HE MEETS THE KING
The room into which they were shown was large and well-proportioned,
but was furnished and decorated in the style of the middle of the
nineteenth century--that atrocious period often referred to as the
Early Victorian, a term which always calls forth a smile at any
assembly of true lovers of art and carries with it the idea of all
that is heavy and vulgarly inartistic. But on the whole the room had
an air of comfort, flooded as it was with warm sunlight that streamed
through the four great windows on the right and those on each side of
the fireplace at the opposite end.
Around the large table, sat a gathering of the most distinguished men
of the Empire drawn from the Privy Council. They had evidently
finished the work of the day, as was shown by the absence of all
papers on the table and the precise manner in which the different
cabinet ministers had their portfolios neatly closed in front of them.
One would say that they had settled down to be amused or bored as the
case might be. They looked like a company of well-bred people whose
host has just announced that “Professor Bug” will relate some of his
experiences among the poisonous orchids of South America, or like a
lot of polite though perfectly deaf persons waiting for the music to
begin. Some were talking quietly, while others sat perfectly still.
The servants were removing writing materials, maps, etc., and a cloud
of clerks and undersecretaries were being swallowed up by a door in a
corner of the room.
At the end of the table opposite the door through which Edestone had
entered, sat the King. He looked very small as he sat perfectly still,
his hands resting listlessly on the arms of his great carved chair of
black walnut picked out with gold. His face with its reddish beard,
now growing grey, bore an expression of deep sadness, almost of
melancholia. His expression became more animated, however, when
Edestone entered, and he sat up and looked straight at the American as
he stood at the other end of the table.
“Your Majesty,” Lord Rockstone bowed, “I beg to be allowed to present
to you Mr. John Fulton Edestone of New York of the United States of
America.”
The King rose and, as his great chair was drawn back, walked to the
nearest window and stood while Rockstone brought Edestone up to him.
Extending his hand he said:
“Mr. Edestone, Mr. Underhill tells me that you are from New York. It
has been a source of great regret to me that I have never been able to
visit your wonderful country. I recall very distinctly, though, a stay
of several weeks that I made in Bermuda, and of the many charming
Americans whom I met there at that time. I was, then, the Duke of
York,” he sighed.
His manner was cordial and he seemed to wish to put Edestone at ease,
assuming with him an air rather less formal than he would have shown
toward one of his own subjects of the middle class--the one great
class to which the nobility, gentry, and servants of England assign
all Americans, although the first two often try hard to conceal this
while the last seem to fear that the Americans may forget it.
“I am rather surprised to find you so young a man after hearing of
your wonderful achievements in science,” the King went on, adding with
rather a sad smile: “It seems a pity to take you from some charming
English girl with whom you might be having tea this beautiful spring
afternoon and bring you to this old barracks to discuss instruments of
death and destruction.” And his face seemed very old.
After a pause he turned to Rockstone and directing him to introduce
Edestone he went back to his seat and with a slight gesture ordered
the rest to resume their places. He fixed his eyes on Edestone, who
had been taken back to the other end of the table where he stood
perfectly still. Not once had the American spoken since coming into
the room. He had acknowledged the King’s great kindness with a bow
which showed plainer than words in what deep respect he held the head
of the great English-speaking race. This seemed to have made a good
impression on some of the older men, who up to this time had not
deigned to look in his direction. One of the younger men murmured in
an undertone: “Young-looking chap to have kicked up such a rumpus,
isn’t he? He has deuced good manners for an American.”
Meanwhile Lord Rockstone, bowing to the King and then to the rest of
the company, was proceeding with the introduction, briefly explaining
that Mr. Edestone had requested to be allowed to appear before His
Majesty and explain certain inventions which he claimed to have made.
The King, however, seeming determined to make it as easy as possible
for the American, chose to supplement this formality.
“Mr. Edestone,” he said with a smile, “since this meeting is to be, as
you say in America, ‘just a gentlemen’s meeting,’ you may sit down
while you tell us about your wonderful discovery.”
Edestone acknowledged the courtesy with a slight bow but declined.
