II + 

The Karburator + 

вАЬIвАЩve been expecting you!вАЭ Marek repeated, when he had seated his guest in a comfortable leather chair. Nothing on earth would have induced Bondy to own up to his vision of the fallen inventor. вАЬJust fancy!вАЭ he said, with a rather forced gaiety. вАЬWhat a coincidence! It struck me only this very morning that we hadnвАЩt seen one another for twenty years. Twenty years, Rudy, think of it!вАЭ + 

вАЬHm,вАЭ said Marek. вАЬAnd so you want to buy my invention.вАЭ + 

вАЬBuy it?вАЭ said G. H. Bondy hesitatingly. вАЬI really donвАЩt knowвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ I havenвАЩt even given it a thought. I wanted to see you andвБ†вАФвАЭ + 

вАЬOh, come, you neednвАЩt pretend,вАЭ Marek interrupted him. вАЬI knew that you were coming. YouвАЩd be sure to, for a thing like this. This kind of invention is just in your line. ThereвАЩs a lot to be done with it.вАЭ He made an eloquent motion with his hand, coughed, and began again more deliberately. вАЬThe invention I am going to show you means a bigger revolution in technical methods than WattвАЩs invention of the steam-engine. To give you its nature briefly, it provides, putting it theoretically, for the complete utilization of atomic energy.вАЭ + 

Bondy concealed a yawn. вАЬBut tell me, what have you been doing all these twenty years?вАЭ + 

Marek glanced at him with some surprise. + 

вАЬModern science teaches that all matterвБ†вАФthat is to say, its atomsвБ†вАФis composed of a vast number of units of energy. An atom is in reality a collection of electrons, i.e. of the tiniest particles of electricity.вАЭ + 

вАЬThatвАЩs tremendously interesting,вАЭ Bondy broke in. вАЬI was always weak in physics, you know. But youвАЩre not looking well, Marek. By the way, how did you happen to come by this playthвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ this, erвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ factory?вАЭ + 

вАЬI? Oh, quite by accident. I invented a new kind of filament for electric bulbs.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ But thatвАЩs nothing; I only came upon it incidentally. You see, for twenty years IвАЩve been working on the combustion of matter. Tell me yourself, Bondy, what is the greatest problem of modern industry?вАЭ + 

вАЬDoing business,вАЭ said Bondy. вАЬAnd are you married yet?вАЭ + 

вАЬIвАЩm a widower,вАЭ answered Marek, leaping up excitedly. вАЬNo, business has nothing to do with it, I tell you. ItвАЩs combustion. The complete utilization of the heat-energy contained in matter! Just consider that we use hardly one hundred-thousandth of the heat that there is in coal, and that could be extracted from it! Do you realize that?вАЭ + 

вАЬYes, coal is terribly dear!вАЭ said Mr.¬†Bondy sapiently. + 

Marek sat down and cried disgustedly, вАЬLook here, if you havenвАЩt come here about my Karburator, Bondy, you can go.вАЭ + 

вАЬGo ahead, then,вАЭ Bondy returned, anxious to conciliate him. + 

Marek rested his head in his hands, and after a struggle came out with, вАЬFor twenty years IвАЩve been working on it, and nowвБ†вАФnow, IвАЩll sell it to the first man who comes along! My magnificent dream! The greatest invention of all the ages! Seriously, Bondy, I tell you, itвАЩs something really amazing.вАЭ + 

вАЬNo doubt, in the present wretched state of affairs,вАЭ assented Bondy. + 

вАЬNo, without any qualification at all, amazing. Do you realize that it means the utilization of atomic energy without any residue whatever?вАЭ + 

вАЬAha,вАЭ said Bondy. вАЬSo weвАЩre going to do our heating with atoms. Well, why not?вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ YouвАЩve got a nice place here, Rudy. Small and pleasant. How many hands do you employ?вАЭ + 

Marek took no notice. вАЬYou know,вАЭ he said thoughtfully, вАЬitвАЩs all the same thing, whatever you call itвБ†вАФthe utilization of atomic energy, or the complete combustion of matter, or the disintegration of matter. You can call it what you please.вАЭ + 

вАЬIвАЩm in favour of вАШcombustionвАЩ!вАЭ said Mr.¬†Bondy. вАЬIt sounds more familiar.вАЭ + 

вАЬBut вАШdisintegrationвАЩ is more exactвБ†вАФto break up the atoms into electrons, and harness the electrons and make them work. Do you understand that?вАЭ + 

вАЬPerfectly,вАЭ Bondy assured him. вАЬThe point is to harness them!вАЭ + 

вАЬWell, imagine, say, that there are two horses at the ends of a rope, pulling with all their might in opposite directions. Do you know what you have then?вАЭ + 

вАЬSome kind of sport, I suppose,вАЭ suggested Mr.¬†Bondy. + 

вАЬNo, a state of repose. The horses pull, but they stay where they are. And if you were to cut the ropeвБ†вАФвАЭ + 

вАЬвБ†вАФThe horses would fall over,вАЭ cried G. H. Bondy, with a flash of inspiration. + 

вАЬNo, but they would start running; they would become energy released. Now, pay attention. Matter is a team in that very position. Cut the bonds that hold its electrons together, and they willвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ + 

