Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-10-11

and ! now tell you--'na' oo NOT
know!n
Az nc returned this strange reply his
voice, his manner, thrilled me. looked
attentively at froissart. His face was
now composed, his voice steady, his eye
clear and calm. could perceive n him
no trace Of alteration or Illusion. And
vet his words were surely "wild and
whirling" as those Of nightmare, Of
frenzy, Of delirlum!
CHAPTER II.
We separated for the night, but 1t
was long before ] retired to rest, and
when at last did so / lay awake for
hours, my brain busy with conjectural
explanations Of what / had seen and
heard. No explanation, however, pre-
scented itself to my mind which | could
accept as being in the least degree salts
factory. The only solution which SEEM
ed at all possible was that which had
been present to my thoughts when ! put
TO Froissart the question which he
had so strangely answered-that the
figure had seen was machine. skill
fully constructed in human shape--in
other words, an automaton. And yet
how to reconcile his answer with this
theory "a theory which, moreover,
after all. explained nothing, neither
Froissart's agitation nor the motive OF
his visit to his tower, nor his behavior
| in the presence of the figure, nor his in
| explicable answer, nor my own sensa-
tons. No; this solution would not
serve. Yet could think Of no other
which did not seem still wilder and
more fantastic. At length gave up
in despair tho attempt to find an expla-
ton Of the mystery, and weary of vain
coDjectures fell asleep.
In the morning | rose, and we de-
scended to the room in which we had
dined the night before, and where the
morning meal awaited us. Somewhat
| to my surprise, and much to my dis
| appointment, Froissart made no refer
ence to the events Of the preceding
night, nor to his promise Of revela-
ton. We passed the hours of the
morning in conversation on many
subjects, and | found that my
curiosity was doomed to be pro-
longed. 1t was not until the after
noon, when the brief November day
was already dying, that on sudden,
and with considerable abruptness, frois-
sart rose from the chair where he had
been sitting for some time in reflection,
and desired me to follow him.
had no need to ask him whittier.
His voice, his face, his manner, an
swered me at once more clearly than
words. At last the hour was come
Froissart led the way in silence to
the dark tower.
Wereached the stairs-we mounted
we stood before the door. Frossart
inserted the key, the door opened, and
we entered.
The figure | had seen the night be
fore was sitting before his checkered
table, with the turban, beard, and flow
irg robe, exactly as | had seen them.
On one point, however, found that |
had been mistaken the eyes of the
figure were not fixed, as had sup
posed. upon the pieces, but were gazing
straight before him.
Regarded him with strangely mingled
sensations Of curiosity and awe. The
latter feeling | could not entirely ac-
count for; | reflected that it was pro-
badly a survival of that which | had
experienced the previous evening,
strengthened by a memory Of that
strange dream which had disturbed my
sleep. Otherwise saw no cause for agita-
ton. On viewing the figure thus closely
and by daylight, discovered at once
that my supposition had been correct.
The figure was an artificial construc-
ton. machine in the shape, Of man.
There was no room for doubt; the
beard was stiff and lifeless, the features
mask.like, the eyes of glass. 1t had
been merely the effect of distance and
uncertain light which had deceived me.
/ spoke my thoughts aloud.
at is, then, really an automaton."
at was So" returned Froissart,
with a curious emphasis. | looked at
him inquiringly, not comprehending.
at was sol! | repeated. "And
what, then, is it now?"
"AsI have said,' he answered, san
automston it was. What it now is,
God knows. Let us be seated, Seldom,
and listen to most strange story. If
you find it not altogether incredible, |
shall be amazed. And yet Of its truth
| cannot be less firmly assured than
am Of the reality of my own existence. :"
He paused for moment, then re-
sumed:
This fgure-this automaton, since
| must call it so--was the invention of
my old friend Martin Sombras. 1t
was devised, as no doubt you have
OWNED, to play game Of chess with
an opponent. Many such figures have
been constructed, differing more or less
in detail, but all depending for their
mode Of action upon the presence
of some human player carefully
concealed either within the figure itself
or in a chest upon which the board was
placed. Sombras's idea, however, was
radically different from these. lie con-
ceived the possibility of constructing
an automston which should be really
such-that is, such that any move
made by its opponent should set in
motion a part Of its machinery,
which would thereupon cause the
figure to make the answering move
required by the particular combina-
ton of the game. Impossible as this
may seem at first sight the method by
which it was accomplished was in reali-
ty wonderfully simple. Indeed, if you
are acquainted with certain devices OF
somewhat similar naturs-Babbage' S
calculating machine, for example-you
will be aware that this is not the only
instance in which machinery has been
made to accomplish, by most simple
combinations, results apparently i'm
possible"
| admitted that this was so.
81 need not, then, go into details, ~
continued Froissart, (which are, more
over, unnecessary TO my story. may
| inst mention hOwever that the couoraa