area, such as an airfield, would, he had believed, prove too costly; but he thought that it might be developed in a small apparatus with a range of perhaps twenty yards which, if flashed only at intervals, could be brought within the means of the owners of large motor launches and the more expensive makes of car. I had naturally encouraged him to go ahead, as I saw great possibilities in the idea if it could be made a commercial proposition. The public would be certain to demand that buses should be fitted with it, and City Corporations might adopt it for use in beacons at main street crossings.
But, one evening late in June, Evans had told me that, for the time being, he had abandoned work on the fog ray, because the principles involved had given him a line on a much more fascinating problem, and he now hoped to produce a death ray.
I was far from pleased; for whereas I had seen the prospects of a lot of money for my Company out of his first idea, I saw little prospect of making anything out of his second. There is already, I believe, a ray which will form a barrier over an open window and kill any insect that flies into it, and although Evans asserted that his would be powerful enough to kill cattle at a limited range I could think of no practical use for it; except perhaps as a humane killer. It was, of course, just possible that the Ministry of Defence might take it up, but it would obviously be much too dangerous to leave about as a sort of ‘dumb sentry’ and the limitation of its range would render it of little use as an offensive weapon. In consequence, I had tried hard to get him back on to fog dispersal; but he had become sullen, dug his toes in, and flatly refused to be diverted from following up his latest inspiration.
Realising that he must now be referring to his death ray, I was considerably taken aback. After all, it is one of thethings that scientists have been endeavouring to discover for several generations, so a great feather in his cap. Moreover, sub-consciously I had formed the impression that he was only wasting his time and would never achieve practical results; so I exclaimed:
‘D’you really mean you’ve found a way to kill …’
He silenced me with an angry gesture, swivelled his eyes warningly towards Belton, who was at the wheel only some six feet from us, then nodded vigorously.
‘Have I got it, man? No real cause had I to come into Southampton this afternoon; but took the chance to do a bit of shopping, so as to come back with you. All evening I doubt but you’ll be with Lady Ankaret, and I’ve no wish to speak of this in front of her. I thought, though, maybe you’d like to see a demonstration; so this would be as good a way as any to get you alone and ask. Then what about this evening, after dinner, eh?’
‘Fine,’ I agreed at once. ‘It is a great feat to have pulled this off; and I shall be immensely interested. What sort of—er—dish do you propose to cook?’
‘Rabbit,’ he replied tersely.
I nodded. ‘I’ll come through to your lab at about half-past nine, then.’
We fell silent, and soon afterwards the launch was turning west past Calshot Castle. Another five minutes and Belton shut off her engine to glide silently in alongside the jetty that juts out from the private beach below Longshot Hall.
The greater part of the house consists of a solid two-storey block. On the ground floor the principal reception rooms look out over the Solent, and upstairs, in addition to what the Americans term ‘the master suite’, there are two double guest rooms and an extra bathroom. The kitchens and the servants’ quarters are at the back. That is ample accommodation for most people in these days, but there would not have been in the era of large families; so my forebears had built on a wing containing a number of smaller, less lofty rooms, and it was this which I had, more or less, turned over to Owen Evans.
I say ‘more or less’ because I had reserved the right to
But, one evening late in June, Evans had told me that, for the time being, he had abandoned work on the fog ray, because the principles involved had given him a line on a much more fascinating problem, and he now hoped to produce a death ray.
I was far from pleased; for whereas I had seen the prospects of a lot of money for my Company out of his first idea, I saw little prospect of making anything out of his second. There is already, I believe, a ray which will form a barrier over an open window and kill any insect that flies into it, and although Evans asserted that his would be powerful enough to kill cattle at a limited range I could think of no practical use for it; except perhaps as a humane killer. It was, of course, just possible that the Ministry of Defence might take it up, but it would obviously be much too dangerous to leave about as a sort of ‘dumb sentry’ and the limitation of its range would render it of little use as an offensive weapon. In consequence, I had tried hard to get him back on to fog dispersal; but he had become sullen, dug his toes in, and flatly refused to be diverted from following up his latest inspiration.
Realising that he must now be referring to his death ray, I was considerably taken aback. After all, it is one of thethings that scientists have been endeavouring to discover for several generations, so a great feather in his cap. Moreover, sub-consciously I had formed the impression that he was only wasting his time and would never achieve practical results; so I exclaimed:
‘D’you really mean you’ve found a way to kill …’
He silenced me with an angry gesture, swivelled his eyes warningly towards Belton, who was at the wheel only some six feet from us, then nodded vigorously.
‘Have I got it, man? No real cause had I to come into Southampton this afternoon; but took the chance to do a bit of shopping, so as to come back with you. All evening I doubt but you’ll be with Lady Ankaret, and I’ve no wish to speak of this in front of her. I thought, though, maybe you’d like to see a demonstration; so this would be as good a way as any to get you alone and ask. Then what about this evening, after dinner, eh?’
‘Fine,’ I agreed at once. ‘It is a great feat to have pulled this off; and I shall be immensely interested. What sort of—er—dish do you propose to cook?’
‘Rabbit,’ he replied tersely.
I nodded. ‘I’ll come through to your lab at about half-past nine, then.’
We fell silent, and soon afterwards the launch was turning west past Calshot Castle. Another five minutes and Belton shut off her engine to glide silently in alongside the jetty that juts out from the private beach below Longshot Hall.
The greater part of the house consists of a solid two-storey block. On the ground floor the principal reception rooms look out over the Solent, and upstairs, in addition to what the Americans term ‘the master suite’, there are two double guest rooms and an extra bathroom. The kitchens and the servants’ quarters are at the back. That is ample accommodation for most people in these days, but there would not have been in the era of large families; so my forebears had built on a wing containing a number of smaller, less lofty rooms, and it was this which I had, more or less, turned over to Owen Evans.
I say ‘more or less’ because I had reserved the right to
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