"Diana?" "Yes, Mother Rukh." "Janos is still in the laboratory, of course?" "Yes." "He's checking his equipment before the people from England arrive." "I'm to let him know when I see the lights of the car." "It was on such a night that Janos first caught his ray from Andromeda." "Your father worked the guides," "I held the detecting lens and never saw again." "Dear Mother Rukh." "My son will not learn until too late, I fear, that the universe is very large, and there are some secrets we are not meant to probe." "Janos says the electricity will help the demonstration." "He is wrong to demonstrate to these people." "Who are they?" "Pigmies that scoff at a giant, who have said that he is only a visionary, unscientific, a charlatan." "Huh." "He's greater than all of them." "He sent for them." "If he had waited, one day they would have begged, begged to come to him." "I see the car now." "I'll tell Janos." "Janos?" "Janos?" "Diana." "They are coming up the grade." "Sir Francis Stevens and the great Dr. Benet from the University of Paris." "What do they know?" "What will they ever know?" "I'll take them somewhere they have never been." "Back into time." "It will work well tonight." "I'm sure and I'm ready." "They'll never laugh at me again." "Janos." "They'll be here any minute." "You must prepare to meet them." "Come." "Yes." "Yes." "I'm Diana Rukh." "My husband will be here presently." "I'm Lady Stevens." "This is my husband, Sir Francis." "How do you do?" "And this is Dr. Benet." "Madame." "How do you do?" "And this is my nephew, Ronald Drake." "How do you do?" "May I present you to my husband's mother, Frau Rukh?" "How do you do?" "Oh, what a lovely fire." "I hope you didn't have too bad a time coming up." "It really is rather a terrible trip." "Oh, I don't mind anything, but my poor sit-downish husband minded it." "Brandy?" "Oh, thanks." "That will help." "Thank you." "Would anyone ever expect to find anything like this on top of the Carpathian Mountain?" "No." "Sir Francis." "To see you again after so many years is interesting." "Dr. Benet, we meet at last." "But we already know each other." "True." "You've come to see me fail, but you'll be disappointed." "I have come to see that Sir Francis isn't deceived." "Your doubts are very flattering." "They are mutual." "We have never seen eye to eye." "That is because I've always looked 200 years ahead of your theories." "Dr. Rukh?" "You haven't met me." "Lady Stevens." "Nor my nephew, Ronald Drake." "And you too are a scientist, sir?" "No, I'm afraid not." "He doesn't know a thing about science." "But he's one of the three living men who crossed the mountains of the moon, made maps of the country." "And since that's where we're going, he'll come in useful." "Very commendable work, sir." "Good man." "I've seen him tested in Africa." "I read that you were going to Africa." "That's why I asked you here." "Because what I have to show you after dinner concerns Africa, and the claim I made many years ago." "All of this makes a man like me feel quite small and useless." "But you've gone into uncharted places, too." "Oh, my explorations have all been on this planet." "They reach into space." "This is the nebula in Andromeda." "A ray from this nebula will be caught here and electrically transferred to the projector in my laboratory." "There I will recreate what is recorded on that beam of light." "From Andromeda?" "From Andromeda." "Three-quarters of a million light-years distant." "Can he do that?" "Yes." "He will not fail." "He must not." "It would kill him." "Have you seen it?" "No one has seen it, but Janos." "You'll wait here a few minutes." "I'll prepare the projector." "He seems very confident." "Yes." "Of course, the theory of reproducing vibrations from the past is not new." "But if proved, would be." "Yes." "This may be very interesting." "Yes." "Very." "Doesn't all this sort of thing ever affect you?" "Oh, no." "I'm used to it." "My father was assistant here." "When he died three years ago," "I married Dr. Rukh." "Oh, I see." "I am ready." "A new development of barium crown glass which will protect you from all dangerous rays." "To reproduce what is written upon the beam from Andromeda, we must travel out into space upon that ray of light until we reach a point at which we turn and look back upon our own planet." "We approach the moon." "Dead ashes, where there is no air or water." "In the shadows, colder than