Midnight struck as he worked feverishly at the apparatus, the long face corrugated as he checked the dials and tubes. He worked swiftly, but evidently was following a procedure which he had committed to memory, for he was forced to pause often to make sure of himself. "Everything is O. K.," said the strange voice at last. He consulted his watch. "Twelve-thirty," he said. She bit her lip in terror, as he cried, "Now!" and sprang to the table to take his place on the metallic platform, which oscillated to and fro under his weight. The delicate grayish metal antenna, which, she knew, would form a glittering halo of blue and gray threads of fire, rested quiescent above his head. "This is the last thing," he said calmly, as he reached for the big ebony handled switch. "I'll be myself in a few minutes, mother." "Yes, son, yes." The switch connected, and Allen Baker, in the form of Ramsey Burr, suddenly cried out in pain. His mother leaped up to run to his side, but he waved her away. She stood, wringing her hands, as he began to twist and turn, as though torn by some invisible force. Eery screams came from the throat of the man on the platform, and Mrs. Baker's cries of sympathy mingled with them. * * * * * The mighty motors hummed in a high-pitched, unnatural whine, and suddenly Mrs. Baker saw the tortured face before her grow dim. The countenance of the professor seemed to melt, and then there came a dull, muffled thud, a burst of white-blue flame, the odor of burning rubber and the tinkle of broken glass. Back to the face came the clarity of outline, and still it was Professor Ramsey Burr's body she stared at. Her son, in the professor's shape, climbed from the platform, and looked about him as though dazed. An acrid smoke filled the room, and burning insulation assailed the nostrils. Desperately, without looking at her, his lips set in a determined line, the man went hurriedly over the apparatus again. "Have I forgotten, did I do anything wrong?" she heard his anguished cry. Two tubes were burned out, and these he replaced as swiftly as possible. But he was forced to go all over the wiring, and cut out whatever had been short-circuited so that it could be hooked up anew with uninjured wire. Before he was ready to resume his seat on the platform, after half an hour of feverish haste, a knock came on the door. The person outside was imperative, and Mrs. Baker ran over and opened the portal. Jared, the whites of his eyes shining in the dim light, stood there. "De professah--tell him dat de wahden wishes to talk with him. It is very important, ma'am." The body of Burr, inhabited by Allen's soul, pushed by her, and she followed falteringly, wringing her hands. She saw the tall figure snatch at the receiver and listen. "Oh, God," he cried. At last, he put the receiver back on the hook, automatically, and sank down in a chair, his face in his hands. * * * * *