Part 12 (1/2)
She had gently lifted up his straw hat, and found beneath a head that was not Lord Carbury's. The man, who had cowered with surprise at her touch and voice, but had waited even then to finish an observation of his galvanometer before turning, now turned and stared at her.
”I _beg_ your pardon,” said Marian, blus.h.i.+ng vigorously. ”I thought it was Lord Carbury. I have disturbed you very rudely. I----”
”Not at all,” said the man. ”I quite understand. I was not playing cribbage, but I was doing nothing very important. However, as you certainly did take me by surprise, perhaps you will excuse my coat.”
”Oh, pray dont mind me. I must not interrupt your work.” She looked at his face again, but only for an instant, as he was watching her. Then, with another blush, she put out her hand and said, ”How do you do, Mr.
Conolly. I did not recognize you at first.”
He shook hands, but did not offer any further conversation. ”What a wonderful place!” she said, looking round, with a view to making herself agreeable by taking an interest in everything. ”Wont you explain it all to me? To begin with, what is electricity?”
Conolly stared rather at this question, and then shook his head. ”I dont know anything about that,” he said; ”I am only a workman. Perhaps Lord Carbury can tell you: he has read a good deal about it.”
Marian looked incredulously at him. ”I am sure you are joking,” she said. ”Lord Carbury says you know ever so much more than he does. I suppose I asked a stupid question. What are those reels of green silk for?”
”Ah,” said Conolly, relaxing. ”Come now, I can tell you that easily enough. I dont know what it _is_, but I know what it does, and I can lay traps to catch it. Here now, for instance----”
And he went on to deliver a sort of chatty Royal Inst.i.tution Children's Lecture on Electricity which produced a great impression on Marian, who was accustomed to nothing better than small talk. She longed to interest him by her comments and questions, but she found that they had a most discouraging effect on him. Redoubling her efforts, she at last reduced him to silence, of which she availed herself to remark, with great earnestness, that science was a very wonderful thing.
”How do you know?” he said, a little bluntly.
”I am sure it must be,” she replied, brightening; for she thought he had now made a rather foolish remark. ”Is Lord Carbury a very clever scientist?”
Conolly looked just grave enough to suggest that the question was not altogether a discreet one. Then, brus.h.i.+ng off that consideration, he replied:
”He has seen a great deal and read a great deal. You see, he has great means at his disposal. His property is as good as a joint-stock company at his back. Practically, he is very good, considering his method of working: not so good, considering the means at his disposal.”
”What would you do if you had his means?”
Conolly made a gesture which plainly signified that he thought he could do a great many things.
”And is science, then, so expensive? I thought it was beyond the reach of money.”
”Oh, yes: science may be. But I am not a scientific man: I'm an inventor. The two things are quite different. Invention is the most expensive thing in the world. It takes no end of time, and no end of money. Time is money; so it costs both ways.”
”Then why dont you discover something and make your fortune?”
”I have already discovered something.”
”Oh! What is it?”
”That it costs a fortune to make experiments enough to lead to an invention.”
”You are exaggerating, are you not? What do you mean by a fortune?”
”In my case, at least four or five hundred pounds.”
”Is that all? Surely you would have no difficulty in getting five hundred pounds.”
Conolly laughed. ”To be sure,” said he. ”What is five hundred pounds?”