our Arctic." "In the sunlight, hotter than any desert of the Earth." "Saturn we pass, with its twirling rings." "A vast cloud of tiny movements, each moving in its own orbit." "Another constellation speeds towards us." "The great nebula of Orion." "Five hundred light-years distant." "But we travel at a speed far greater than light, the pace of electric magnification." "Otherwise it will take a million lifetimes to reach our goal." "We move by this chaotic mass and see Andromeda." "Our nearest neighbor among the island universes of space." "The light which we see left there before man existed, before our Earth had cooled." "We speed towards this nebula and stop at a point where we will see our own planet, the Earth, as it existed long ago." "Years ago, Sir Francis," "I voiced a belief that a great meteor bearing an element even more powerful than radium, struck an uncharted spot somewhere in the continent of Africa." "If you will bear with me for a moment," "I'll show you how I know this to be a fact." "That is all." "A trick?" "No." "Reality." "But where has it gone?" "Back into space." "What did we see?" "What you saw tonight actually occurred a few thousand million years ago." "I see." "A tour in time." "Exactly." "Everything that ever happened has left its record on nature's film." "Every sound since eternity began still vibrates, recorded somewhere in outer space." "The cataclysm you witnessed tonight traveled back to us on the ray from Andromeda." "Well, I'm dazed." "Dazed, that's all I can say." "You have demonstrated something that I have always regarded as an unsupported theory." "I'm at a loss for words." "I congratulate you." "Perhaps you'd all like some brandy." "Oh, thank you." "That would be most acceptable." "I'll join you in a few moments." "Well, I, for one, am just beginning to recover from what we've seen." "I don't think I ever shall." "It was unbelievable." "Well, sir, your discovery is breathtaking." "When do you plan to release it to the world of science?" "Oh, not for some time." "It's not nearly ready yet." "And if there should be this meteoric deposit of an unknown element in Africa..." "There is." "It'd be interesting to discover what it is." "Very." "Will you consider joining forces with us and accompany our expedition?" "You ask me to join forces with you?" "But you forget I have no standing with your scientific congress." "I believe I have even been called unorthodox." "Oh, nonsense." "Our expedition isn't under the auspices of any association." "You will be doing us an honor." "Yes, I'll go with you." "Why not?" "No, Janos." "But why?" "It will not be wise for you to go." "I'm listening, Mother." "Even though you may make a great discovery, you'll not be happy." "You are not used to people, Janos." "You never will be." "Your experiments are your friends." "Leave people alone." "Where do you suppose that madman Rukh is, anyway?" "After all, it is his own business if he wishes to go off on an exploration of his own." "See, Stevens, the little creature is going to live." "See his flesh glow." "He moves his arm with much more strength." "Very interesting." "This proves, I think that human organisms are only part of astro-chemistry, controlled by radial forces from the sun." "Oh, I never doubted your theory." "Uh, what have you been using?" "Zithilium." "One milligram, drawn directly from the spectrum of the sun." "Turn it off." "Interesting." "But I must admit I'm quite ready to leave Africa the moment that your experiments are completed." "After eight weeks of this, I admit that I'm fed up." "I know every wheeze and every crack of every record." "Glad to see signs of rhino about." "We'll go out after them tomorrow." "Yes." "You've only got six to your credit." "Oh, well, they're such nasty-tempered beasts, it is a pleasure to dispose of them." "This must be lonely for Diana." "Of course." "It's your fault." "Why do you say that?" "Oh, Ronnie, the way you two avoid each other is most pointed." "Why can't you be pleasantly friendly with her as you were at first?" "Well, if you must know, I don't dare to be." "Becoming interested?" "Yes." "I thought so." "You're in love." "Well, what could be more natural?" "An African moon, two healthy young animals..." "Oh, stop it." "We're not animals." "And that's just it." "And it isn't too easy, so please don't make us into fiction for your book." "Well, you are interested." "Oh, so you're