story identification - Wiped from Memory

Can anyone help with the name and any details on this short story?

It concerns a genius inventor. He invents, for instance, a drink that slows down time that he takes and then wanders the streets watching the vast amount of time something like a fly will take to cross a room.

He then invents a very dangerous technique where he can send another person in a group out of this existence and obliterate all memory of that person. He tells a group of people, mainly his friends, about this invention and goaded by their disbelief, sets the invention in motion.

I'm not sure how its supposed to work (it's been at least sixty years since I read the story) but all the people in the group are described including one shy man or woman. They close their eyes, the process starts. When they wake, there is general relief that all is the same. Getting up to leave, someone knocks over an empty chair.

It's a classic 'twist in the tail' ending and you realise that any memory of the outsider is wiped from memory.

The clever paradox is that the inventor will always believe that his invention is a failure.

Answer

Based on striking similarities between this and question I answered yesterday, I would suggest trying Exit by Harry Farjeon.

The main difference is the guy is not an inventor, he just seems to have some special power and he probably knows it works, but otherise it's a perfect match, the question did also mention empty chair getting knocked over.

Comments

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