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The Demon of Electricity, was the solemn answer Good gracious! exclaimed
Rob, a demon! Certainly. 
I am, in truth, the Slave of the Master Key, and am forced to obey the
commands of any one who is wise and brave enough--or, as in your own case,
fortunate and fool-hardy enough--to touch it. 
I--I've never guessed there was such a thing as a Master Key, or--or a
Demon of Electricity, and--and I'm awfully sorry I--I called you up!
stammered the boy, abashed by the imposing appearance of his companion The
Demon actually smiled at this speech,--a smile that was almost
reassuring. 
I am not sorry, he said, in kindlier tone, for it is not much pleasure
waiting century after century for some one to command my services. 
I have often thought my existence uncalled for, since you Earth people are
so stupid and ignorant that you seem unlikely ever to master the secret of
electrical power Oh, we have some great masters among us! cried Rob, rather
nettled at this statement, Now, there's Edison-- Edison! exclaimed the
Demon, with a faint sneer; what does he know? Lots of things, declared the
boy. 
He's invented no end of wonderful electrical things. 
You are wrong to call them wonderful, replied the Demon, lightly. 
He really knows little more than yourself about the laws that control
electricity, His inventions are trifling things in comparison with the
really wonderful results to be obtained by one who would actually know how
to direct the electric powers instead of groping blindly after insignificant
effects. 
Why, I've stood for months by Edison's elbow, hoping and longing for him to
touch the Master Key; but I can see plainly he will never accomplish it. 
Then there's Tesla, said the boy The Demon laughed. 
There is Tesla, to be sure, he said, But what of him? Why, he's discovered
a powerful light, the Demon gave an amused chuckle, and he's in
communication with the people in Mars. 
What people? Why, the people who live there. 
There are none. 
This great statement almost took Rob's breath away, and caused him to stare
hard at his visitor, It's generally thought, he resumed, in an annoyed tone,
that Mars has inhabitants who are far in advance of ourselves in
civilization Many scientific men think the people of Mars have been trying
to signal us for years, only we don't understand their signals. 
And great novelists have written about the Martians and their wonderful
civilization, and-- And they all know as much about that little planet as
you do yourself, interrupted the Demon, impatiently, The trouble with you
Earth people is that you delight in guessing about what you can not
know. 
Now I happen to know all about Mars, because I can traverse all space and
have had ample leisure to investigate the different planets. 
Mars is not peopled at all, nor is any other of the planets you recognize
in the heavens. 
Some contain low orders of beasts, to be sure, but Earth alone has an
intelligent, thinking, reasoning population, and your scientists and
novelists would do better trying to comprehend their own planet than in
groping through space to unravel the mysteries of barren and unimportant
worlds, Rob listened to this with surprise and disappointment; but he
reflected that the Demon ought to know what he was talking about, so he did
not venture to contradict him It is really astonishing, continued the
Apparition, how little you people have learned about electricity. 
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