At Port Stowe
- The next day, in Port Stowe, Marvel nervously waits on a bench, and ends up chatting with an elderly mariner (that is, a sailor). (This is the 1890s, so we're not sure how old "elderly" is.)
- The sailor thinks he hears coins jingling in Marvel's pockets, though Marvel is clearly a moneyless tramp.
- The old man tells Marvel all about this amazing Invisible Man that he read about in the newspaper. This isn't some crazy hoax from America, but a story about something going on in England for realzies.
- The sailor thinks the story is believable because it comes equipped with names and details. (This is a lesson in how to lie to people: make sure you have some details. See our section on "Writing Style" for more on that.)
- He also thinks that an invisible man would make a great thief since no one could see or stop him.
- Marvel takes the opportunity to prove that he's kind of a dud: right before he tells the sailor that he knows the Invisible Man, he looks around. Does he expect to see the Invisible Man?
- In any case, the Invisible Man is there and starts hurting Marvel (secretly). (Maybe it looks something like this.)
- Marvel quickly covers his tracks, saying that the Invisible Man is just a hoax. Then he gets out of there quickly (or maybe he's pulled by the Invisible Man).
- The sailor is annoyed at Marvel for letting him go on about this Invisible Man. But later, the sailor hears stories about a bunch of robberies and how people saw money just floating away.
- After that, he realizes what had gone down on the bench in Port Stowe, and just how close he had been to the Invisible Man.