His wife
looked at me reproachfully; but he, after a moment of
blackness, burst out laughing also, stamping up and down
the room and waving his arms.
"Of course it seems absurd to you," he cried. "Well,
I daresay it would to me if any other fellow had worked
it out. But you may take my word for it that it's all
right. Hetty here will answer for it. Won't you,
Hetty?"
"It's splendid, my dear."
"Now I'll show you, Munro; what an unbelieving Jew
you are, trying to look interested, and giggling at the
back of your throat! In the first place, I have
discovered a method--which I won't tell you--of
increasing the attractive power of a magnet a hundred-
fold. Have you grasped that?"
"Yes."
"Very good. You are also aware, I presume, that
modern projectiles are either made of or tipped with
steel. It may possibly have come to your ears that
magnets attract steel. Permit me now to show you a small
experiment." He bent over his apparatus, and I suddenly
heard the snapping of electricity. "This," he
continued going across to the packing case, "is a saloon
pistol, and will be exhibited in the museums of the next
century as being the weapon with which the new era was
inaugurated. Into the breech I place a Boxer cartridge,
specialty provided for experimental purposes with a steel
bullet. I aim point blank at the dab of red sealing wax
upon the wall, which is four inches above the magnet.
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