back, Arabella." "Yes." "We got an antelope and a fine leopard." "My ankles are worse." "I tell you, I'm getting heartily sick of Africa." "And I don't see any use in waiting for Rukh any longer." "It's evident he has elected to desert us." "Well, we can't go and leave his wife here alone, even though he's forgotten she came along." "After all, she is Rukh's affair, not ours." "She is my affair." "I'm fond of her." "Well, I'm not fond enough of anyone to make this my permanent abode." "Temba, more water, please." "Choco." "The small package." "Boss, put on hat." "Very hot here." "Boss found place he look for many days now, maybe?" "There's no doubt of it." "No doubt of it." "Safari boys no like this place, boss." "Why not?" "Look in pit, fall in, many devil." "Pick me out a runner." "I want to send a letter to the main camp immediately." "Me do." "This boy go." "He very fast." "Hold box." "How long will he take to reach the main camp?" "This time tomorrow night, he get there." "All downhill." "Good." "Boss, wants him to wait, bring back answer paper?" "Yes." "Now, give this to the young mistress." "Don't say a word about where we are." "And make sure he understands." "Francis, are you asleep?" "No, my dear," "I was merely trying to imagine myself at home." "I'd give £10 for..." "Antelope stew again." "Take it away." "I'm not up to coping with it." "Oh, stop feeling so sorry for yourself." "What new secrets did you draw from the sun today, Dr. Benet?" "Proof that the sun is the mother of us all." "Is she?" "I wonder why she bothers about us." "What are we all about anyway?" "Astro-chemistry, my friend." "Astro-chemistry." "It's from Janos." "Excuse me." "He says very little." "We're not to expect him back for some time." "Where is he?" "He doesn't say." "He hopes he is on the trail of an interesting new discovery." "Runner boy want take paper back." "Yes, tell him to wait." "Will you all excuse me, please?" "But your dinner, dear?" "I'm not really hungry." "I want to see the runner boy in my tent." "You come, too, and talk for me." "I'll be ready in an hour." "I want three boys for safari." "Diana?" "What are you going to do?" "There's only one thing to do." "I'm going to him tonight." "Tonight?" "It's cooler." "Besides, there's a moon." "You're going alone?" "I can't stay here now." "Why?" "He's a great man, Ronald." "I'm his wife." "He needs me." "And I can't let him down." "No." "You wouldn't." "You're not the sort to let any man down." "Ever." "Goodbye." "Goodbye, Diana." "Power." "More power than man has ever known." "Well, what do you want?" "Safari boys want go away this place." "No like him." "So, they want to leave me, do they?" "Me wanna go, too." "Indeed." "Do you see that rock?" "Yes, boss." "I want you to keep your eyes on that rock." "Tell the boys to do so, too." "Watch." "You can all go if you want to, but you won't go far." "All that will be left of you will be like that." "Me stay, boss." "We'll all stay." "All right." "Then get back to work." "Take the lamp inside." "Draws the pests." "It's poisoned me." "Dead." "Boss house there." "Me take you." "No, I'll go alone." "Janos?" "What are you doing here?" "You must go away at once." "At once." "Do you hear?" "But it's Diana." "You shouldn't have come." "I wrote you I had important work to do." "I don't want to be bothered with anyone." "Oh, you must be ill." "What's happened to you?" "Nothing has happened to me." "What makes you think anything has happened to me?" "It's been weeks since you left." "Don't you want to see me?" "I don't want to see you here." "This is no place for you." "You must leave here at once." "My place is where you are." "I won't be a bother." "I suppose you'll have to stay the night." "My headman will find shelter for you." "But I want you out of here the very first thing in the morning." "Do you understand?" "Yes." "I understand." "I'm leaving as soon as it's daybreak." "Yes, missy." "Me tell your boys." "Thank you." "Benet." "Benet." "Rukh?" "Don't let anybody know I'm here." "You're exhausted." "Don't touch me." "What has happened?" "I made the runner guide me here." "I've traveled day and night." "But why?" "I found the place where the meteor fell." "I've discovered an element a thousand times more powerful than radium." "But it's done something to me." "Something horrible." "Horrible?" "Look at me." "Look at me in the dark." "Why, you're poisoned." "Poisoned." "And