Page:The Poison Belt - Conan Doyle, 1913.djvu/30

 Rh  too dense to perceive that it is well within the bounds of scientific possibility.

"Yours faithfully,

""

"It's a fine, steemulating letter," said McArdle, thoughtfully, fitting a cigarette into the long glass tube which he used as a holder. "What's your opeenion of it, Mr. Malone?"

I had to confess my total and humiliating ignorance of the subject at issue. What, for example, were Frauenhofer's lines? McArdle had just been studying the matter with the aid of our tame scientist at the office, and he picked from his desk two of those many-coloured spectral bands which bear a general resemblance to the hat-ribbons of some young and ambitious cricket club. He pointed out to me that there were certain black lines which formed cross-bars upon the series of brilliant colours extending