第27章 The Deadly Tube(5)

"There," he said, taking the wires from me."Now I'll complete the job by carrying them into the next room.And while I'm doing it, go over the wires again and make sure they are absolutely concealed."That night six men gathered in Kennedy's laboratory.In my utter ignorance of what was about to happen I was perfectly calm, and so were all the rest, except Gregory.He was easily the most nervous of us all, though his lawyer Asche tried repeatedly to reassure him.

"Mr.Close," began Kennedy, "if you and Mr.Lawrence will sit over here on this side of the room while Dr.Gregory and Mr.

Asche sit on the opposite side with Mr.Jameson in the middle, Ithink both of you opposing parties will be better suited.For Iapprehend that at various stages in what I am about to say both you, Mr.Close, and you, Dr.Gregory, will want to consult your attorneys.That, of course, would be embarrassing, if not impossible, should you be sitting near each other.Now, if we are ready, I shall begin."Kennedy placed a small leaden casket on the table of his lecture hall."In this casket," he commenced solemnly, "there is a certain substance which I have recovered from the dust swept up by a vacuum cleaner in the room of Mrs.Close."One could feel the very air of the room surcharged with excitement.Craig drew on a pair of gloves and carefully opened the casket.With his thumb and forefinger he lifted out a glass tube and held it gingerly at arm's length.My eyes were riveted on it, for the bottom of the tube glowed with a dazzling point of light.

Both Gregory and his attorney and Close and Lawrence whispered to each other when the tube was displayed, as indeed they did throughout the whole exhibition of Kennedy's evidence.

"No infernal machine was ever more subtle," said Craig, "than the tube which I hold in my hand.The imagination of the most sensational writer of fiction might well be thrilled with the mysteries of this fatal tube and its power to work fearful deeds.

A larger quantity of this substance in the tube would produce on me, as I now hold it, incurable burns, just as it did on its discoverer before his death.A smaller amount, of course, would not act so quickly.The amount in this tube, if distributed about, would produce the burns inevitably, providing I remained near enough for a long-enough time."Craig paused a moment to emphasise his remarks.

"Here in my hand, gentlemen, I hold the price of a woman's beauty."He stopped again for several moments, then resumed.

"And now, having shown it to you, for my own safety I will place it back in its leaden casket."Drawing off his gloves, he proceeded.

"I have found out by a cablegram to-day that seven weeks ago an order for one hundred milligrams of radium bromide at thirty-five dollars a milligram from a certain person in America was filled by a corporation dealing in this substance."Kennedy said this with measured words, and I felt a thrill run through me as he developed his case.

"At that same time, Mrs.Close began a series of treatments with an X-ray specialist in New York," pursued Kennedy."Now, it is not generally known outside scientific circles, but the fact is that in their physiological effects the X-ray and radium are quite one and the same.Radium possesses this advantage, however, that no elaborate apparatus is necessary for its use.And, in addition, the emanation from radium is steady and constant, whereas the X-ray at best varies slightly with changing conditions of the current and vacuum in the X-ray tube.Still, the effects on the body are much the same.

"A few days before this order was placed I recall the following despatch which appeared in the New York papers.I will read it.

"'Liege, Belgium, Oct.-, 1910.What is believed to be the first criminal case in which radium figures as a death-dealing agent is engaging public attention at this university town.A wealthy old bachelor, Pailin by name, was found dead in his flat.A stroke of apoplexy was at first believed to have caused his death, but a close examination revealed a curious discolouration of his skin.

A specialist called in to view the body gave as his opinion that the old man had been exposed for a long time to the emanations of X-ray or radium.The police theory is that M.Pailin was done to death by a systematic application of either X-rays or radium by a student in the university who roomed next to him.The student has disappeared.'

"Now here, I believe, was the suggestion which this American criminal followed, for I cut it out of the paper rather expecting sooner or later that some clever person would act on it.I have thoroughly examined the room of Mrs.Close.She herself told me she never wanted to return to it, that her memory of sleepless nights in it was too vivid.That served to fix the impression that I had already formed from reading this clipping.Either the X-ray or radium had caused her dermatitis and nervousness.Which was it? I wished to be sure that I would make no mistake.Of course I knew it was useless to look for an X-ray machine in or near Mrs.Close's room.Such a thing could never have been concealed.The alternative? Radium! Ah! that was different.Idetermined on an experiment.Mrs.Close's maid was prevailed on to sleep in her mistress's room.Of course radiations of brief duration would do her no permanent harm, although they would produce their effect, nevertheless.In one night the maid became extremely nervous.If she had stayed under them several nights no doubt the beginning of a dermatitis would have affected her, if not more serious trouble.A systematic application, covering weeks and months, might in the end even have led to death.