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Transcriber's note
A detailed transcriber's note can be found at the end of this book.
A. D. 2000
BY
LIEUT. ALVARADO M. FULLER
U. S. A.
CHICAGO LAIRD & LEE PUBLISHERS 1890
Entered according to act of Congress in the year eighteen hundred and ninety, by LAIRD & LEE, in the office of the librarian of Congress at Washington.
(All rights reserved.)
PREFACE
Lest originality of title and theme be denied, it is but justice tomyself to state that both were assumed in November, 1887. My thanks aredue to Lieutenant D. L. Brainard, Second Cavalry, for the true copy ofthe record of the Greely party left in the cairn at the farthest pointon the globe ever reached by man--83 degrees 24 minutes North Latitude,40 degrees 46 minutes West Longitude.
THE AUTHOR.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I JUNIUS COBB'S MARVELOUS DISCOVERY 9
CHAPTER II A STARTLING PROPOSITION 31
CHAPTER III PREPARING FOR THE TEST 45
CHAPTER IV JEAN COLCHIS, CONSPIRATOR AND SAVANT 61
CHAPTER V ON THE EVE OF A CENTURY'S SLEEP 80
CHAPTER VI FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH 101
CHAPTER VII "YOU SAY THIS IS A. D. 2000?" 108
CHAPTER VIII SAN FRANCISCO IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY 130
CHAPTER IX THE CENTRAL PNEUMATIC RAILROAD 150
CHAPTER X UNDER THE CENTRAL SEA 168
CHAPTER XI THE ARMY OF INSTRUCTION 199
CHAPTER XII JUNIUS COBB READS A NEWSPAPER 235
CHAPTER XIII NEW YORK CITY--POPULATION 4,000,000 245
CHAPTER XIV THE LAW OF THE LAND 261
CHAPTER XV THE SYMPATHETIC TELEGRAPH 278
CHAPTER XVI CHICAGO THE METROPOLIS OF THE COUNTRY 299
CHAPTER XVII NIAGARA FALLS HARNESSED 309
CHAPTER XVIII THE MYSTERY OF THE COPPER CYLINDER 315
CHAPTER XIX RESURRECTED 332
CHAPTER XX AN AERIAL VOYAGE 347
CHAPTER XXI THE TRANSATLANTIC LIFE-SAVING STATIONS 363
CHAPTER XXII LOCATING THE NORTH POLE 380
CHAPTER XXIII UNITED AT LAST 396
CHAPTER XXIV CONCLUSION 404
A. D. 2000
CHAPTER I
"Number three! half-past eleven o'clock--and all's well!"
"All is well!" came the response from the sentry at the guard-house,while the sharp click of his piece as he brought it to his shoulder andthe heavy tread of his retreating footsteps were all that was heard tobreak the stillness that reigned supreme throughout the garrison.
It was a dark, dreary, foggy night. The heavy atmosphere seemed ladenwith great masses of fleeting vapor, and the walks of the post and theground surrounding them were as wet as if a heavy shower had just spentits force.
Such was the Presidio of San Francisco, California, a military post ofthe United States government, on the night of November 17th, 1887. Thelights of the garrison made little effect upon that thick and saturatedatmosphere; yet the little that they did make only seemed to add moreto the depth of the surrounding gloom.
In the officers' club-room, near the main parade, was gathered ajolly party of old and young officers. The rooms were handsomely,even superbly, furnished. The billiard-tables were in full blast; thecard-tables were occupied; while many sat and chatted upon the variousmilitary topics which are ever a part of the soldier's life.
In a set of officers' quarters, some distance away from the mainparade, were assembled three subalterns of the line. The room wasbright and cheerful, and the decanters upon the table showed that theyknew of the good cheer of the world. The furniture upon which theofficers sat and reclined, as also about the room, gave evidence ofrefinement and education; while the cases stacked with books, near theentrance, bespoke a tendency and desire on the part of the occupant ofthe quarters for the improvement of his mind. A grate fire in the anglethrew its cheerful rays upon those present, while the luxuriousness andwarmth of the whole room was in direct contrast with the gloominess andcold without.
Opening from the main room through a curtained door was a second room,the inside of which was a study. There was no carpet upon the floor,and the boards gave evidence of having been used by many feet. Tablescontaining jars and many curious vessels, wires in every direction,bottles filled and empty, maps and drawings, and instruments ofpeculiar form and shape, were seen about the room.
