Chapter 21
The Soul-bird Sings
After Medina’s departure for the Native Island, the magician was more and more insistent in rushing the professor to produce the radiant amalgam. Nogus spared no expense – the dirigible flew back and forth, bringing everything the scientist needed. The projector-reflector was to be fully operable by the beginning of the illusionist’s world tour in the middle of summer.
A gigantic pavilion for testing the device was constructed on the other side of the canyon. Several miles of cable were lain from the laboratory to the pavilion. The same distance separated Jacob, who was spending days and nights in the pavilion, from the cherished emptyscope.
In the days when the enormous mirror cup was being built he kept thinking about Melia. The desire to see the nymph