“Your Majesty, with your kind permission, I should prefer to stand,”
and, then, without the slightest sign of embarrassment, he continued:
“I thank Your Majesty for your kindness. I will as briefly as I can
explain that to which you have so graciously referred as my wonderful
discovery, but before doing this, I beg to be allowed to set forth to
you my position relative to Your Majesty and Your Majesty’s subjects.
Should I in my enthusiasm at any time violate any of the established
rules of court etiquette, please always remember that it is due to my
ignorance and not to any lack of deep and sincere respect or that
affection which I and all true Anglo-Saxons have for your person as
representing the head of that great people and the King of ‘Old
England.’”
A thrill went through the room. The King was evidently affected. One
old gentleman, who up to this time had taken absolutely no notice of
Edestone, turned quickly and looking sharply at him through his large
eyeglasses, said: “Hear! Hear!”
The speaker acknowledged this and then proceeded. “I am an American
and I am proud of it. Not because of the great power and wealth of my
country, nor of its hundred and odd millions of people made up of the
nations of the earth, the sweepings of Europe, the overflow of Asia,
and the bag of the slave-hunter of Africa, which centuries will
amalgamate into a _cafe au lait_ conglomerate, but because I am
proud of that small group of Anglo-Saxons who, under the influence of
the free air of our great country, have developed such strength that
they have up to this time put the stamp of England upon all who have
come in contact with them. And while it is not my intention to sell my
invention to England, I will give you my word that it shall never be
used except for the benefit of the English-speaking people.”
He then raised his right hand as he added very slowly and distinctly:
“In your presence and that of Almighty God, I dedicate my life to my
people, the Anglo-Saxons!”
This was received with a general murmur of applause, although there
were a few dark-skinned gentlemen with curly beards and large noses
who seemed uncomfortable. Edestone had caught that group of
unemotional men and against their will had swept them along with him,
and it was only with an effort that some of the younger men could
refrain from giving him three cheers.
Underhill, who was smiling and gesticulating at Rockstone and Graves,
applauded violently, while the King made no effort to hide his
pleasure. There was something about this man that left in no one’s
mind any doubt of his sincerity, and on looking at him they felt that
he was not the kind of a man who would so solemnly and in the presence
of the King and all of the greatest men of England dedicate his life
to a purpose if he did not know that therein lay a real gift to
mankind. His sublime confidence was as convincing as his simplicity
was reassuring.
Seeing that the ice was broken he turned now to the serious business
of the afternoon.
“Mr. President,” he commenced, “now that I have shown you how I stand
on international politics, I shall proceed----”
He was astonished to see the King put his head back and laugh, while
the rest, made bold by the royal example, joined in heartily.
The King seeing that Edestone was innocent of any mistake and was
blankly searching for an explanation of their mirth leaned forward and
not altogether lightly said:
“The King of England accepts the Presidency of the Anglo-Saxon
people!”
“I beg Your Majesty’s pardon. I am sorry. I have forgotten myself so
soon: what shall I do when I get into the intricacies of mathematics,
physics, and mechanics to explain to you my invention?”
“Mr. Edestone,” said the King, “we understand perfectly. Go on.”
Recovering himself quickly and assuming a thoroughly businesslike air,
snapping out his facts with precision, speaking rapidly without notes
or memoranda, he said:
“The physical properties of electrons form the basis of my invention,
and it cannot be understood except by those who have studied the
electron theory of matter, according to which theory the electron or
corpuscle is the smallest particle of matter that had, up to my
discovery, been isolated. They are present in a free condition in
metallic conductors. Each electron carries an electric charge of
electrostatic units and produces a magnetic field in a plane
perpendicular to the direction of its motion. This brings us to the
atom, which may be described as a number of electrons positive and
negative in stable equilibrium, this condition being brought about by
the mutual repulsion of the like and attraction for the opposite
electrification so arranged as to nullify each other. Having thus
established the law of the equilibrium of electrons, corpuscles,
atoms, and molecules, I found that the same law applies to the
equilibrium of our solar system, and, in fact, of the universe, and,
by the elimination of either the positive or the negative electron,
this equilibrium is altered or destroyed.
