“There is my raw material,” said Raffles Haw carelessly, nodding at the heap. “Every Saturday I have a waggon-load sent up, which serves me for a week, but we shall need to work double tides when Laura and I are married, and we get our great schemes under way. I have to be very careful about the quality of the lead, for, of course, every impurity6 is reproduced in the gold.”
A heavy iron door led into the inner chamber. Haw unlocked it, but only to disclose a second one about five feet further on.
“This flooring is all disconnected at night,” he remarked. “I have no doubt that there is a good deal of gossip in the servants'-hall about this sealed chamber, so I have to guard myself against some inquisitive7 ostler or too adventurous8 butler.”
The inner door admitted them into the laboratory, a high, bare, whitewashed9 room with a glass roof. At one end was the furnace and boiler10, the iron mouth of which was closed, though the fierce red light beat through the cracks, and a dull roar sounded through the building. On either side innumerable huge Leyden jars stood ranged in rows, tier topping tier, while above them were columns of Voltaic cells. Robert's eyes, as he glanced around, lit on vast wheels, complicated networks of wire, stands, test-tubes, coloured bottles, graduated glasses, Bunsen burners, porcelain11 insulators12, and all the varied14 debris15 of a chemical and electrical workshop.
“Come across here,” said Raffles Haw, picking his way among the heaps of metal, the coke, the packing-cases, and the carboys of acid. “Yours is the first foot except my own which has ever penetrated16 to this room since the workmen left it. My servants carry the lead into the ante-room, but come no further. The furnace can be cleaned and stoked from without. I employ a fellow to do nothing else. Now take a look in here.”
He threw open a door on the further side, and motioned to the young artist to enter. The latter stood silent with one foot over the threshold, staring in amazement17 around him. The room, which may have been some thirty feet square, was paved and walled with gold. Great brick-shaped ingots, closely packed, covered the whole floor, while on every side they were reared up in compact barriers to the very ceiling. The single electric lamp which lighted the windowless chamber struck a dull, murky18, yellow light from the vast piles of precious metal, and gleamed ruddily upon the golden floor.
“This is my treasure house,” remarked the owner. “You see that I have rather an accumulation just now. My imports have been exceeding my exports. You can understand that I have other and more important duties even than the making of gold, just now. This is where I store my output until I am ready to send it off. Every night almost I am in the habit of sending a case of it to London. I employ seventeen brokers20 in its sale. Each thinks that he is the only one, and each is dying to know where I can get such large quantities of virgin21 gold. They say that it is the purest which comes into the market. The popular theory is, I believe, that I am a middleman acting22 on behalf of some new South African mine, which wishes to keep its whereabouts a secret. What value would you put upon the gold in this chamber? It ought to be worth something, for it represents nearly a week's work.”
“Something fabulous23, I have no doubt,” said Robert, glancing round at the yellow barriers. “Shall I say a hundred and fifty thousand pounds?”
“Oh dear me, it is surely worth very much more than that,” cried Raffles Haw, laughing. “Let me see. Suppose that we put it at three ten an ounce, which is nearly ten shillings under the mark. That makes, roughly, fifty-six pounds for a pound in weight. Now each of these ingots weighs thirty-six pounds, which brings their value to two thousand and a few odd pounds. There are five hundred ingots on each of these three sides of the room, but on the fourth there are only three hundred, on account of the door, but there cannot be less than two hundred on the floor, which gives us a rough total of two thousand ingots. So you see, my dear boy, that any broker19 who could get the contents of this chamber for four million pounds would be doing a nice little stroke of business.”
“You will follow me now when I repeat that none of the great schemes which I intend to simultaneously25 set in motion are at all likely to languish26 for want of funds. Now come into the laboratory with me and see how it is done.”
In the centre of the workroom was an instrument like a huge vice27, with two large brass-coloured plates, and a great steel screw for bringing them together. Numerous wires ran into these metal plates, and were attached at the other end to the rows of dynamic machines. Beneath was a glass stand, which was hollowed out in the centre into a succession of troughs.
“You will soon understand all about it,” said Raffles Haw, throwing off his coat, and pulling on a smoke-stained and dirty linen28 jacket. “We must first stoke up a little.” He put his weight on a pair of great bellows29, and an answering roar came from the furnace. “That will do. The more heat the more electric force, and the quicker our task. Now for the lead! Just give me a hand in carrying it.”
They lifted a dozen of the pigs of lead from the floor on to the glass stand, and having adjusted the plates on either side, Haw screwed up the handle so as to hold them in position.
“It used in the early days to be a slow process,” he remarked; “but now that I have immense facilities for my work it takes a very short time. I have now only to complete the connection in order to begin.”
He took hold of a long glass lever which projected from among the wires, and drew it downwards30. A sharp click was heard, followed by a loud, sparkling, crackling noise. Great spurts31 of flame sprang from the two electrodes, and the mass of lead was surrounded by an aureole of golden sparks, which hissed32 and snapped like pistol-shots. The air was filled with the peculiar33 acid smell of ozone34.
“The power there is immense,” said Raffles Haw, superintending the process, with his watch upon the palm of his hand. “It would reduce an organic substance to protyle instantly. It is well to understand the mechanism35 thoroughly36, for any mistake might be a grave matter for the operator. You are dealing37 with gigantic forces. But you perceive that the lead is already beginning to turn.”
Silvery dew-like drops had indeed begun to form upon the dull-coloured mass, and to drop with a tinkle38 and splash into the glass troughs. Slowly the lead melted away, like an icicle in the sun, the electrodes ever closing upon it as it contracted, until they came together in the centre, and a row of pools of quicksilver had taken the place of the solid metal. Two smaller electrodes were plunged39 into the mercury, which gradually curdled40 and solidified41, until it had resumed the solid form, with a yellowish brassy shimmer42.