In one corner was a large Holtz machine, whose great disc of glassreflected back the rays from the lights in the front room.
The three men were soldiers and officers of the army.
In the center of the room, by a small table upon which was a roll ofpaper, with one hand holding down the pages, while the other was raisedin a commanding gesture, stood Junius Cobb, a lieutenant in the cavalryarm of the service. Sitting in an easy-chair near the fire, with hislegs on the fender and his eyes watching every movement of the speaker,reclined Lester Hathaway; while midway between the table and the rightside of the room, in a large rocker, sat Hugh Craft.
Lester Hathaway was a graduate of the military academy of the UnitedStates, as was also Hugh Craft; both were lieutenants in the army--theformer in the infantry, and the latter in the artillery branch of theservice.
Lester Hathaway was about twenty-eight years of age, tall and slim,fair-haired, a pleasing face, languid air, and a blase style. To himthe world was one grand sphere for enjoyment; it was his life, hisalmost every thought, as to how he could pass his time in an easy andamusing manner. Balls, parties, and dances were his special vocations.With him there was no thought of the true hardships of life.
Young and handsome, courted by the ladies, he could not understand howit was that others should occupy their minds with subjects of researchand study.
Hugh Craft was of a different type; yet, like Hathaway, he was talland thin, and about the same age; but here the likeness terminated. Hewas darker than his companion, with sharp features, an aquiline nose,and a chin denoting great firmness. His eye was piercing, and wanderedfrom one object to another with the rapidity of lightning. He was muchmore of a student than Hathaway, delighting in all that portion ofthe sciences touching the marvelous; a good listener to the views ofothers. Altogether, Hugh Craft was a man worthy to be the partner of ascientific man in a great enterprise.
Junius Cobb, the central figure in the room, deserves more than apassing description. He was a man about thirty-three years of age, ofmedium height, but of a full and well-developed form, black eyes, apleasing countenance, a dark mustache nearly covering his lips, squarechin, and eyebrows meeting in the center of the face--all tokensof a great firmness and decision. He was one who had given many ofhis days and nights to hard study in science, in political economy,and, in fact, had taken a deep interest in almost all of the variousprogressive undertakings of his day.
Outside of his duties, Junius Cobb had employed every spare moment ofhis time in experimenting in chemistry and electricity. The room offthe sitting-room, where the three gentlemen were gathered this darkand foggy night, was his workshop, into which no man was permitted togo save he himself. Its mysterious contents were known to no otherperson.
/> His friends would come and visit him, and sit for hours talking andchatting, but no invitation was ever accorded them to enter that singleroom.
"Craft," and Cobb pointed his finger at that personage in an impatientmanner, "we have often discussed these matters, I will admit, but it isa theme I like to talk upon. Do you believe in the immortality of thesoul?"
"Why, of course," replied that person, looking surprised.
"And you, too, Hathaway?" continued Cobb, addressing the other.
"Most certainly I do," was the reply.
"Now, do either of you believe that the living body can be so preparedthat it will continue to hold the soul within its fleshly portals foryears without losing that great and unknown essence?" and Cobb fixedhis sparkling eyes upon his listeners.
"Yes," answered Craft; "but by God alone."
"I do not mean by God," quickly returned the other. "God is allpowerful; but by man?"
"Then, of course, I would say that it cannot be done."
"But if I were to show you that it was a fact, an accomplished fact,you would, of course, admit it?"
"No, Cobb. Look here, old fellow," pettishly exclaimed Hathaway, risingfrom his chair, "what is all this about, anyway?"
Cobb glanced at him with an expression of pity, and quickly replied:
"I mean, Hathaway, that it is in my power to hold the life of mortalman within its living body for an unlimited time. I mean that I cantake your body, Hathaway, and so manipulate it that you will be, to allappearance, dead; but your soul, or whatever you choose to call it,will still be in your body; and further, that after a certain time youwill again come to life, having all your former freshness and youth."
Cobb stood at the table with his hand upon the pages of his book, and asmile upon his face which seemed to say, "Deny it if you can."
Hathaway and Craft looked at him in amazement. These men had known Cobbto be a student, but neither of them had ever thought him demented.
The proposition advanced by him seemed so terribly contrary to all theprinciples of science, natural law, and life, that neither of themcould believe that the man was in earnest.
