"But think of it! My notes! The careful record of half a----"

"Herbert!" said his--considerably--better half. "That--will--do!"

"It--oh, well," groaned the inventor disconsolately, limping back to
the divan and the somewhat astonished sergeant of police. Hawkins must
have had some sort of influence with the press. Beyond a bare mention
of the explosion, the matter never found its way into the newspapers.

After I got around again I tried in vain to spread the tale broadcast.
I had some notion that the notoriety might cure Hawkins.

But, after all, I don't know that it would have done much good. I
cannot think that a man whose inventive genius will survive an
explosion of Hawkinsite is likely to be greatly worried by mere
newspaper notoriety.




CHAPTER VI.


The name and the precise location of the hotel are immaterial. If
you happened to be there that night you know very nearly all that
occurred; if not, you have in all probability never heard of it, for
I understand that the proprietors took every precaution against
publicity.

Let it suffice, then, that the hotel is a prominent and a fashionable