“I then sought to nullify the attraction of gravity by changing the
electrical condition of the electrons of an object, which until that
time was attracted by the earth, as is shown by the formula,
_V equals the square root of (s times 2g)_ for falling bodies,
and by using the formula _Y equals the square root of mx divided by
(pi times g)_ I found----”
But at this point he was interrupted by the King, who said, with a
gesture of supplication: “Please! Please! Mr. Edestone do not go so
deeply into science, for, for my part, I regret to say that it would
be entirely lost on me. Save that for my men of science,” and he waved
his hand in the direction of his rough and rugged old Sea Lord, Admiral
Sir Wm. Brown. “Just tell us what you have accomplished and then show
us some of these marvellous things that Mr. Underhill has told us you
can do. Besides, I understand that you are to show us moving pictures
of the actual working of your machine, boat, or whatever it is.”
The inventor was disappointed; for he had wished to set all minds at
rest and to establish the fact that he was no trickster but a
scientist. With a deprecating smile he said: “As Your Majesty
pleases.”
Then, without the slightest sign of condescension, and selecting with
the greatest care only words that the man in the street could
understand, he proceeded with his exposition.
“I have discovered that gravitation is due to the attraction that two
bodies in different electrical condition have for each other, and that
by changing the condition of one of these bodies so that they are both
in the same electrical condition this attraction no longer exists. I
have also discovered that the earth is, so to speak, as far as the
laws of gravity are concerned, in a state of what we might call for
lack of a better name, ‘positive electrical condition,’ and that all
objects on the earth, as long as they are not in contact with it, are
in what we may call ‘negative electrical condition.’ These remain in
this condition so long as they are not in actual electrical contact
with the earth and are separated from it by a non-conducting medium
such as the atmosphere, glass, hard rubber, etc., and are attracted by
it, as is shown by the formulae which I will gladly explain to your
gentlemen of science.” And he turned with a bow to Admiral Sir William
Brown, who was leaning across the table frowning at him and who with
his scrubbing-brush hair, long upper lip, and heavy brows looked more
like a Rocky Mountain goat than ever.
“I have invented an instrument,” continued Edestone, “which I call a
_Deionizer._ With this, so far as regards any phenomena of which
we are conscious, I am able to change the electrical condition of an
object, provided this object is insulated from electrical contact with
the earth. That is, I can change it from the so-called minus
condition, which is attracted by the earth, to the plus condition,
which being the same condition as the earth, is therefore not
attracted by it. The object in that state can be said to have no
weight, although frankly for some reason which I have not yet
discovered it does not lose its inertia against motion in any
direction relative to the earth.”
He then took from his pocket the leather case which Underhill readily
recognized, and, turning to Lord Rockstone, he said with a slightly
quizzical expression:
“If your Lordship will be so kind as to stand on a glass plate or
block of hard rubber I can with this little instrument which I have in
my hand alter your electrical condition from its present minus to that
of plus. I can then place you anywhere in this room and keep you there
as long as you do not come in contact with any object that,
electrically speaking, is in contact with the earth.”
This caused Lord Rockstone to give a grim but thoroughly good-natured
smile, and Edestone, feeling as if he had somewhat settled scores with
the “Hero of the Nile,” continued: “As a less valuable object than one
of the most brilliant stars in Great Britain’s crown will answer my
purpose just as well, may I ask that one of the servants fetch the
glass plate that was brought to the Palace this afternoon with my
apparatus.”
The glass plate having been brought in by a flunkey, he repeated the
experiment with which he had so astonished Underhill at the Admiralty,
using the flunkey however in place of the cannon ball, and leaving the
poor unfortunate creature suspended in mid-air while he himself
replied to the many questions that were put to him.
Finally he touched the man’s hand, and taking the shock through his
own body let him drop to the floor. The fellow remained there in an
almost fainting condition, but, recovering and finding that he had
sustained no injuries except to his dignity, which in his state of
great excitement had fallen away from him, he rushed out of the room
without asking for or receiving permission to do so. His
panic-stricken exit would at any other time have been most amusing,
but the audience just then was in no humour for levity.
Edestone next repeated the same experiment, utilizing different small
objects that were handed to him by the gentlemen about the table, and
soon had suspended above the glass plate an assortment of
pocket-knives, watches, and a glass of water, while he chatted with
those who were nearest to him, and handed to the scientific members of
the council diagrams and mathematical formulae which he hastily
scribbled on bits of paper.