On the following morning, Ralph, breakfasting alone, sent Peter to the apartments of his guests to ascertain at what hour they would be ready to do a little sight-seeing with him as guide. He himself, in the habit of rising at an early hour, had not expected to see either Alice or her father much before noon, and it was a decided surprise to him, to see the latter enter the room a moment after Peter had gone on his errand.
"I see that you, too, like to get up with the birds," said the scientist after they had exchanged morning greetings.
"And Alice also, when she is at home; but the journey, and our exciting day following it have tired her. I shall just have a bite to eat with you, if you will permit me, and then I must be off to keep an appointment with one of the chief engineers of the Tube."
"Then you will be unable to accompany us on our tour of the city?"
"Yes, but don't let that interfere with your plans. I know that Alice will be safe with you," smiled her father, "and I daresay you young people can get along very well without me."
[Pg 67]
"I'm sorry," replied Ralph, but in his heart he could not but rejoice that he was to spend the day alone with her who, in a few short hours had so captivated him. Perhaps something of this showed in his face, for James 212B 422 smiled to himself.
Peter returned and presently Ralph and James were seated together at the table. They conversed in a more or less desultory manner until just before the end of the meal when Alice's father, laying down his napkin, said:
"Before I leave you I have a request to make, a strange one, you may think." He hesitated. "A short time ago I said that I felt that Alice would be safe in your care. I had a special reason for making the remark. The fact is, I am a little worried about her. A young man, by name Fernand 60O 10, has been making rather a nuisance of himself lately. He has asked her to marry him, a number of times, and she has refused, and he has begun to force his attentions on her in a manner which savors something of persecution.
"In fact, he went so far, four days ago, as to threaten her. Exactly what passed between them I don't know, but I do know that, although she treated the matter lightly at the time, she is frightened. I have an impression that he may try to kidnap her if she does not accept him, and though, in these enlightened days such a thing seems ridiculous—well, the affair makes me a little nervous myself. When we left Switzerland I understood that he was there, but he may have followed Alice here. If he has and renews his unpleasant surveillance I shall know that my fears have some grounds."
"What does this Fernand look like?" asked Ralph.
"Oh, a nice looking fellow—at least, the women think[Pg 68] so. Personally, I don't care for him. He is tall and dark, and has the sort of temperament that seems to delight in opposition. His eyes have a sullen expression, and his mouth is somewhat weak. She has, by the way, another admirer, a thoroughly harmless chap, who is here on a visit at present. He is the Martian Llysanorh' CK 1618, and he is really hopelessly infatuated, but being, as I say, a very decent chap who respects the law against marriage between the Martians and Terrestrials, he has never annoyed her in any way. On the other hand they are very good friends, and I doubt very much whether she even suspects that he has any other feeling for her than that of a devoted friend."
As he was speaking, a picture leapt to Ralph's mind. He saw again two faces, each in the center of a Telephot, who, among the crowds of applauding admirers regarded him with such intentness. If these were the two men who cared for Alice, each in his own way, it was not surprising that they had displayed more than a passing interest in the man who had rescued her from what seemed to be certain death, and who was a possible rival.
He recounted the incident to James, who agreed with him that in all likelihood his suspicions were correct, and the two men parted for the day, the older bearing with him the comforting reassurance that Ralph would take care of his daughter as he would himself.
It was nearing eleven when Alice appeared, bright-eyed after her long rest. She laughingly apologized for being so late, and they set out at once.
"You know," he said before they started, "we New Yorkers are strange birds. We only like our city when we are far away from it, or when we can take some stranger[Pg 69] about to show him or her the marvels of the town. As a matter of fact the real, dyed-in-the-wool New Yorker hates the town and only stays in it because it has cast a spell over him which he cannot escape."
By this time they had arrived at the street level of the building and Ralph bade Alice sit down on a chair in the vestibule. He pressed a nearby button twice and a servant brought two pairs of what appeared to be roller-skates.
In reality they were Tele-motor-coasters. They were made of alomagnesium and each weighed only about one and one-half pounds. Each had three small, rubber-covered wheels, one in front and two in the rear. Between the wheels was a small electric motor—about the size of a lemon; this motor could only be operated by high frequency currents and, despite its small size, could deliver about one-quarter horsepower.
Ralph explained the coasters and their use to his companion; and after they had put them on by means of an ingenious clutch, whereby the coaster could be snapped onto the shoe in less than five seconds, they both went out into the street. From each coaster a thin insulated wire led up the wearer's back to the hat or cap. Here it was attached to the collector, which was a stiff pin about eight inches long, projecting half-way out from the hat or cap. This pin sucked up, as it were, the high frequency electricity and carried it to the small motors, which latter propelled the coaster. To control the speed of the motor, one simply lifted up the front part of the coaster; this not only cut off the current, but automatically braked the two rear wheels.
When the two rolled out in the street, Alice at once remarked upon the splendid condition of the roads.
[Pg 70]
"You see," the scientist explained, "for centuries the city had to content itself with temporary pavements, until about fifty years ago it woke up and covered every street with steelonium.
"You will notice that there are no cracks or fissures. Steelonium won't rust and is ten times as strong as steel. We now make our streets by putting down large slabs of the metal, six inches thick. After they are in place we weld them together electrically and the result is a perfect street composed of a uniform sheet of metal without cracks or breaks; no dirt or germs can collect. The sidewalks are made in the same manner.
"As a matter of fact, the Tele-motor-coasters would not be possible were it not for the metallic streets. The flat spring which trails on the street between the two rear wheels must make continuous contact with the metallic 'ground,' else the current cannot flow."
"But where does the current come from?" asked the girl.
"You have perhaps noticed already the white slender posts at the edge of the sidewalk, and on their tops umbrella-like insulators which carry a thick spiked wire. This wire, as you see, is about fifteen feet above the curb and carries the high frequency current which not only supplies our coasters with power, by way of our needle collectors, but also propels all the vehicles which you see gliding so noiselessly."
They were well under way and rolled along at a speed of about twenty miles an hour. They passed thousands of citizens, all coasting at high speed. There was no noise but the peculiar hum produced by the thousands of motors, a sound which was in nowise annoying.
[Pg 71]
Each sidewalk was divided in two parts. On the outside only people going in one direction, on the inside only people going in the opposite direction could coast. Collisions, therefore, were impossible. If a person rolling on the outside wished to enter a store, it was necessary to go to the end of the block, and then turn to the left, which brought him on the inside of the sidewalk where he could roll up to his destination. Of course, this was only necessary when the sidewalk was crowded, nothing preventing one's crossing it if but few people were on the block.
The trolley car had long since become obsolete as well as the gasoline-driven automobile. Only electromobiles carrying either passengers or freight were to be seen. Each vehicle was equipped with a short collector mast by means of which the electrical energy was conveyed to the motors. The wheels of all vehicles were rubber-covered. This accomplished two purposes: one to insulate the vehicle from the metallic street, the other to minimize the noise to the greatest extent.
Although Alice had had a good scientific training, some of the wonders of New York amazed her and she, as strangers had done for centuries, asked questions continuously, while her companion eagerly explained everything with a pleasure peculiar to the New Yorker, loving his town.
"What are those strange spiral wire affairs hanging high over all street crossings?" was one of her first questions.
"Those illuminate our streets at night," was the answer. "They are iridium wire spirals, about ten meters in diameter, hanging forty meters up in the air, at the intersection of all our streets. This evening you will see how the entire spiral will glow in a pure white light which is absolutely[Pg 72............