. And its black-plumed head, andlong, blossom-like tail, were such as no man on earth ever set eyes on.
Like a flash it was gone. Not more than a half a second was thisenchanting apparition visible to us. Before we could discern any morethan I have mentioned, it not only vanished but it ceased to make anysounds whatever. And each of us drew a long breath, as one might afterbeing given a glimpse of an angel.
Right now, five or six hours after the events I have just described, itis very easy for me to smile at my emotions of the time. How startledand mystified I was! And--why not confess it?--just a trifle afraid.Why? Because I didn't understand! Merely that.
At this moment I sit in my laboratory upstairs in that house, rejoicingin having reached the end of the mystery. For the enigma of the BlindSpot is no more. I have solved it!
Now twenty feet away, in another room, lies Ariadne. Already there isa faint trace of colour in her cheeks, and her heart is beating morestrongly. Another hour, says Dr. Higgins, and she will be restored tous!
The time is seven p.m. I didn't sleep at all last night; I haven't sleptsince. For the past five hours we have been working steadily on themystery, ever since our finding that little, red pebble in the basement.The last three hours of the time I have been treating Ariadne, usingmeans which our discoveries indicated. And in order to keep awake I havebeen dictating this account to a stenographer.
This young lady, a Miss Dibble, is downstairs, where her typewriter willnot bother. Yes, put that down, too, Miss Dibble; I want people to knoweverything! She has a telephone clamped to her ears, and I am talkinginto a microphone which is fixed to a stand on my desk.
On that desk are four switches. All are of the four-way two-pole type;and from them run several wires, some going to one end of the room,where they are attached to the Holcomb gem. Others, running to theopposite end, making contact with the tiny heavy stone we found in thebasement. Other wires run from the switches to lead bands around mywrists. Also, between switches are several connections--one circuitcontaining an amplifying apparatus. By throwing these switches invarious combinations, I can secure any given alteration of forces, anddirect them where I choose.
For there are two other wires. These run from my own lead bracelets toanother room; a pair clamped around the wrists of Ariadne.
For I, Hobart Fenton, am now a living, human transforming station. I amconverting the power of the Infinite into the Energy of Life. And I amtransmitting that power directly out of the ether, as conduced throughthese two marvellous stones, back into the nervous system of the girl Ilove. Another hour, and she will Exist!
It was all so very simple, now that I understand it. And yet--well, anabsolutely new thing is always very hard to put into words.
To begin with, I must acknowledge the enormous help which I have hadfrom my friends: Miss Clarke, Mme. Le Fabre, General Hume, Dr. Malloy,and Herold. These people are still in the house with me; I think theyare eating supper. I've already had mine. Really, I can't take muchcredit to myself for what I have found out. The others supplied most ofthe facts. I merely happened to fit them together; and, because of myrelationship to the problem, am now doing the heroic end of the work.
As for Harry--he and Dr. Holcomb, Chick Watson and even the dog--I shallhave them out of the Blind Spot inside of twelve hours. All I need isa little rest. I'll go straight to bed as soon as I finish revivingAriadne; and when I wake up, we'll see who's who, friend Rhamda!
I'm too exuberant to hold myself down to the job of telling what I'vediscovered. But it's got to be done. Here goes!
I practically took my life in my hands when I first made connection.However, I observed the precaution of rigging up a primary connectiondirect from the ring to the pebble, running the wire along the floorsome distance away from where I sat. No ill effects when I ventured intothe line of force; so I began to experiment with the switches.
That precautionary circuit was Herold's idea. His, also, the amplifyingapparatus. The mental attitude was Miss Clarke's, modified by Dr.Malloy. The lead bracelets were Mme. Le Fabre's suggestion; theywork fine. Sir Henry was the one who pointed out the advantage of themicrophone I am using. If my hands become paralysed I can easily callfor help to my side.
Well, the first connection I tried resulted in nothing. Perfectly blank.Then I tried another and another, meanwhile continually adjusting theamplifier; and as a result I am now able, at will, to do either or allof the following:
(1) I can induct sounds from the Blind Spot; (2) I can induct light, orvisibility; or (3) any given object or person, in toto.
And now to tell how. No, I'm just sleepy, not weak.
Let's see; where was I? Oh, yes; those connections. They've got to bedone just right, with the proper tension in the coils, and the correctmental attitude, to harmonise. I wish I wasn't so tired!
One moment! No, no; I'm all right. I--Queer! By Jove, that's a funnything just now! I must have got an inducted current from another wire,mixed with these! And--I got a glimpse into the Blind Spot!
A great--No; it's a--What a terrific crowd! Wonder what they're all--ByJove, it's--Good Lord, it's he! And Chick! No, I'm not wandering! I'mhaving the experience of my life!
Now--THAT'S the boy! Don't let 'em bluff you! Good! Good! Tell 'em whereto head in! That's the boy! Rub it in! I don't know what you're up to,but I'm with you!
Er--there's a big crowd of ugly looking chaps there, and I can't make itout--Just a moment--a moment. What does it mean, anyway? Just--I--
DANGER, by Heaven! THAT'S what it means!
No; I'm all right. The--thing came to an end, abruptly. That's all;everything normal again; the room just the same as it was a moment ago.Hello! I seem to have started something! The wire down on the floor hascommenced to hum! Oh, I've got my eye on it, and if anything--
Miss Dibble! Tell Herold to come! On the run! Quick! Did you? Good!don't stop writing! I--
There's Chick! CHICK! How did you get here? What? YOU CAN'T SEE ME!Why--
Chick! Listen! Listen, man! I've gone into the Blind Spot! Write thisdown! The connection--
That's Herold! Herold, this is Chick Watson! Listen, now, youtwo! The--the--I can hardly--it's from No. 4 to--to--to thering--then--coil--
Both switches, Chick! Ah! I've--
NOTE BY MISS L. DIBBLE.--Just as Mr. Fenton made the concluding remarkas above, there came a loud crash, followed by the voice of Mr. Herold.Then, there came a very loud clang from a bell; just one stroke. Afterwhich I caught Mr. Fenton's voice:
"Herold--Chick can tell you what IT wants us to do--"
And with that, his voice trailed off into nothing, and died away. As forMr. Fenton himself, I am informed that he has utterly disappeared; andin his stead there now exists a man who is known to Dr. Hansen as ChickWatson.