The Blue Germ
Maurice Nicoll
Produced by Steven desJardins and the Online DistributedProofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
THE BLUE GERM
_WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR_
LORD RICHARD IN THE PANTRYCUPID GOES NORTHTHE SPORTING INSTINCT
IN MESOPOTAMIA. (With Illustrations in Colour by the Author.)
LONDON: HODDER AND STOUGHTON
THE BLUE GERM
BY MARTIN SWAYNE
HODDER AND STOUGHTONLONDON NEW YORK TORONTOMCMXVIII
Printed in Great Britain ByRichard Clay & Sons, Limited,BRUNSWICK ST., STAMFORD ST., S.E. 1,AND BUNGAY, SUFFOLK.
TO
J. E. H. W.
CONTENTS
CHAP. PAGE I. BLACK MAGIC 1 II. SARAKOFF'S MANIFESTO 5 III. THE BUTTERFLIES 14 IV. THE SIX TUBES 21 V. THE GREAT AQUEDUCT 29 VI. THE ATTITUDE OF MR. THORNDUCK 32 VII. LEONORA 40 VIII. THE BLUE DISEASE 58 IX. THE MAN FROM BIRMINGHAM 67 X. THE ILLNESS OF MR. ANNOT 79 XI. THE RESURRECTION 90 XII. MR. CLUTTERBUCK'S OPINION 101 XIII. THE DEAD IMMORTAL 110 XIV. FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF IMMORTALITY 123 XV. THE TERRIBLE FEAR 132 XVI. THE VISIT OF THE HOME SECRETARY 144 XVII. CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR 156 XVIII. IMMORTAL LOVE 161 XIX. THE MEETING AT THE QUEEN'S HALL 177 XX. THE WAY BACK 188 XXI. JASON 196 XXII. THE FIRST MURDERS 206 XXIII. AT DOWNING STREET 216 XXIV. NIGHT OF AN IMMORTAL 224 XXV. OUR FLIGHT 229 XXVI. ON THE SPANIARD'S WALK 236 XXVII. LEONORA'S VOICE 245XXVIII. THE KILLING OF DESIRE 252 XXIX. THE REVOLT OF THE YOUNG 260 XXX. THE GREAT SLEEP 273
CHAPTER I
BLACK MAGIC
I had just finished breakfast, and deeply perplexed had risen from thetable in order to get a box of matches to light a cigarette, when myblack cat got between my feet and tripped me up.
I fell forwards, making a clutch at the table-cloth. My forehead struckthe corner of the fender and the last thing I remembered was a crash offalling crockery. Then all became darkness. My parlour-maid found melying face downwards on the hearth-rug ten minutes later. My cat wassitting near my head, blinking contentedly at the fire. A little bloodwas oozing from a wound above my left eye.
They carried me up to my bedroom and sent for my colleague, WilfredHammer, who lived next door. For three days I lay insensible, and Hammercame in continually, whenever he could spare the time from hispatients, and brooded over me. On the fourth day I began to move aboutin my bed, restless and muttering, and Hammer told me afterwards that Iseemed to be talking of a black cat. On the night of the fourth day Isuddenly opened my eyes. My perplexity had left me. An idea, clear ascrystal, was now in my mind.
From that moment my confinement to bed was a source of impatience to me.Hammer, large, fair, square-headed, and imperturbable, insisted oncomplete rest, and I chafed under the restraint. I had only onedesire--to get up, slip down to St. Dane's Hospital in my car, mount thebare stone steps that led up to the laboratory and begin work at once.
"Let me up, Hammer," I implored.
"My dear fellow, you're semi-delirious."
"I must get up," I muttered.
He laughed slowly.
"Not for another week or two, Harden. How is the black cat?"
"That cat is a wizard."
I lay watching him between half-closed eyelids.
"He gave me the idea."
"He gave you a nasty concussion," said Hammer.
"It was probably the only way to the idea," I answered. "I tell you thecat is a wizard. He did it on purpose. He's a black magician."
Hammer laughed again, and went towards the door.
"Then the idea must be black magic," he said.
I smiled painfully, for my head was throbbing. But I was happier thenthan I had ever been, for I had solved the problem that had haunted mybrain for ten years.
"There's no such thing as black magic," I said.
Three weeks later I beheld the miracle. It was wrought on the last dayof December, in the laboratory of the hospital, high above the gloom andsqualor of the city. The miracle occurred within a brilliant littlecircle of light, and I saw it with my eye glued to a microscope. Itpassed off swiftly and quietly, and though I expected it, I was filledwith a great wonder and amazement.
To a lay mind the amazement with which I beheld the miracle will requireexplanation. I had witnessed the transformation of one germ intoanother; a thing which is similar to a man seeing a flock of sheep on ahill-side change suddenly into a herd of cattle. For many minutes Icontinued to move the slide in an aimless way with trembling fingers. Mytemperament is earthy; it had once occurred to me quite seriously thatif I saw a miracle I would probably go mad under the strain. Now that Ihad seen one, after the first flash of realization my mind was listlessand dull, and all feeling of surprise had died away. The black rodsfloated with slow motion in the minute currents of fluid I hadintroduced. The faint roar of London came up from far below; the clockticked steadily and the microscope lamp shone with silent radiance. AndI, Richard Harden, sat dangling my short legs on the high stool,thinking and thinking....
That night I wrote to Professor Sarakoff. A month later I was on my wayto Russia.
