But this fact that an electro-magnet would set a tuning-fork humming was new to Bell and very attractive.

It appealed at once to him as a student of speech.

If a tuning-fork could be made to sing by a magnet or an electrified wire, why would it not be possible to make a musical telegraph--a telegraph with a piano key-board, so that many messages could be sent at once over a single wire?
Unknown to Bell, there were several dozen inven-tors then at work upon this problem, which proved in the end to be very elusive.

But it gave him at 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.