t least a starting…point； and he forthwith commenced his quest of the telephone。
As he was then in England； his first step was naturally to visit Sir Charles Wheatstone； the best known English expert on telegraphy。 Sir Charles had earned his title by many inventions。 He was a simple…natured scientist； and treated Bell with the utmost kindness。 He showed him an ingenious talking…machine that had been made by Baron de Kempelin。 At this time Bell was twenty…two and unknown； Wheatstone was sixty…seven and famous。 And the personality of the veteran scientist made so vivid a picture upon the mind of the impressionable young Bell that the grand passion of science became henceforth the master…motif of his life。
From this summit of glorious ambition he was thrown； several months later； into the depths of grief and despondency。 The White Plague had come to the home in Edinburgh and taken away his two brothers。 More； it had put its mark upon the young inventor himself。 Nothing but a change of climate； said his doctor； would put him out of danger。 And so； to save his life； he and his father and mother set sail from Glasgow and came to the small Canadian town of Brantford； where for a year he fought down his tendency to consumption； and satisfied his nervous energy by teaching 〃Visible Speech〃 to a tribe of Mohawk Indians。
By this time it had become evident； both to his parents and to his friends； that young Graham was destined to become some sort of a creative genius。 He was tall and supple； with a pale complexion； large nose； full lips； jet…black eyes； and jet…black hair； brushed high and usually rumpled into a curly tangle。 In temperament he was a true scientific Bohemian； with the ideals of a savant and the disposition of an artist。 He was wholly a man of enthusiasms； more devoted to ideas than to people； and less likely to master his own thoughts than to be mastered by them。 He had no shrewdness； in any commercial sense； and very little knowledge of the small practical details of ordinary living。 He was always intense； always absorbed。 When he applied his mind to a problem； it became at once an enthralling arena； in which there went whirling a chariot… race of ideas and inventive fancies。
He had been fascinated from boyhood by his father's system of 〃Visible Speech。〃 He knew it so well that he once astonished a professor of Oriental languages by repeating correctly a sentence of Sanscrit that had been written in 〃Visible Speech〃 characters。 While he was living in London his most absorbing enthusiasm was the instruction of a class of deaf…mutes； who could be trained to talk； he believed； by means of the 〃Visible Speech〃 alphabet。 He was so deeply impressed by the progress made by these pupils； and by the pathos of their dumbness； that when he arrived in Canada he was in doubt as to which of these two tasks was the more importantthe teaching of deaf…mutes or the invention of a musical telegraph。
At this point； and before Bell had begun to experiment with his telegraph； the scene of the story shifts from Canada to Massachusetts。 It appears that his father； while lecturing in Boston； had mentioned Graham's exploits with a class of deaf…mutes； and soon afterward the Boston Board of Education wrote to Graham； offering him five hundred dollars if he would come to Boston and introduce his system of teaching in a school for deaf…mutes that had been opened recently。 The young man joyfully agreed； and on the first of April； 1871； crossed the line and became for the remainder of his life an American。
For the next two years his telegraphic work was laid aside； if not forgotten。 His success as a teacher of deaf…mutes was sudden and overwhelming。 It was the educational sensation of 1871。 It won him a professorship in Boston University； and brought so many pupils around him that he ventured to open an ambitious 〃School of Vocal Physiology；〃 which became at once a profitable enterprise。 For a time there seemed to be little hope of his escaping from the burden of this success and becoming an inventor； when； by a most happy coincidence； two of his pupils brought to him exactly the sort of stimulation and practical help that he needed and had not up to this time received。
One of these pupils was a little deaf…mute tot； five years of age； named Georgie Sanders。 Bell had agreed to give him a series of private lessons for 350 a year； and as the child lived with his grandmother in the city of Salem； sixteen miles from Boston； it was agreed that Bell should make his home with the Sanders family。 Here he not only found the keenest interest and sympathy in his air…castles of invention； but also was given permission to use the cellar of the house as his workshop。
For the next three years this cellar was his favorite retreat。 He littered it with tuning… forks； magnets； batteries； coils of wire； tin trumpets； and cigar…boxes。 No one outside of the Sanders family was allowed to enter it； as Bell was nervously afraid of having his ideas stolen。 He would even go to five or six stores to buy his supplies； for fear that his intentions should be discovered。 Almost with the secrecy of a conspirator； he worked alone in this cellar； usually at night； and quite oblivious of the fact that sleep was a necessity to him and to the Sanders family。