Both Hathaway and Craft had often come to Cobb's quarters, andexchanged ideas with him concerning various and many topics; both knewhim to be a student of chemistry and philosophy, and that he workedmany hours in his little back room. They knew that he worked withchemicals and electricity, and both knew him to be a very peculiar man,yet neither of them had ever before seemed to be imbued with the beliefthat the man was of unsound mind. The grave and startling statementadvanced by Cobb had so astonished them that it was impossible to thinkhim sane.
"Yes," continued Cobb, "I have found this power. I have no doubt thatit strikes you with amazement that I should even suggest such analmost preposterous theory. I have no doubt that you almost think meinsane; but my researches in the past few years have been rewardedby the most startling discoveries. We have all imagined, for manyyears, that as soon as the body was deprived of air for a considerabletime, life would become extinct, or, in other words, that life couldnot exist without air. Such is not the case--ah! do not start," heexclaimed, seeing both Hathaway and Craft bend forward inquiringlyin their chairs. "I repeat, such is not the case. Without the oxygenin the air, the blood of man would be white, yet it would possessall the properties necessary to continue life. But one thing mustnot be confounded with this statement: oxygen is necessary for life_with_ action, but not necessary for life _without_ action. A strangestatement, is it not? Am I tedious?" he asked, looking at his listeners.
"No; not at all," they both exclaimed. "Please continue, for we arevery much interested."
"Well," and Cobb's eyes flashed as he warmed up to his subject, "itwas long ago discovered that there was a peculiar odor arising uponthe passage of a current of electricity through oxygen gas; this wasalso perceived even in working an electrical machine. This odor wasnamed ozone. Both of you gentlemen are sufficiently proficient inchemistry for me to pass over the various methods by which ozone canbe manufactured, yet I think it quite necessary that I should state afew facts about this very remarkable gas, if, indeed, it can be calleda gas; it is really allotropic oxygen. Now, oxygen can be put into aliquid state, or even into a solid state; yet it is most difficultto keep it in either of those conditions--so much so that it wouldbe of no use for the purposes for which I desire to use it. Oxygenis contracted by passing an electric spark through it, and ozone isperceived by the peculiar odor arising therefrom. If the intensity ofthe current is increased sufficiently, the oxygen is proportionatelydecreased in bulk. Suffice it to say that oxygen can be reducedmillions of times in bulk by this simple method, always provided thatthe electrical energy was sufficient at starting. You will perceive,"and he hastily quitted the room, entered his workshop, and returnedwith a small bottle fitted with a tight stopper, and containingapparently a stick of camphor--"you will perceive," he continued,"when I open this bottle, a most peculiar odor, a lightness in theatmosphere, a seeming renewal of life, and a sense of languidnesspassing over you."
Saying this, he took out the glass stopper and passed the bottle twoor three times in front of Hathaway and Craft. As the bottle was movedfrom side to side, both of them experienced a strange sensation; itseemed that the air was heavily charged with a something that gavethem feelings of unutterable lightness, of calm repose, and intensesatisfaction. The lights danced about in thousands of forms, yet eachappeared to possess some true and beautiful shape. They moved, theywalked and ran, yet no effort seemed to be required. It was as if theywere a part of some living thing, yet not a part: a part of it in thatthey moved and had feelings coincident with it, yet not a part becauseno effort was required, of brain or muscle, to be a part of it. For amoment it seemed to each of them that a state of exertionless existencehad been reached, and then each knew no more. They lay in their chairsapparently lifeless.
Cobb quickly replaced the stopper in the bottle, and took from hisnostrils two small pieces of sponge, which had been saturated in somekind of solution.
Returning to the back room, he replaced the bottle on the shelf fromwhich he had taken it, and came back to his position by the table.
He watched Hathaway and Craft a few minutes, when, seeing no appearanceof reviving, he arose and opened the windows and wheeled their chairsaround so that the cool night air could strike them full in the face.This done, he sat himself down near the table and seemed to watch withgreat earnestness the countenances of his two friends.
He had sat this way but a moment, when a sigh escaped the lips ofCraft, his eyes opened, and he gazed about him with a most puzzled anddazed expression.
Cobb sprang quickly to his side, and presented a glass of wine to hislips.
"There," he said, "take some of that, old fellow; you will feel likeyour former self in a moment."
Craft drank the liquor without saying a word; then, raising himself, helooked Cobb in the eyes, and asked:
"Have I been asleep, Cobb, or what is the matter? I feel as if I hadjust awakened from a most delicious slumber, a most refreshing one, andyet I had no dreams, nor does it seem that I am fatigued in the least."