everyone I touch is poisoned." "They die." "Die?" "Yes." "I know." "Let's get back into the light." "Perhaps the metal cloth did not protect you." "No, no, it gave me complete insulation." "I must have been careless somehow." "Benet, you know more of the chemistry of the body than any man alive." "Something must be done for me so that I can go back and solve the power of this element." "There is a counteractive for radium poisoning derived from radium itself." "Have you a sample of this new element?" "Yes." "Yes." "There." "Do you think I can be helped?" "I can't say until I deduce the atomic structure of this." "I've done that." "You'll find my calculations there." "All right." "I'll begin at once to work out the counteractive." "No one must know what's happened to me." "Is there any place where I can hide myself?" "Oh, yes." "There's a little tent in the back where I store my instruments." "You can keep out of sight there." "I'll show you." "Wake up, Rukh." "Wake up." "You've been asleep for an hour." "Look at yourself." "I gave you the counteractive exactly at midnight." "My hands are not glowing." "No, your hands aren't glowing, nor your face." "I can touch people now?" "Yes." "But remember what I've told you." "Nothing can ever cure you." "At best, your state of poisoning can only be checked, suspended." "And now that a counteractive has gone into your bloodstream, you can only live if you use a small amount of it at regular intervals each day all the days of your life." "Here's the formula." "And if I exceed the time, what happens?" "Your body again becomes the deadly machine it was." "Your touch will kill." "Shortly after that you will become deadly to yourself as well." "If you do not use the counteractive in time, you will literally crumble to an ash." "Remember, I told you all the conditions." "You accepted the risks." "Yes, yes." "But at least after each treatment," "I should be immune." "Normal." "As I told you, I don't know enough yet to say what effect the violent surcharge of poison and antidote will have upon the brain." "Yes." "I took that risk." "This is the counteractive." "Guard it carefully." "And what do you plan to do now?" "Go back to my camp, complete my tests, and return here as quickly as possible." "Tell no one of this." "Promise me." "I promise." "There's no use pretending any longer." "You know that I love you." "I have known it for a long time." "That's why I have been afraid." "Of me?" "No." "Of us." "Oh, Diana, why fight something that's so much stronger than we are?" "We must." "Do you love him?" "My father idolized him." "When he died," "I promised him that I would marry Janos." "What are we going to do?" "I don't know." "Dinner." "We must go." "Yes." "Yes, boss." "Where's Dr. Rukh?" "Boss tent there." "Oh, yes, I want to see him." "Dr. Benet." "How did you find this place?" "We listened to the drums." "They talked of a white man who made magic in the mountains." "How are you feeling?" "No ill effects so far?" "So far, none." "You'd better get out of the sun." "Huh?" "Oh, yes." "Yes." "Some water?" "There." "They expected you back in camp long before this." "Yes, I know." "There was always one thing more to do." "Days passed, and before I knew it, weeks." "I have harnessed it at last, Benet." "I could crumple up a city a thousand miles away." "I could destroy a nation." "All nations." "You have harnessed its power to destroy." "Have you harnessed it to heal?" "That will come later, when I devise a filter to curb its power." "But in the meantime, it's mine to experiment with." "Mine." "Stevens and I felt that would be your attitude." "That was why we decided your discovery was too important to be in the hands of one man." "Just what do you mean?" "Stevens is now on his way to the International Scientific Congress that opened in Paris last month." "He's taking with him the specimen you left with me." "Why, you thieves!" "Thieves!" "You forget we came to Africa for a common purpose." "I discovered it." "Oh, the credit will be given you for the discovery." "Never fear." "Oh, thieves!" "Thieves!" "We couldn't wait for you forever, Rukh." "Besides, your wife has been quite ill, so we decided to break up camp and go." "My wife?" "Yes." "She is on her way to Europe with the Stevens." "I join them at Lake Nyanza." "Diana gone?" "Stevens' wife is looking after her." "She asked me to hand you this letter." "She doesn't believe I love