〃Often in the middle of the night Bell would wake me up；〃 said Thomas Sanders； the father of Georgie。 〃His black eyes would be blazing with excitement。 Leaving me to go down to the cellar； he would rush wildly to the barn and begin to send me signals along his experimental wires。 If I noticed any improvement in his machine； he would be delighted。 He would leap and whirl around in one of his ‘war…dances' and then go contentedly to bed。 But if the experiment was a failure； he would go back to his workbench and try some different plan。〃
The second pupil who became a factora very considerable factorin Bell's career was a fifteen…year…old girl named Mabel Hubbard； who had lost her hearing； and consequently her speech； through an attack of scarlet…fever when a baby。 She was a gentle and lovable girl； and Bell； in his ardent and headlong way； lost his heart to her completely； and four years later； he had the happiness of making her his wife。 Mabel Hubbard did much to encourage Bell。 She followed each step of his progress with the keenest interest。 She wrote his letters and copied his patents。 She cheered him on when he felt himself beaten。 And through her sympathy with Bell and his ambitions； she led her fathera widely known Boston lawyer named Gardiner G。 Hubbardto become Bell's chief spokesman and defender； a true apostle of the telephone。
Hubbard first became aware of Bell's inventive efforts one evening when Bell was visiting at his home in Cambridge。 Bell was illustrating some of the mysteries of acoustics by the aid of a piano。 〃Do you know；〃 he said to Hubbard； 〃that if I sing the note G close to the strings of the piano； that the G…string will answer me？〃 〃Well； what then？〃 asked Hubbard。 〃It is a fact of tremendous importance；〃 replied Bell。 〃It is an evidence that we may some day have a musical telegraph； which will send as many messages simultaneously over one wire as there are notes on that piano。〃
Later； Bell ventured to confide to Hubbard his wild dream of sending speech over an electric wire； but Hubbard laughed him to scorn。 〃Now you are talking nonsense；〃 he said。 〃Such a thing never could be more than a scientific toy。 You had better throw that idea out of your mind and go ahead with your musical telegraph； which if it is successful will make you a millionaire。〃
But the longer Bell toiled at his musical telegraph； the more he dreamed of replacing the telegraph and its cumbrous sign…language by a new machine that would carry； not dots and dashes； but the human voice。 〃If I can make a deaf… mute talk；〃 he said； 〃I can make iron talk。〃 For months he wavered between the two ideas。 He had no more than the most hazy conception of what this voice…carrying machine would be like。 At first he conceived of having a harp at one end of the wire； and a speaking…trumpet at the other； so that the tones of the voice would be reproduced by the strings of the harp。
Then； in the early Summer of 1874； while he was puzzling over this harp apparatus； the dim outline of a new path suddenly glinted in front of him。 He had not been forgetful of 〃Visible Speech〃 all this while； but had been making experiments with two remarkable machinesthe phonautograph and the manometric capsule； by means of which the vibrations of sound were made plainly visible。 If these could be im… proved； he thought； then the deaf might be taught to speak by SIGHTby learning an alphabet of vibrations。 He mentioned these experiments to a Boston friend； Dr。 Clarence J。 Blake； and he； being a surgeon and an aurist； naturally said； 〃Why don't you use a REAL EAR？〃
Such an idea never had； and probably never could have； occurred to Bell； but he accepted it with eagerness。 Dr。 Blake cut an ear from a dead man's head； together with the ear…drum and the associated bones。 Bell took this fragment of a skull and arranged it so that a straw touched the ear…drum at one end and a piece of moving smoked glass at the other。 Thus； when Bell spoke loudly into the ear； the vibrations of the drum made tiny markings upon the glass。
It was one of the most extraordinary incidents in the whole history of the telephone。 To an uninitiated onlooker； nothing could have been more ghastly or absurd。 How could any one have interpreted the gruesome joy of this young professor with the pale face and the black eyes； who stood earnestly singing； whispering； and shouting into a dead man's ear？ What sort of a wizard must he be； or ghoul； or madman？ And in Salem； too； the home of the witchcraft superstition！ Certainly it would not have gone well with Bell had he lived two centuries earlier and been caught at such black magic。
What had this dead man's ear to do with the invention of the telephone？ Much。 Bell noticed how small and thin was the ear…drum； and yet how effectively it could send thrills and vibrations through heavy bones。 〃If this tiny disc can vibrate a bone；〃 he thought； 〃then an iron disc might vibrate an iron rod； or at least； an iron wire。〃 In a flash the conception