At this moment Hathaway opened his eyes, and also in a dazed mannerviewed his surroundings.
"Why, bless me, I have been asleep!" he exclaimed.
Cobb quickly filled a second glass of wine and gave it to him, saying:"Drink that; you will feel all right in a jiffy."
Hathaway emptied the glass, and then, looking at Craft, said:
"I know now; it was the bottle, or rather the contents, that has causedus both to fall asleep."
"Yes," said Cobb, "it was the contents of that bottle that has causedyou both to enter the first stages of death."
"How long has this sleep continued?" asked Craft.
"About ten minutes."
"And was I also asleep as long?" asked Hathaway.
"Yes; a little longer," returned Cobb. "Craft awoke first."
Pausing to light a cigar, he then
resumed:
"How do you feel--sick or languid?"
"Oh, as for me, not at all," spoke up Craft. "I cannot say that I feelany ill effect from the drug."
"Nor I," said Hathaway, "except that I am a little dry," with a laugh.
"Then take some of this wine," and Cobb filled a glass for each ofthem. "It will brace up your nerves."
They drank the wine, and appeared to suffer no evil effects from theirenforced sleep.
"Will you not smoke, also?" asked Cobb, as he passed over a box of fineHavana cigars. Each took one, and Cobb laid the box aside.
Soon the clouds of smoke rising to the ceiling renewed the scene ofwarmth and sociability which had prevailed before the uncorking of thebottle of ozone.
"You, gentlemen," said Cobb, drawing his chair to the fire, and takinga seat near the others, "have seen pure ozone in its solid state, andyou both have felt its effect. It is the life-giving principle ofoxygen. Ozone is everywhere; in the air, of course; in all creation,in fact. I do not wish to tire you, but if you desire, I will explainwhy I said that I had the power to hold life in the human body for anindefinite time."
"You will not tire us. Pray go on; I, for one, am most anxious to knowmore of this wonderful discovery of yours," quickly returned Craft.
"I also can listen for hours to your words," answered Hathaway.
"Then, I will explain to you my researches in this direction;" andCobb arose and entered his little back room, soon returning with agood-sized box, which he laid upon the table.
Craft and Hathaway watched him with an earnestness which gave evidenceof the interest they took in the strange theories which he hadadvanced. Indeed, it was a most strange, not to say terrible, power fora man to possess--that of holding the soul of man within its fleshlyportals during his pleasure.
After Cobb had placed the box upon the table, he opened the roll ofpapers which he had before him at the time he got the bottle of ozone.Referring to one of the pages, he looked toward Hathaway and said:
"Can you tell me how many cubic feet of air the average man requiresin every twenty-four hours?"
Hathaway, taken by surprise, hesitated, blushed, and admitted that hehad forgotten the exact amount.
"Well," continued the other, quickly, "it is not to be supposed thatyou should remember the answer to such a question, so I will tell you.A healthy man, in action, consumes about 686,000 cubic inches in everytwenty-four hours. Now, what I wish to have you understand by that,is this: that the average man requires about 137,200 cubic inches ofoxygen in every twenty-four hours. This is the accepted way of puttingit; in reality, he needs the ozone contained in that amount of oxygen.I do not desire that you should receive the impression that the oxygenis not needed for the man, but that the ozone only is required for thecontinuance of life where there is no action. I may surprise you whenI say that each of you draws into your lungs, every day, over sevenpounds of oxygen gas, but such is the case. Now, in those seven poundsof oxygen there are just two grains of pure ozone. Do not interruptme," as Craft attempted to speak; "I know what you would say--that thatis contrary to the accepted opinion on the subject, and that the amountis much greater--but let me tell you that my researches have found itentirely different: two grains only, to seven pounds of oxygen, orthirty-five pounds of common air. You will perceive by the above thateach of you requires nearly two grains of ozone per day, or about 700grains per year. Now, if by any freak of nature you could remain in aperfectly passive state, doing nothing, exercising no action at all,this amount of 700 grains would fall to about 400 grains; that is,the blood would require that amount to continue to perform its vitalfunctions. Thus you see that you would require for the maintenanceof life for a hundred years, 40,000 grains. This is equivalent tonearly seven pounds of ozone. Ozone, as you have already ascertained,cannot be taken into the system through the nostrils without seriousconsequences. It is too powerful, and would soon cause paralysis anddeath; but it can be taken into the system through the pores of thebody without danger to life. Again, ozone can be kept in the solidstate under the pressure of two atmospheres; reduce this pressure, andit will begin to evaporate. Crystals of stronetic acid, you both know,quickly decompose carbonic acid gas. Now, the whole secret is this:If insensibility is first produced by any of the various means at ourcommand, and the subject is then placed in a receptacle sufficientlystrong to withstand a pressure of over two atmospheres, and surroundedby crystals of ozone and stronetic acid in certain proportions,insensibility will continue, and the subject will in no way change,save a slight decrease in weight. Life is there, and will continuethere until the ozone is entirely exhausted. To compensate for theloss in weight, the subject is bound about the abdomen with clothssaturated in certain oils and preparations which I have ascertainedwill furnish all the nourishment required for a given period."