her." "She loves someone else." "Drake?" "Yes." "To come like thieves in the night and steal everything from me." "Get out of here, Benet!" "Get out before I..." "Don't move, Mother." "Sit quite still." "In a few moments, we will know." "Hand..." "Yes." "Yes." "Yes, I see." "I can see." "You see everything?" "More clearly than I ever saw before." "Oh." "I am frightened by what I see." "I have harnessed it." "Harnessed it." "It's mine at last." "You have work to do that will take you all your life." "Tomorrow I leave for Paris." "No." "No." "Stay here and work." "I must go, Mother." "You will find tragedy there." "I know." "In case I do find tragedy," "I leave my secret with you." "It is all there." "More power than man has ever possessed." "Power to heal, power to destroy." "Guard it for me." "Don't be afraid, my dear." "You will be all right." "I'm not afraid." "That is fine." "Load it, please." "I'm Dr. Janos Rukh." "Come, please." "Baby." "Baby." "Can you see me?" "Yes, Mommy." "I can see you." "My baby." "Where does one find Dr. Benet?" "I am Janos Rukh." "Janos Rukh?" "Dr. Benet is in his laboratory." "I will show you there immediately." "Now you must go, make way for the others." "Prepare the next patient." "Thank you." "My baby can see." "My baby can see." "Yes, Mommy, I can see." "Oh, baby, baby." "Rukh." "I seem to have arrived at an interesting moment." "You have arrived to see what your discovery has done for this little one." "She was blind." "It has made her see." "Thank you." "Oh, thank you." "Thank you, Doctor." "Thank you." "That's all for now." "It seems, as usual, I am a little late." "No." "All Paris is waiting to pile honors on you." "You know, of course, the Nobel Prize was awarded to you." "Yes, yes." "I know." "I know." "Everybody considers you and Sir Francés Stevens very generous men." "I wondered about your health." "The counteractive is still effective." "And Diana?" "Oh, she is well." "She has become Lady Arabella's secretary." "She and Drake plan to marry, of course?" "They are in love, but she declares she will do nothing until she hears from you." "She will hear of me, shortly." "I will not stand in the way of their happiness." "This is very fine of you, Rukh." "Well, I must leave you to your ministrations." "You see, I was right, Rukh." "Your discovery is too great for one man to control." "Some day you will realize that you haven't even scratched the possibilities of Radium X." "And I am still the only man to control it fully." "Yes." "You'll do." "Same height, same width." "What do I want?" "I want to do you a benefit." "Yes." "The greatest benefit one man can do another." "Those who have never seen the moonlight over the African veldt" "have missed a thrilling vision which can be witnessed in no other land." "A lion caught in the thorn bush and..." "Milady." "Briggs, you have been instructed never to interrupt me when I am at dictation." "But the paper, milady." "The papers?" "You know I never read them." "This is important." "Oh, very well." "What is it?" ""With all my worldly goods I thee endow."" "With all my worldly goods I thee endow." "Whom God hath joined together, let no man put asunder." "Goodbye, dear." "Goodbye, darling." "Ronnie, dear." "Goodbye, dear." "I'm sure you'll both be very, very happy." "Au revoir." "Goodbye, my boy." "Goodbye." "Six." "Six of us." "Are you the manager?" "Yes." "Have you a room vacant?" "A front room?" "A room?" "Providentially, sir, I have." "Step this way, sir." "It's Mrs. LeGrand, sir, I'm British to the backbone, though misfortunes and a French husband has brought me to Paris lodgings." "You'll like the room." "It's a lovely fireplace and it don't smoke, and the bed is excellent." "Me poor husband, he died in it so comfortable." "I'll take the room." "And I'd like the Paris Herald every morning." "Yes, sir." "That will be, uh, 50 francs a week, sir." "Huh?" "Oh, oh." "Thank you, sir." "Sir Francis Stevens:" "Thief." "Have you ever seen anyone so incredibly happy as Diana and Ronald when they started on their honeymoon?" "I hope they will be happy." "We should be late if Francis doesn't hurry." "Go to Sir Francis' room and tell him Dr. Benet and I are waiting." "Poor dear." "When he came from his lecture tonight at the University, he was so utterly exhausted that I told him to lie down." "He is feeling better since we returned from Africa?" "Oh, yes." "He has even forgotten to