Enough to say that all Jack’s work had been fully approved, and that he would soon have the pleasure of seeing his improved radio equipment on the world market. He had solved the problem of providing super-selectivity with a radio receiver permitting the operator to select any station he wanted to hear, whether or not local stations were in operation—a receiver that brought volume from distant stations along with selectivity, that attained a more faithful reproduction of broadcasted voice and music than ever deemed possible before, and that, moreover, was eternally “non-radiating;” that is to say, that no matter how handled it would never interfere with a neighboring radio enthusiast’s enjoyment. And he had transformed the Super-Heterodyne, theretofore so complicated that engineering skill was required for its operation, until now it was improved in sensitiveness and selectivity and simplified so that anybody could operate it.
“And what do you get for your work?” the practical Mr. Temple wanted to know.
“I don’t know,” said Jack. “Maybe, millions. The radio trust financed my experiments, as you know, and you might think it would now offer me a lump sum and buy my work outright. But, although there were one or two men who wanted to do that, the balance were very decent about it. The upshot is that I have a contractual agreement, paying me a fixed royalty on all sales of my patented articles.”
“You got them to do that?” said Mr. Temple, getting up and shaking Jack by the hand. “Well, I’ll say you’re a business man. How about it, Hampton?” And he turned toward Jack’s father.
“Jack knows how I feel,” said Mr. Hampton, smiling. “But the big thing to him, and I guess to me, too, is not the fact that he probably will reap a fortune but rather that he has succeeded in advancing the cause of science.”
“And now what are you planning to do?” persisted Mr. Temple, while the others—the whole party was present on the shaded slope of lawn beside the Temple tennis courts—listened for Jack’s answer.
Jack pretended a secretiveness which he did not feel, and his make-believe was so pronounced that the others all began to smile.
“Hist,” he said, gazing around, with hand, palm extended, shading his eyes. “Any enemies of the radio trust on hand? No, well then I can speak. But only in strictest secrecy, mind that, everybody. As soon as”—a twinkling glance at Rafaela—“as soon as I go under new management, I’m to be detailed to Washington.”
“Washington? What for?” cried Bob.
And, “Yes, what for?” echoed others. Mr. Hampton and Rafaela, who already had been admitted to the secret, alone remained silent.