Craft and Hathaway could not help looking at this man in amazement.
Was this the man with whom they had played billiards, with whom theyhad drank and associated, never dreaming that he was engaged in anysuch investigations? Was he, indeed, crazy? and were they the listenersto a lunatic's chattering discourse?
Such were the thoughts that passed through the minds of both.
Cobb stood watching the effect of his words upon them. He noted everychange in their countenances; he read every thought as it came to theirminds. He spoke not a word, waiting for them to give utterance to theskeptical ideas which he knew they entertained.
"It is too strange! It is too contrary to natural law and science! Itis impossible!" and Craft arose as if to go.
"Yes, Cobb," said Hathaway, "this is too much; it is a fancy you havegotten, but a fancy which can never be realized. You have allowed yourtheories to become shadows, your shadows to become tangible, but thetangibility is apparent to no one but yourself." He too arose from hischair.
A smile played upon the lips of Cobb, a smile of perfectself-satisfaction. His eyes shone as if his very soul centered in them.
"Look!" he cried; "look! and behold for yourselves whether my words areworthy of consideration!"
Saying this, he raised the lid of the box on the table; then, steppingback and pointing his finger at it, exclaimed, in a tone of command, atone of majestic confidence in his own power:
"Look! Behold life in death; death in life!"
Craft took a step forward, and glanced into the box. A puzzled andludicrous expression came over his face, his lips parted, then,finally, his white teeth showed themselves as he gave vent to a loudand prolonged laugh.
Hathaway had by this time advanced and obtained a view of the contentsof the box.
"A cat, by all that's holy!" he exclaimed; "a poor dead cat!" and hetoo joined in the merriment of his friend.
Cobb stood still, not in the least endeavoring to check their hilarity,but waiting for them to get through.
Again the others looked at the cat in the box, and again they laughedheartily; but seeing Cobb so quiet, it at last dawned upon them thatthere was something peculiar in the surroundings of the animal.
In the box which had been brought out and placed upon the table was alarge Maltese cat, lying upon its side on an asbestos pillow. The headof the animal was wrapped with bandages, as was also the under part ofthe body for a space of about two inches above its thighs. The cushionupon which it lay was placed within what appeared to be a zinc coffinof something under ten inches in height. At the head of the cat was asmall saucer-shaped vessel with a perforated top, while surroundingthe whole was a space of over four inches in width. In this space werethe remains of a few crystals of some white substance. The box seemedto be lined with glass, and a glass top covered the whole, its sidesseemingly glued to the sides of the box.
"Come," said Craft, noticing that Cobb was waiting for some remark fromone or the other of them; "tell us, Cobb, why you have that cat lyingin that box. Is this the principle you have been speaking of? Are wereally to believe that you have in that case an animal undergoing thetreatment you have spoken of?"
"Gentlemen," answered Cobb, with a feeling of pride, "you have guessedit. One year ago to-night, at twelve o'clock, I caused this poor animalto become insensible; then placing it in this case, with its mouth andnostrils covered, with bandages of nourishment about its loins, with acup of stronetic acid at its head, and crystals of ozone surroundingthe body, I hermetically sealed the case. From my experiments, Iascertained that the amount of ozone necessary for the continuanceof life in an animal of this size, and for a period of one year, was1,425 grains. This amount I put into the case. You can easily seehow near correct I was in my calculations, for there are not over tengrains of ozone left on the floor of the box to-night. I asked youhere, gentlemen, not only to listen to my lecture on ozone, but towitness the return to life of this animal."