complain about his ankles." "What's that?" "Celeste." "Celeste." "Speak, you fool." "What is it?" "Dr. Benet, come up, please." "At once." "Pierre." "Sir Francis." "Sir Francis." "Oh." "This is awful." "Look at his eyes." "What hideous thing did he see, do you think?" "The police must be sent for at once." "But before they come," "I would like to try an experiment." "It must be done before the eye tissues glaze." "Have I your permission?" "Yes." "Is there an ultraviolet camera here?" "Yes." "I'll get it for you." "Please." "Rukh." "I knew it." "...ln New York, in Rome..." "Come in." "Good morning, sir." "Good morning, Mrs. LeGrand." "Oh, there's more excitement." "Yes." "What has happened across the street?" "Vandals, sir." "They come in the night and they smashed the entire one of them figures." "They didn't leave nothing but a little pile of melted stuff." "But that's impossible." "That's what everybody says." "But a fact's a fact, sir." "If you'll excuse me, sir," "I'll just pop across and see what the latest is." "Yes, Mrs. LeGrand." "Do come back and tell me more." "Well, I'll find out, sir." "Won't be a second." "I'll find out all I can." "Lady Stevens:" "Matchmaker." "Radium X claims third victim." "Paris edition of the New York Herald." "Radium X claims third victim." "Radium X claims third victim." "Radium X claims third victim." "Radium X claims third victim." "No, please." "It will be better, I think, if you take Diana away." "I will answer any questions." "We'll be downstairs if you do need us." "Now I will explain why I insisted the Medical Examiner and his assistants wear insulated gloves when they touch the body." "Will you turn out the lights?" "Look closely at the neck of the victim." "Lights, please." "You observe those finger marks cannot be seen in the light." "It is phosphorus, possibly?" "No." "Radium X." "Inflicted by the grasp of someone contaminated by the poison." "Do you know such a person?" "Only one, he is dead." "But there Is a story behind all this." "And I am going to ask you to listen to some facts." "There's some curse." "Diana, my dear, there are no such things as curses." "Well, they needn't look any farther for the murderer." "Here she is." "Stop it!" "I won't let you talk like that." "If I hadn't left him, they would all be alive today." "Janos, Sir Francis and Arabella." "Stop it." "We loved each other." "We belong to each other." "You never belonged to him." "And no law of nature or man can make it anything but right to do what we did." "He shan't reach out of his grave and spoil our lives." "I'll fight it." "But what are you going to fight?" "Something you can't see?" "Something you can't reach?" "Something you can't touch?" "Oh, darling." "Hold me tight." "We're going to need each other so very much." "Yes, I have feared something like this ever since the day he left my laboratory." "And I always doubted his death." "So now, you know all I have to tell you." "You believe that the man who was buried as Dr. Rukh was not Dr. Rukh?" "Yes." "I believe that Rukh is alive and in Paris." "I believe that this city is at the mercy of a madman whose body is an engine of destruction." "I talked to his mother on the telephone a little while ago, and it is also her belief that Rukh is alive." "We will take immediate steps to locate him." "Gentlemen." "A figure melted while a crowd of people watched." "Only one element on Earth could have done it." "Diana and I were married at that church, and there were six of us in Africa." "Do you suppose Rukh's crazy brain drew some analogy between that fact, and the six figures of the saints on the church?" "He killed two of us and destroyed two of the six figures." "A man and a woman in each case." "You and your wife must go into seclusion immediately." "Also you, Dr. Benet, while we comb Paris for this madman." "It might be simpler to get him to come here." "How do you propose this?" "Ask him for dinner?" "No, not quite." "But that's the general idea." "Let the newspapers give out a story that the three remaining survivors of our African expedition are leaving Paris immediately for an unknown destination." "But before departing, there will be a meeting here." "What sort of meeting?" "Well, what do you think would draw him, Doctor?" "A lecture concerning my recent experiments with Radium X, and a chance to reach you and me." "You are both willing to take such risk?" "Of course." "Yes." "I will