Strone’s a darned good actor,” Isaac Bell told Archie.
“Actor? What do you mean?”
“Ten-to-one he’s British Military Intelligence.”
Archie Abbott looked more closely.
“And twenty-to-one,” Bell added, “he’s not retired.”
Archie, who himself would have become an actor if his mother had not forbidden such a leap from society’s bosom, nodded agreement. “No bet.”
—From Clive Cussler & Justin Scott’s latest action-paclked Isaac Bell adventure, The Thief. The series is set at the derring-do-inundated dawn of the 20th century. This episode concerns the invention of a device that could bring sound to motion pictures. It references Humanova Troupes, accompanists who added not just sound effects and musical scores but extensive dialogue (whether scripted or improvised) to “silent” movie screenings.