“What lies in the moulds now is platinum,” remarked Raffles Haw. “We must take it from the troughs and refix it in the large electrodes. So! Now we turn on the current again. You see that it gradually takes a darker and richer tint43. Now I think that it is perfect.” He drew up the lever, removed the electrodes, and there lay a dozen bricks of ruddy sparkling gold.
“You see, according to our calculations, our morning's work has been worth twenty-four thousand pounds, and it has not taken us more than twenty minutes,” remarked the alchemist, as he picked up the newly-made ingots, and threw them down among the others.
“We will devote one of them to experiment,” said he, leaving the last standing44 upon the glass insulator13. “To the world it would seem an expensive demonstration45 which cost two thousand pounds, but our standard, you see, is a different one. Now you will see me run through the whole gamut46 of metallic47 nature.”
First of all men after the discoverer, Robert saw the gold mass, when the electrodes were again applied48 to it, change swiftly and successively to barium, to tin, to silver, to copper49, to iron. He saw the long white electric sparks change to crimson50 with the strontium, to purple with the potassium, to yellow with the manganese. Then, finally, after a hundred transformations51, it disintegrated52 before his eyes, and lay as a little mound53 of fluffy54 grey dust upon the glass table.
“And this is protyle,” said Haw, passing his fingers through it. “The chemist of the future may resolve it into further constituents55, but to me it is the Ultima Thule.”
“And now, Robert,” he continued, after a pause, “I have shown you enough to enable you to understand something of my system. This is the great secret. It is the secret which endows the man who knows it with such a universal power as no man has ever enjoyed since the world was made. This secret it is the dearest wish of my heart to use for good, and I swear to you, Robert McIntyre, that if I thought it would tend to anything but good I would have done with it for ever. No, I would neither use it myself nor would any other man learn it from my lips. I swear it by all that is holy and solemn!”
His eyes flashed as he spoke56, and his voice quivered with emotion. Standing, pale and lanky57, amid his electrodes and his retorts, there was still something majestic58 about this man, who, amid all his stupendous good fortune, could still keep his moral sense undazzled by the glitter of his gold. Robert's weak nature had never before realised the strength which lay in those thin, firm lips and earnest eyes.
“Surely in your hands, Mr. Haw, nothing but good can come of it,” he said.
“I hope not—I pray not—most earnestly do I pray not. I have done for you, Robert, what I might not have done for my own brother had I one, and I have done it because I believe and hope that you are a man who would not use this power, should you inherit it, for selfish ends. But even now I have not told you all. There is one link which I have withheld59 from you, and which shall be withheld from you while I live. But look at this chest, Robert.”
He led him to a great iron-clamped chest which stood in the corner, and, throwing it open, he took from it a small case of carved ivory.
“Inside this,” he said, “I have left a paper which makes clear anything which is still hidden from you. Should anything happen to me you will always be able to inherit my powers, and to continue my plans by following the directions which are there expressed. And now,” he continued, throwing his casket back again into the box, “I shall frequently require your help, but I do not think it will be necessary this morning. I have already taken up too much of your time. If you are going back to Elmdene I wish that you would tell Laura that I shall be with her in the afternoon.”
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1
raffles
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| n.抽彩售物( raffle的名词复数 )v.以抽彩方式售（物）( raffle的第三人称单数 ) | |
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2
waggon
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| n.运货马车，运货车；敞篷车箱 | |
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3
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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speculations
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| n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 )；思考；投机活动；推断 | |
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undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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impurity
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| n.不洁，不纯，杂质 | |
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7
inquisitive
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| adj.求知欲强的，好奇的，好寻根究底的 | |
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adventurous
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| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
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9
whitewashed
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| 粉饰，美化，掩饰( whitewash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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boiler
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| n.锅炉；煮器(壶，锅等) | |
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porcelain
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| n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的 | |
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insulators
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| 绝缘、隔热或隔音等的物质或装置( insulator的名词复数 ) | |
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13
insulator
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| n.隔离者；绝缘体 | |
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14
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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debris
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| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
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penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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18
murky
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| adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗 | |
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broker
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| n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排 | |
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brokers
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| n.（股票、外币等）经纪人( broker的名词复数 )；中间人；代理商；（订合同的）中人v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的第三人称单数 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排… | |
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21
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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22
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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23
fabulous
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| adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的 | |
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24
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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languish
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| vi.变得衰弱无力，失去活力，（植物等）凋萎 | |
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vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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28
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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29
bellows
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| n.风箱；发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的名词复数 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的第三人称单数 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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spurts
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| 短暂而突然的活动或努力( spurt的名词复数 )； 突然奋起 | |
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32
hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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33
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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ozone
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| n.臭氧，新鲜空气 | |
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mechanism
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| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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38
tinkle
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| vi.叮当作响；n.叮当声 | |
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39
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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40
curdled
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| v.（使）凝结( curdle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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41
solidified
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| （使）成为固体，（使）变硬，（使）变得坚固( solidify的过去式和过去分词 )； 使团结一致； 充实，巩固； 具体化 | |
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42
shimmer
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| v./n.发微光，发闪光；微光 | |
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43
tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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44
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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45
demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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46
gamut
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| n.全音阶，(一领域的)全部知识 | |
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47
metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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48
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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49
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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50
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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51
transformations
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| n.变化( transformation的名词复数 )；转换；转换；变换 | |
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52
disintegrated
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| v.（使）破裂[分裂，粉碎]，（使）崩溃( disintegrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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fluffy
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| adj.有绒毛的，空洞的 | |
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constituents
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| n.选民( constituent的名词复数 )；成分；构成部分；要素 | |
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56
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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57
lanky
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| adj.瘦长的 | |
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58
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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59
withheld
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| withhold过去式及过去分词 | |
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