Of the wonderful results which the machine was sure to accomplish, Mr. Minford was never tired of talking, nor Mr. Wilkeson of hearing, although, at these times, his eyes followed the flying motions of Pet’s fingers, as if they were a part of the wonder of which the inventor discoursed so glowingly.

Precisely what the machine was to effect, when completed, Marcus Wilkeson would never have known, if he had been the most attentive of listeners.  Mr. Minford spoke in vague, general terms, that afforded no clue to the mystery.  He talked of old philosophers and mechanicians, who had failed to discover an unnamed secret of Nature, because they had no faith in its existence.  Complete faith in the existence of the thing to be discovered, as well as in the ability of the searcher to find it, he regarded as indispensable conditions of an inventor’s success.

The fact that the natural law which he was trying to demonstrate had been pronounced an impossibility by professors of science, should weigh as nothing in the mind of any man who remembered how every great invention of the age had in turn been stamped “impossible” by those dogmatizers in their academical chairs, their books, and their reviews.  Latterly (Mr. Minford confessed), the scientific theorists had been more tolerant toward other people’s inventions (they never invent anything themselves); but with regard to the one upon which he was now engaged, they had, with complete unanimity, decided that the thing could not be done, and charitably called every man an idiot or a lunatic who attempted to do it.

“The world has at last fallen into this belief,” Mr. Minford would say, bitterly, “and the few people with whom I am acquainted would all agree in echoing these scientific opinions, if they knew what I am working at.  But no one shall know—­excepting you, Mr. Wilkeson, to whom I should be most happy to explain everything, if you would only let me.  This prejudice is too deep rooted to be readily pulled up.  Even when my invention is perfected, and has entered upon its boundless career of usefulness, I know that it will be called a humbug; that people will look at it, and see it in operation, and still say it is a lie.  Yet the time will come when the professors of science will feel proud to expound, by formulas, the very invention which they have shown, by formulas, to be an absolute contradiction of all the laws of Nature.  As for the rabble who make up the world (the inventor’s lips curled as he said this), they will be glad to atone for the mad hue-and-cry with which they will follow me at first, by giving me, at last, limitless wealth and immortal fame.”

Mr. Minford’s eyes flashed; and Marcus Wilkeson, looking up at them from Pet’s volant fingers, saw in their sudden glare what he took to be the evidence of genius; but what, in an ordinary man, he would have called a decided symptom of insanity.

CHAPTER II.