invite a limited number of scientists, to be admitted by card only." "Do you think it's fair to expose them to the danger?" "There are only two people he wants to destroy." "Two, or perhaps three." "My men can check the list of invitations at the gate and maybe capture him there." "Also mingle with your guests." "Exactly." "I will set the hour of midnight for the lecture." "At that time his luminosity will be strong, as he will delay taking the counteractive, hoping for a chance to use his deadliness upon Drake and me." "If your men fail to capture him at the gate, then at midnight we bolt all doors and darken the entire house." "His face and hands will appear like..." "like phosphorus regardless of any disguise." "And if he touches anyone?" "They die." "Prof. Lemaire." "Prof. Lemaire." "Prof. Gothe." "Prof. Gothe." "Dr. Benet." "Prof. Reinhardt." "A very strange hour for such a meeting, don't you think?" "Perhaps." "But Radium X is a very strange subject." "Benet has his reasons." "Undoubtedly." "He must have something of importance to show us." "Even the president of our Congress is here." "Professor Michaeljohn, if I am not mistaken?" "Yes, I am Michaeljohn." "Who are you, sir?" "Jones, of the University of Wales." "We met once, but perhaps you don't recall me." "I..." "I think I do." "One meets so many people." "I shall never forget your treatise on radiation, sir." "Oh, you..." "you remember that, huh?" "No doubt, you are on your way to Dr. Benet's demonstration." "Yes." "It should be a most interesting evening." "It should indeed." "I understand that no one is to be admitted without a card." "Yes." "Oh, that reminds me." "Yes, yes, I've got it." "Forgetful sometimes." "Well, under the circumstances..." "Of course." "A nasty night." "Most disagreeable indeed." "I think I've caught a chill." "Napoleon brandy, sir." "I believe a sip or two would help us on our way." "I suggest that we step in here, out of the rain." "I am not very much on spirits, but considering the night, why..." "Dr. Reno." "Dr. Reno." "Dr. Fergie." "Dr. Fergie." "Prof. Michaeljohn." "Prof. Michaeljohn." "All are here, except one name." "To be admitted instantly." "Beaudine, you will stand at the main house switch." "It is to be thrown at exactly 12:00." "No stranger has tried to come in, and all invitations are accounted for." "Perhaps he won't come." "He will be here." "Probably he's here now." "Monsieur le Président." "Oh, Dr. Benet." "If you will be patient for just a few minutes longer," "I will make final adjustments in my laboratory and be ready." "We expected you." "I knew that." "Five thieves." "Two are gone, three are left." "Do you intend to kill us all?" "Yes." "I felt it was better to let things alone when you were first poisoned." "I warned you about your brain." "It began to affect my brain almost immediately." "I could feel it coming, crawling for cells." "Aren't there ever moments when you think as you used to think, when you were human?" "Not often now, not often." "And because of that we must die." "No, because you are thieves." "Five thieves." "All thieves." "It will be easiest just to shake hands." "It will all be over in a second." "My wife?" "In her room with Mrs. Noyer, as you desired." "But she is nervous, sir." "So am I." "Still, it will soon be over, one way or the other." "Yes, sir." "One way or the other." "I know something awful has happened." "Try to compose yourself, Madame." "I can't stand this any longer." "Find Mr. Drake and tell him I must see him, if only for a moment." "I was ordered to remain here." "Oh, please go." "Oh, as you say, Madame." "Madame Rukh." "It's good of you to come." "It's my duty to be here." "Where is Diana?" "Oh, she is upstairs in her room." "Ronnie." "Ronnie." "Diana." "Janos." "Strange Dr. Benet doesn't return, don't you think?" "Yes, very strange." "Dr. Benet?" "Dr. Benet!" "He isn't here." "Yes, he is." "And so is Rukh." "Don't go any closer." "Max, Louie, the front stairs." "No, I can't kill you." "I can't." "But he must die." "No, Janos!" "Mother." "No." "I must have time." "I must go on to reach one more." "Drake." "Don't fire." "My son." "You have broken the first law of science." "Yes, you are right." "It's better this way." "Goodbye, Mother." "Diana!" "Diana." "My darling." "You're safe." "Madame Rukh, permit me to pay you my homage." "Janos Rukh is dead, but part of him will go on eternally working for humanity."