вАЬRun loose!вАЭ + 

вАЬYes, but we can catch and harness them, donвАЩt you see? Or put it to yourself this way: we burn a piece of coal, say, to produce heat. We do get a little heat from it, but we also get ashes, coal-gas, and soot. So we donвАЩt lose the matter altogether, do we?вАЭ + 

вАЬNo.вБ†вАФWonвАЩt you have a cigar?вАЭ + 

вАЬNo, I wonвАЩt.вБ†вАФBut the matter which is left still contains a vast quantity of unused atomic energy. If we used up the whole of the atomic energy, we should use up the whole of the atoms. In short, the matter would vanish altogether.вАЭ + 

вАЬAha! Now I understand.вАЭ + 

вАЬItвАЩs just as though we were to grind corn badlyвБ†вАФas if we ground up the thin outer husk and threw the rest away, just as we throw away ashes. When the grinding is perfect, thereвАЩs nothing or next to nothing left of the grain, is there? In the same way, when there is perfect combustion, thereвАЩs nothing or next to nothing left of the matter we burn. ItвАЩs ground up completely. It is used up. It returns to its original nothingness. You know, it takes a tremendous amount of energy to make matter exist at all. Take away its existence, compel it not to be, and you thereby release an enormous supply of power. ThatвАЩs how it is, Bondy.вАЭ + 

вАЬAha. ThatвАЩs not bad.вАЭ + 

вАЬPfl√Љger, for instance, calculates that one kilogramme of coal contains twenty-three billions of calories. I think that Pfl√Љger exaggerates.вАЭ + 

вАЬDecidedly.вАЭ + 

вАЬI have arrived at seven billions myself, theoretically. But even that signifies that one kilogramme of coal, if it underwent complete combustion, would run a good-sized factory for several hundred hours!вАЭ + 

вАЬThe devil it does!вАЭ cried Mr.¬†Bondy, springing from his chair. + 

вАЬI canвАЩt give you the exact number of hours. IвАЩve been burning half a kilogramme of coal for six weeks at a pressure of thirty kilogrammetres and, man alive,вАЭ said the engineer in a whisper, turning pale, вАЬitвАЩs still going onвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ and onвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ and on.вАЭ + 

Bondy was embarrassed; he stroked his smooth round chin. вАЬListen, Marek,вАЭ he began, hesitatingly. вАЬYouвАЩre surelyвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ erвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ a bitвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ erвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ overworked.вАЭ + 

MarekвАЩs hand thrust the suggestion aside. вАЬNot a bit of it. If youвАЩd only get up physics a bit, I could give you an explanation of my Karburator in which the combustion takes place. It involves a whole chapter of advanced physics, you know. But youвАЩll see it downstairs in the cellar. I shovelled half a kilogramme of coal into the machine, then I shut it up and had it officially sealed in the presence of witnesses, so that no one could put any more coal in. Go and have a look at it for yourselfвБ†вАФgo onвБ†вАФgo now! You wonвАЩt understand it, anyway, butвБ†вАФgo down to the cellar! Go on down, man, I tell you!вАЭ + 

вАЬWonвАЩt you come with me?вАЭ asked Bondy in astonishment. + 

вАЬNo, you go alone. AndвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ I say, BondyвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ donвАЩt stay down there long.вАЭ + 

вАЬWhy not?вАЭ asked Bondy, growing a trifle suspicious. + 

вАЬOh, nothing much. Only IвАЩve a notion that perhaps itвАЩs not quite healthy down there. Turn on the light, the switch is just by the door. That noise down in the cellar doesnвАЩt come from my machine. It works noiselessly, steadily, and without any smellвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ The roaring is only aвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ a ventilator. Well, now, you go on. IвАЩll wait here. Then you can tell meвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ + 

Bondy went down the cellar steps, quite glad to be away from that madman for a while (quite mad, no doubt whatever about it) and rather worried as to the quickest means of getting out of the place altogether. Why, just look, the cellar had a huge thick reinforced door just like an armour-plated safe in a bank. And now letвАЩs have a light. The switch was just by the door. And there in the middle of the arched concrete cellar, clean as a monastery cell, lay a gigantic copper cylinder resting on cement supports. It was closed on all sides except at the top, where there was a grating bedecked with seals. Inside the machine all was darkness and silence. With a smooth and regular motion the cylinder thrust forth a piston which slowly rotated a heavy flywheel. That was all. Only the ventilator in the cellar window kept up a ceaseless rattle. + 

Perhaps it was the draught from the ventilator or somethingвБ†вАФbut Mr.¬†Bondy felt a peculiar breeze upon his brow, and an eerie sensation as though his hair were standing on end; and then it seemed as if he were being borne through boundless space; and then as though he were floating in the air without any sensation of his own weight. G. H. Bondy fell on his knees, lost in a bewildering, shining ecstasy. He felt as if he must shout and sing, he seemed to hear about him the rustle of unceasing and innumerable wings. And suddenly someone seized him violently by the hand and dragged him from the cellar. It was Marek, wearing over his head a mask or a helmet like a diverвАЩs, and he hauled Bondy up the stairs. + 

Up in the room he pulled off his metal head-covering and wiped away the sweat that soaked his brow. + 

вАЬOnly just in time,вАЭ he gasped, showing tremendous agitation. + 