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You must not get a drop on your clothes, or leave it anywhere on the outside of the bottle to evaporate." "Let me see the stuff." Lambelle handed him the bottle. "Have you any more of this in your laboratory?" "Not a drop." "If you wished to destroy this, how would you do it?" "I should empty the bottle into the Seine. It would flow down to the sea, and no harm would be done."
"I still think," he said, "that it would be much better to allow this secret to die. No one knows it at present but yourself. With you, as I have said, it will be safe, or with me; but think of the awful possibilities of a disclosure." "Every great invention has its risks," said Lambelle firmly. "Nothing would induce me to forego the fruits of my life-work. It is too much to ask of any man."
If a man got into your laboratory a scientific man could he not, from what he saw there, obtain the secret?" "It would be impossible," said Lambelle. "I have been too anxious to keep the credit for myself, to leave any traces that might give a hint of what I was doing." "You were wise in that," said the Minister, drawing a deep breath. "Now let us go and look at the ruins."
"I have here with me in my portmanteau," said Lambelle, "some hundreds of metres of electric wire. I will attach one of the dogs by this clip, which we can release from a distance by pressing an electric button. The moment the dog escapes he will undoubtedly explode the compound." The insulated wire was run along the ground to a distant elevation.
Take the risk of it being discovered in the future. I implore you to reconsider your original intention. If you desire money, I will see that you get what you want from the secret funds." Lambelle shrugged his shoulders. "I have no desire for money," he said; "but what you have seen will show you that I shall be the most famous scientist of the century.
There is no habitation for several miles around. Would such a spot be suitable?" "Perfectly so. When would it be convenient for you to go?" "I will leave with you to-night," said the Minister, "and we can spend the day to-morrow experimenting." "Very well," answered Lambelle, rising when the Minister had told him the hour and the railway station at which they should meet.
As they neared the spot the official's astonishment at the extraordinary destruction became greater and greater. The rock had been rent as if by an earthquake, to the distance of hundreds of yards. "You say," said the Minister, "that the liquid is perfectly safe until evaporation takes place." "Perfectly," answered Lambelle. "Of course one has to be careful, as I told you, in the use of it.
"No," replied the official. "Nothing I shall do during my administration will be more important than this." "I am glad to hear you say so," answered Lambelle; "and if you will give me the bottle again I will now place a few drops in the sunny part of the quarry." The Minister handed him the bottle, apparently with some reluctance.
"I would like to try one more after we have had something to eat. What would be the effect if you poured the whole bottleful into the quarry and set it off?" "Oh, impossible!" cried Lambelle. "It would rend this whole part of the country to pieces. In fact, I am not sure that the shock would not be felt as far as Paris. With a very few drops I can shatter the whole quarry."
"Very well," said the Minister. "Then let us be sure of our facts. I want to see the effects of the explosive on the quarry." "You shall," said Lambelle, as he departed. "I will wait for you here," said the Minister, "and smoke a cigarette."
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