the crowds of London’s working class, the hard-won book in one hand, his lone boot in the other. Al didn’t notice the tall man in the traveling cloak waiting on the bookstore’s front step until he’d nearly run into him.
The man turned to scowl, bushy eyebrows lowering as he took in Al’s dishevelled state. He looked down himself, suddenly self-conscious. Begrimed and smelling of sheep, bare feet muddy, trousers filthy to the knees. God knew what his hair and face looked like. Al’s temper flared and he flushed to the ears.
“What’re you staring at, you old shite?” He demanded. The old man’s eyebrows shot up, but he looked more amused than insulted. Al ground his teeth and brandished his boot. “Laugh at me, you southern pansy, and I’ll feed ye this!”
“CROWLEY!” Al jumped like a scalded cat at his employer’s thundering voice. Poltwhistle loomed in the doorway, fists on his hips, towering in apoplectic fury. “How dare you speak so to my client!” Al yelped as the old man grabbed his ear and hauled him into the shop. “What have you to say for yourself?”
Al straightened up, and met the old bastard’s eye with a grim smile. “Here. I brought you your book.”
He didn’t even try to duck as his employer dealt him a staggering cuff to the ear. The German book went flying, fetched up against the customer’s shoe.
“Dr. Van Helsing,” Poltwhistle said as Al picked himself up, “My apologies. This little thief stole the volumes you ordered but never fear. A brief stay in gaol will remind him of their location.”
“Do not to trouble yourself, good sir.” The old man stooped, reverently retrieving the volume. “This is the book I require most urgently. Note the title—
He stood, snapped the little book shut, but stopped as his eye fell over Al, wiping the corner of his mouth. The doctor extended a hand to him.
“You should not fire such a steadfast boy—curiosity is no crime.”
“Beastly Aleister Crowley? Steadfast?” Poltwhistle asked, incredulous as the two shook hands.
The doctor grinned, stepping out into the bright golden dawn. “So. And even a beast can learn, if properly taught.”
A Most Electrifying Evening
Julie Barrett
London—fortunately for me—is a city of many diversions. From the high-society theatre crowd to the lowlife in Limehouse, I have had plenty of opportunity to experience it all. One might say I have taken a taste of all this city has to offer. I daresay that my presence in this great city may have had some small bearing on the recent fashion trend of high-necked blouses.
And now, having experienced all that is London to the point of un-deadly boredom, I find myself spending more time in my Piccadilly rooms, reading.
Amazingly, I find myself fascinated with some of the recent scientific advances of the day. Of course, the changes in weaponry over the centuries have not escaped my eye. The lance eventually gave way to the cannon as the sword to the gun, and as a watchful lord of my property I took note of the trend (slow though it was to reach my secluded property) and trained my servants accordingly. After all, it does not suit my purposes to have a poorly defended castle.
The latest trends in inventions met my eye with mixed emotions. Perhaps the most intriguing of them is the electrification of the cities. London has been electrified in places. Indeed, my sitting room has been outfitted with an electric lightbulb. I find the light harsh, and much prefer the softer glow of candlelight or gas. Yet it is not the lightbulb, but another application of electricity which has taken my interest.
A young scientist in America by the name of Nikola Tesla is said to have patented several electric motors in the last year. News of his astonishing experiments with electricity would no doubt have reached my backwater lands within the year, for his experiments hold great promise. His tinkerings with motors are most fascinating to me. Based upon my reading, I surmise that it would be quite possible to create a sanctum within my castle with doors operated by these electric motors. This would make it possible to move solid stone doors with great ease. I also surmise that it would be feasible to create electric locks. Such devices might make it quite impossible for prisoners to escape.
I must say that it was with a certain amount of glee that I read the news that Tesla himself would be lecturing in London. While this lecture was by invitation only to the greatest of scientific minds, gaining admittance would be an exercise in trifles. After all, it would be very easy to convince a member or two of the scientific society that I am an eminent scholar in my own land. The task was embarrassingly easy, for the milquetoast young man in charge of the invitations became “convinced” with minimal energy on my part and only a slight headache on his part. He will think twice about taking a second glass of sherry again.
A lecture hall at St. Bartholomew’s had been chosen for the occasion. I slipped into a seat at the rear of the hall, leaving the front spaces for those with less-keen senses. Precisely at 7:30 a hush fell upon the hall. A tall, well-dressed man whom I took to be Tesla himself approached the podium. After arranging the pencils on the lectern in a precise pattern, he began to assay the decanter of water. I’m sure very few beyond the front row heard him mutter the phrase “64.7 fluid ounces” before pouring himself a glass with a white-gloved hand. I, of course, heard the expression clearly. He took a sip of the liquid, cleared his throat, and proceeded to talk.
“My fellow scientists, thank you for allowing me to speak with you this evening.” Tesla’s voice boomed through the hall. Even the elderly amongst them could hear him clearly. While he had lived in America for the past nine years, his Hungarian accent and method of speech had not altogether faded.
“I come to lecture to you tonight on new advances in the field of electricity. Even as I speak the first alternating current electric plant in the United States of America is being constructed at Niagara Falls, in New York. The falls will provide enough energy to light the entire city of Buffalo, with electricity to spare. Electricity will be cheap and plentiful. It will replace steam in the factories and gaslight on the streets. Soon our homes will be heated by electric energy.”
The scientist then asked for the gaslights to be turned low so he might show a series of lantern slides depicting the great plant. When the gas was turned up, an outlandish apparatus stood in the middle of the room. Chairs squeaked and voices hummed as the assembled gathering of scientists positioned themselves for a better view.
“Gentlemen, I give you the induction coil.” A large, ring-shaped piece of metal stood atop what appeared to be a tube around which wire had been tightly wound. Several feet away stood a lightning rod. He gestured to two of the more elderly of the crowd who had moved their chairs forward to further examine the device. “Please move your seats back, sirs. Otherwise I am unable to guarantee your safety.”
I cannot comprehend most of what I saw that at that point, but when he worked the apparatus an enormous bolt of lightning sprang from its crown to the lighting rod. I felt a tingle run through my body. Mr. Tesla explained the sensation as stray electricity in the air. Whatever it was, I must say I was quite amazed.
“So much for the parlor tricks,” he exclaimed as two men threw a cloth over the apparatus. “I will also speak tonight about the new methods to which electricity may be put to use. In America, I have just patented a means by which telegraph signals may be sent through the ether. The signals can be conducted by the electricity in the upper atmosphere.” The scientist paused to allow a murmur to pass through the room. “Not only will man be able to pass telegraph signals through the ether, but one day he may transmit his voice, and perhaps even pictures.”
Tesla spent the next hour expounding upon one astonishing theory after another. I do not consider myself to be of small intellect, but I had a difficult time grasping much of what he had to say. Indeed, it seemed as though some of the eminent minds in attendance could not fully comprehend parts of the lecture.
I shook my head in disbelief as I filed out with the group of scientists. Transmitting signals through the air was without a doubt the most fanciful idea I had ever heard, and believe me, I’ve been around long enough to hear
