any ways in which the invention might be used, and would
have told her of many more if she had not suddenly burst into tears.

"The world has gained something wonderful," she exclaimed, between
her sobs, "but I have lost a husband!"

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, in surprise.

"I haven't minded it so far," she said, "because it gave you
something to do, and it pleased you, and it never interfered with
our home pleasures and our home life. But now that is all over. You
will never be your own master again. It will succeed, I am sure, and
you may make a great deal of money, but we don't need money. What we
need is the happiness which we have always had until now. Now there
will be companies, and patents, and lawsuits, and experiments, and
people calling you a humbug, and other people saying they discovered
it long ago, and all sorts of persons coming to see you, and you'll
be obliged to go to all sorts of places, and you will be an altered
man, and we shall never be happy again. Millions of money will not
repay us for the happiness we have lost."

These words of my wife struck me with much force. Before I had
called her my mind had begun to be filled and perplexed with ideas
of what I ought to do now that the great invention was perfected.
Until now the matter had not troubled me at all. Sometimes I had
gone backward and sometimes forward, but, on the whole, I had always
felt encouraged. I had taken great pleasure in the work, but I had
never allowed myself to be too much absorbed by it. But now
everything was different. I began to feel that it was due to myself
and to my fellow-beings that I should properly put this invention
before the world. And how should I set about it? What steps should I
take? I must make no mistakes. When the matter should become known
hundreds of scientific people might set themselves to work; how
could I tell but that they might discover other methods of producing
the same effect? I must guard myself against a great many things. I
must get patents in all parts of the world. Already, as I have said,
my mind began to be troubled and perplexed with these things. A
turmoil of this sort did not suit my age or disposition. I could not
but agree with my wife that the joys of a quiet and contented life
were now about to be broken into.

"My dear," said I, "I believe, with you, that the thing will do us
more harm than good. If it were not for depriving the world of the
invention I would throw