"Yes, sir," the inventor went on, "as I was saying--or was I saying
it?--they all have their faults--dynamite, rhexite, meganite,
carbonite, ston----"

"You went over that list before."

"Well, they all have their faults. Either they explode when you don't
want them to, or they don't explode when you do want them to, or
they're liable to explode spontaneously, or something else. It's all
due, as I have invariably contended, to impure nitro-glycerine or
unscientific handling of the pure article."

"Yes."

"Yes, indeed. Now, what would you say to an explosive----"

"Absolutely nothing," I replied decidedly. "I should pass it without
even a nod."

"Never mind your nonsense, Griggs. What would you--er--what would you
think of an explosive that could be dropped from the roof of a house
without detonating?"

"Remarkable!"

"An explosive," continued Hawkins impressively, "into which a man
might throw a lighted lamp without the slightest fear! How would that
strike you?"