"
Presently the Great Scientist turned towards us with a
sigh that seemed to our ears to have a note of weariness
in it. Something, we felt, must be making him tired.
"What can I do for you?" he said.
"Professor," we answered, "we have called upon you in
response to an overwhelming demand on the part of the
public--"
The Great Scientist nodded.
"To learn something of your new researches and discoveries
in" (here we consulted a minute card which we carried in
our pocket) "in radio-active-emanations which are already
becoming" (we consulted our card again) "a household
word--"
The Professor raised his hand as if to check us.
"I would rather say," he murmured, "helio-radio-active--"
"So would we," we admitted, "much rather--"
"After all," said the Great Scientist, "helium shares in
the most intimate degree the properties of radium. So,
too, for the matter of that," he added in afterthought,
"do thorium, and borium!"
"Even borium!" we exclaimed, delighted, and writing
rapidly in our notebook. Already we saw ourselves writing
up as our headline _Borium Shares Properties of Thorium_.
"Just what is it," said the Great Scientist, "that you
want to know?"
"Professor," we answered, "what our journal wants is a
plain and simple explanation, so clear that even our
readers can understand it, of the new scientific discoveries
in radium.
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