`I think I'll get down!' Bruno whispered to Sylvie. `It aren't nice to be divided!'

`He hasn't got a knife, silly boy!' Sylvie whispered in reply. `Stand still! You'll break all the bottles!'

`The first part is to take hold of the knobs,' putting them into Bruno's hands. `The second part is--' Here he turned the handle, and, with a loud `Oh!', Bruno dropped both the knobs, and began rubbing his elbows.

The Professor chuckled in delight. `It had a sensible effect. Hadn't it?' he enquired.

`No, it hadn't a sensible effect!' Bruno said indignantly. `It were very silly indeed. It jingled my elbows, and it banged my back, and it crinkled my hair, and it buzzed among my bones!"

`I'm sure it didn't!' said Sylvie. `You're only inventing!'

`Oo doesn't know nuffin about it!' Bruno replied. `Oo wasn't there to see. Nobody ca'n't go among my bones. There isn't room.'

`Our Second Experiment,' the Professor announced, as Bruno returned to his place, still thoughtfully rubbing his elbows, `is the production of that seldom-seen-but-greatly-to-be-admired phenomenon, Black Light! You have seen White Light, Red Light, Green Light, and so on: but never, till this wonderful day, have any eyes but mine seen Black Light! This box,' carefully lifting it upon the table, and covering it with a heap of blankets, `is quite full of it. The way I made it was this--I took a lighted candle into a dark cupboard and shut the door. Of course the cupboard was then full of Yellow Light. Then I took a bottle of Black ink, and poured it over the candle: and, to my delight, every atom of the Yellow Light turned Black! That was indeed the proudest moment of my life! Then I filled a box with it. And now--would anyone like to get under the blankets and see it?'

Dead silence followed this appeal: but at last Bruno said `I'll get under, if it won't jingle my elbows.'

Satisfied on this point, Bruno crawled under the blankets, and, after a minute or two, crawled out again, very hot and dusty, and with his hair in the wildest confusion.

`What did you see in the box?' Sylvie eagerly enquired.

`I saw nuffin!' Bruno sadly replied. `It were too dark!'

`He has described the appearance of the thing exactly!' the Professor exclaimed with enthusiasm. `Black Light, and Nothing, look so extremely alike, at first sight, that I don't wonder he failed to distinguish them! We will now proceed to the Third Experiment.'

The Professor came down, and led the way to where a post had been driven firmly into the ground. To one side of the post was fastened a chain, with an iron weight hooked on to the end of it, and from the other side projected a piece of whalebone, with a ring at the end of it. `This is a most interesting Experiment!' the Professor announced. `It will need time, I'm afraid: but that is a trifling disadvantage. Now observe. If I were to unhook this weight, and let go, it would fall to the ground. You do not deny that?'

Nobody denied it.

`And in the same way, if I were to bend this piece of whalebone round the post--thus--and put the ring over this hook--thus--it stays bent: but, if I unhook it, it straightens itself again. You do not deny that?'

Again, nobody denied it.