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289
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, August 1930
·
Various
98
It
was
now
two
years
since
Edwin
Leland
bought
the
estate
for
a
song
and
took
up
his
residence
in
the
gloomy
old
house.
And
it
had
then
been
vacant
for
five
years
since
DeBost
shot
himself
in
the
northeast
bedroom.
Leland's
associates
were
sure
he
would
repent
of
his
bargain
in
a
very
short
time,
but
he
stayed
on
and
on
in
the
place,
with
no
company
save
that
of
his
man-servant,
an
aged
hunch-back
who
was
known
to
outsiders
only
as
Thomas.
Leland
was
a
scientist
of
note
before
he
buried
himself
in
the
DeBost
place,
and
had
been
employed
in
the
New
York
research
laboratory
of
one
of
the
large
electrical
manufacturers,
where
he
was
much
admired
and
not
a
little
envied
by
his
fellow
workers.
These
knew
almost
nothing
of
his
habits
or
of
his
personal
affairs,
and
were
much
surprised
when
he
announced
one
day
that
he
had
come
into
a
sizable
fortune
and
was
leaving
the
organization
to
go
in
for
private
research
and
study.
Attempts
to
dissuade
him
were
of
no
avail,
and
the
purchase
of
the
DeBost
property
followed,
after
which
Leland
dropped
from
sight
for
nearly
two
years.
Then,
on
a
blustery
winter
day,
a
strange
telephone
call
was
received
at
the
laboratory
where
he
had
previously
worked.
It
was
from
old
Thomas,
out
there
in
the
DeBost
mansion,
and
his
quavering
voice
asked
for
Frank
Rowley,
the
genial
young
engineer
whose
work
had
been
most
closely
associated
with
Leland's.
"Oh,
Mr.
Rowley,"
wailed
the
old
man,
when
Frank
responded
to
the
call,
"I
wish
you
would
come
out
here
right
away.
The
master
has
been
acting
very
queerly
of
late,
and
to-day
he
has
locked
himself
in
his
laboratory
and
will
not
answer
my
knocks."
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