about noon, the hunchback brought bob's dinner to him, and two hours later, king opened the door, saying, "well, son, i guess i've got all you'll need, and now i want you to get to work at once."
"all right, i suppose i might as well begin now as any time."
"now, let me tell you something," continued king, as they started down the stairs. "i know all about electricity and storage batteries and i'm going to watch you every minute, and if you try to fool me and don't make that cell right, i give you fair warning that it'll be the worse for you."
bob made no reply, but thought to himself, "if you can catch me before the thing is done and tested, you're a good deal smarter than i think you are." he fully realized that he was taking a desperate chance, for he knew that the cell, as he was going to make it, would not work, for he had tried one like it while he and jack were experimenting. 103but he had made up his mind not to give the secret away, trusting that an opportunity to escape would present itself before he had finished. he had also resolved to work as slowly and to take as long a time about it as he dared.
king led the way down to the laboratory and showed him the things he had bought. it would be tiresome to relate bob's work in detail, and we shall tell about only those parts that are necessary to the story.
he managed to use up that afternoon and the greater part of the next day making one cap, but about four o'clock he had to declare that part of the work done.
"now, what's next?" asked king.
"we'll have to make another cap to go with this one."
"are they both alike?"
"no, this one is positive and the other will have to be negative. we'll begin on that one in the morning."
"not much we won't," almost shouted king. "we'll start it right now, and we ought to have it done by twelve o'clock tonight. i believe you're loafing on the work anyway."
"believe what you please," said bob, mad clear through, "but i'll tell you right now that i'm not 104going to work any more today, and what's more you can't make me either."
"can't, eh, we'll see about that," snapped king, coming toward bob with clenched fist.
now, when bob was real good and mad, he could be as stubborn as a mule, and he was in exactly that condition now, regardless of consequences. so, when king raised his fist as if to hit him, he stepped back, saying in a firm tone, "you hit me just once, and i won't do another bit of work on that thing if you kill me for it."
king dropped his fist, and the two looked each other in the eyes for a full minute without speaking. "you'll work tonight or you'll get no supper," he finally threatened.
"get no supper, eh?" snapped bob. "if i get no supper tonight, there'll be no cell made tomorrow, just remember that," and then, as king did not at once reply, he continued, "now see here, no one yet, except my parents, ever made me do a thing i'd made up my mind not to do, and i've made it up good and hard, right now, and you can't make me back down. you've got me in your power, and i suppose you can put me out of the way if you want to, but that won't get you the cell, so what are you going to do about it?"
king realized that he was licked, and gave in, 105with as good grace as he could muster. "all right," he growled, "have your own way."
bob was much relieved when he realized that he had won, for although he had put up a bold front, he had by no means felt as confident as his looks indicated. he spent the next forenoon getting the copper cylinder and the tank ready for the electrolysis, telling king that he had decided not to make the other cap till the cylinder was done, although he could easily have done the work in an hour. after dinner he dissolved the lead nitrate in water, poured the solution into the tank, and adjusted the cap.
"have you a piece of platinum foil?" he asked king.
"what do you want that for?"
"why, you see i make this cylinder the positive pole of the circuit and have to have the platinum for the negative."
"all right, i guess i can find a piece," he replied.
bob hoped that he couldn't, and, as a matter of fact, he could have used a piece of copper just as well, but, he thought, "if he will only go out after some and leave me here, i might find a way to escape." but, to his disappointment, it was soon forthcoming, and putting it in place he was soon obliged to acknowledge that he was ready to turn on the current.106
"how much do you want?" asked king.
"one and four-tenths volts and six tenths of an ampere," replied bob.
as the current was turned on, king watched the cylinder closely, and soon he could see that a dark brown powder was collecting on the outside.
"hold on a minute," said bob, "i forgot to insulate the outside of that cylinder. have you a piece of rubber tubing, large enough to slip on over it?"
"i guess so, but it seems to me that you are all the time forgetting something or other."
the correction was soon made, and the cylinder returned to the bath. after the current had been running about half an hour, king purposed that they take the cylinder out and see if they were getting any results, as they could not see the inside of it while it was in the tank. glad of any delay, bob readily assented, and as soon as it was removed, it was seen that a very small amount of the powder had coated the inside.
"humph," growled king. "it's mighty slow. won't it go faster if we use more juice?"
"yes," replied bob, "but it will be too loose and spongy." this was the truth, as he had found by experiment, and he was very glad that this part of the work would have to go slowly, whether or no. when supper time came, king proposed that they 107leave the current running all night, but bob wouldn't hear to it.
"no," he said, "i must be here to watch it, for i know what to expect if it don't pan out, and much depends on how that peroxide of lead is deposited. either you turn off the current or i quit."
king knew from past experience that it would be useless to threaten and grudgingly yielded the point. "shall we take the cylinder out?" he asked.
"of course," replied bob, "i thought you knew something about this kind of work."
king muttered something about wanting to make sure, and leaving the laboratory they went up to supper.
that night about ten o'clock, as bob was lying on his bed trying, as usual, to think of some way to escape, he heard the key turn in the lock and the hunchback entered.
"mr. king sent me up to tell you to go to sleep good and early for he's going to call you at five o'clock."
"oh, he did, did he?" returned bob. "well, you just tell him that i'll go to sleep when i get good and ready and not a minute before. do you get that?"
while speaking, he had got off the bed and gradually approached the hunchback. as he finished, he suddenly grabbed him round the neck, and before 108the dwarf had time to defend himself, he was hurled to the far side of the room. bob made a quick dash for the door and in an instant had it closed and locked behind him. quickly, he turned and darted down the stairs, but before he reached the next floor, he heard the man shouting and pounding on the door. "i must hurry," he thought, taking the next flight three steps at a time. he had reached the lower floor and was unlocking the front door, when a door at his left flew open and both king and reed rushed out.
"what's all this?" demanded king; then as he saw who it was, he sprang forward and grabbed bob by the shoulders and roughly yanked him back. "so you thought you'd give us the slip, did you? how'd you get out of that room?"
poor bob's heart sank as he realized that his attempt was a failure, and he made no reply.
"we'll soon find out," said king. "come on now," and he made bob precede him up the stairs.
"you miserable runt," he shouted, as he unlocked the door and saw the dwarf. "what does this mean?"
"gee," replied the latter, "he jumped me so quick, i didn't know what was up before he was out of the room and i was locked in."
"don't blame him," broke in bob, "it wasn't his fault."109
"well, the next time i send you up here, just deliver your message through the door, do you understand?"
"i certainly do. i won't give him a chance to get hold of me again," declared the dwarf, rubbing his arm.
bob was much cast down as they went out. "but i won't give up," he thought as he was undressing. "but, confound it, i've got to do something pretty soon for i'm not going to make that job pan out nearly as long as i thought i could."
before he slept that night, he had resolved upon a bold stroke for liberty, which he was resolved to put into execution at the very first opportunity.
about eight o'clock the next morning, bob realized that his chance had come. king was watching the cell while he was standing about three feet to one side. suddenly, bob drew back his right arm and before king could defend himself, he struck. the blow was a jim dandy, as bob afterward expressed it. it caught king fairly on the jaw and he went down like a log, knocking over the tank as he fell. bob quickly leaned over him and took the key of the laboratory from his pocket, where he had seen him put it several times.
"now, if i can only get out," he thought as he unlocked the door and stole softly up the stairs.110
