man, he had gradually widened the sphere of his
caretaking, until, at this time, he exercised a nominal supervision
over all the buildings. He knew what was going on in each; he had a
good idea, sometimes, of the scientific basis of this or that bit of
machinery, and had gradually become acquainted with the workings and
management of many of the instruments; and now and then he gave to his
employer very good hints in regard to the means of attaining an end,
more especially in the line of doing something by instrumentalities not
intended for that purpose. If Sammy could take any machine which had
been constructed to bore holes, and with it plug up orifices, he would
consider that he had been of advantage to his kind.

Block was a thoroughly loyal man. The interests of his employer were
always held by him first and above everything. But although the old man
understood, sometimes very well, and always in a fair degree, what the
inventor was trying to accomplish, and appreciated the magnitude and
often the amazing nature of his operations, he never believed in any of
them.

Sammy was a thoroughly old-fashioned man. He had been born and had grown
up in the days when a steam-locomotive was good enough and fast enough
for any sensible traveller, and he greatly preferred a good pair of
horses to any vehicle which one steered with a handle and regulated the
speed thereof with a knob. Roland Clew e might devise all the wonderful
contrivances he pleased, and he might do all sorts of astonishing things
with them, but Sammy would still be of the opinion that, even if the
machines did all that they were expected to do, the things they did
generally would not be worth the doing.

Still, the old man would not interfere by word or deed with any of the
plans or actions of his employer. On the contrary, he would help him in
every possible way--by fidelity, by suggestion, by constant devotion
and industry; but, in spite of all that, it was one of the most firmly
founded principles of his life that Roland Clewe had no right to ask him
to believe in the value of the wild and amazing schemes he had on hand.

Before Roland Clewe slept that night he had visited all his workshops,
factories, and laboratories. His men had been busily occupied during
his absence under the directions of their various special managers, and
those in charge were of the opinion that everything had progressed as
favorably and as rapidly as should have been expected;