All laughter in Hathaway and Craft had changed to a grave attention toall that was said by their friend.
At last it seemed to them that there was something, indeed, in thetheory he advanced. In an attitude of intense expectation, they awaitedhis next move.
"As I have said," continued Cobb, "that cat was placed in thiscondition one year ago to-night. It is my intention to bring it to lifeagain this evening; but before we begin, let us take a glass of wineand light our cigars, and then to business."
He filled their glasses from the decanter on the table, and each took afresh cigar from the box.
Craft again sat himself down in his chair and leisurely puffed cloudsof smoke from his mouth, while Hathaway stood with his back to the fire.
Both were now prepared for anything which Cobb might advance, for itseemed to each of them that it was no longer a question of "Is ittrue?" but a "fact only to be proved."
Cobb, having left the room, soon returned with a small box containingsix cells of Grenet battery and about ten feet of wire attached to twopieces of copper. These he placed upon the table.
Taking the box containing the cat, he carried it to the front windowand set it upon a chair. Entering once again his little work-room, hebrought out three sponges and as many strips of common linen, and thenfrom a bottle in his hand he sprinkled the sponges well. ApproachingCraft, he said:
"Let me bind this upon your nostrils, and at the same time caution younot to open your mouth, but to breathe through the linen bandage andsponge."
Craft arose and submitted to the operation of having his face below theeyes covered by the sponge and bandages.
Cobb then approached Hathaway and treated him in like manner.
This having been finished, he wrapped his own face carefully with thethird bandage. His mouth was purposely left free that he might explainthe few remaining acts in his strange comedy.
Going across the room, he threw open the window to its full extent;then coming back again, he opened the window before which stood thechair containing the box. Turning to his friends, he answered theirmute inquiries by stating that he took these precautions lest theremaining ozone in the case should, in escaping, overpower them. Theair passing through the room from the back window would quickly carryout the evaporating ozone.
"I will break the glass top of the case," he said, "and quickly seizethe cat, withdraw it, and throw the box out of the window."
Cobb now adjusted the cloth about his mouth, while the others camecloser to him that they might not miss any part of the proceedings.Taking a small hammer from a shelf near by, he struck the glass a smartblow, shattering it into many pieces; quickly seizing the cat, hedrew it out of the case and threw the latter out of the window. Next,tearing off the bandages about its loins and head, he clapped the twocopper discs against the body of the animal--one upon its back and oneupon its breast, just over the heart; then dropping the zincs into thefluid of the battery, completed the circuit by touching a push-button.
The effect was startling: the poor animal gave a gasp, a shiver ranthrough its frame, its chest heaved a moment, and it breathed.
Quickly taking it to the fire, he rubbed it briskly with a towel fora couple of minutes, and then laid it down upon the warm rug near thegrate, that its body might receive the heat from the fire.
The animal lay but a moment where he had placed it; it soon arose onits legs, walked around once or twice, and then quietly lay down in anew position.
Taking the bandages from his face, Cobb told the others to do likewise.The air in the room was only slightly impregnated with the odor ofozone.
The windows being closed, a saucer of milk was placed before the cat,and the animal instantly arose and lapped its contents.
It seemed to all present as if the animal had just arisen from a soundsleep. There was no indication in its manner that it had undergone anynew or unusual treatment.
It was strange! It was more than strange--it was marvelous!
No longer was there any doubt in the mind of either Craft or Hathaway.The theory had been plainly and truly demonstrated. Cobb had becomepossessed of a power unknown to any other living man. What would he dowith this power? was the question that immediately came to the mind ofeach. Would he use it for good, or for evil? Was it a play-thing thathe had discovered? or had he worked out this problem for some great andgrand undertaking?
"What next?" inquired Hathaway. "What is the next act in this drama?"
"To bed," said Cobb, glancing up at the clock. "It is now ten minutespast one. To-morrow evening meet me here. Say nothing, not even a word,about what you both have witnessed and heard to-night. Have I yourword?" he asked, inquiringly.
"Yes, certainly," they replied together; "if you wish us not to speakof it."
"I do indeed wish it, and trust that nothing will cause you to divulgea single part of this evening's occurrences. Good-night!"
Shaking their hands at the door, he again said good-night as theydescended the stairway.
Returning, he filled the grate with more coal, and threw himself down,without undressing, upon the cot in the corner of the room. A momentlater, the deep sound of his breathing and the low purring of the caton the rug were the only sounds heard in the room.