ChapterI
THEBLURRINGOFLINES
Itisimperativethatnowatonce，whilethesestupendouseventsarestillclearinmymind，Ishouldsetthemdownwiththatexactnessofdetailwhichtimemayblur。ButevenasIdoso，I
amoverwhelmedbythewonderofthefactthatitshouldbeourlittlegroupofthe\"LostWorld\"——ProfessorChallenger，ProfessorSummerlee，LordJohnRoxton，andmyself——whohavepassedthroughthisamazingexperience。
When，someyearsago，IchronicledintheDailyGazetteourepoch—makingjourneyinSouthAmerica，Ilittlethoughtthatitshouldeverfalltomylottotellanevenstrangerpersonalexperience，onewhichisuniqueinallhumanannalsandmuststandoutintherecordsofhistoryasagreatpeakamongthehumblefoothillswhichsurroundit。Theeventitselfwillalwaysbemarvellous，butthecircumstancesthatwefourweretogetheratthetimeofthisextraordinaryepisodecameaboutinamostnaturaland，indeed，inevitablefashion。IwillexplaintheeventswhichleduptoitasshortlyandasclearlyasIcan，thoughIamwellawarethatthefullerthedetailuponsuchasubjectthemorewelcomeitwillbetothereader，forthepubliccuriosityhasbeenandstillisinsatiable。
ItwasuponFriday，thetwenty—seventhofAugust——adateforevermemorableinthehistoryoftheworld——thatIwentdowntotheofficeofmypaperandaskedforthreedays’leaveofabsencefromMr。McArdle，whostillpresidedoverournewsdepartment。
ThegoodoldScotchmanshookhishead，scratchedhisdwindlingfringeofruddyfluff，andfinallyputhisreluctanceintowords。
\"Iwasthinking，Mr。Malone，thatwecouldemployyoutoadvantagethesedays。Iwasthinkingtherewasastorythatyouaretheonlymanthatcouldhandleasitshouldbehandled。\"
\"Iamsorryforthat，\"saidI，tryingtohidemydisappointment。
\"OfcourseifIamneeded，thereisanendofthematter。Buttheengagementwasimportantandintimate。IfIcouldbespared————\"
\"Well，Idon’tseethatyoucan。\"
Itwasbitter，butIhadtoputthebestfaceIcoulduponit。
Afterall，itwasmyownfault，forIshouldhaveknownbythistimethatajournalisthasnorighttomakeplansofhisown。
\"ThenI’llthinknomoreofit，\"saidIwithasmuchcheerfulnessasIcouldassumeatsoshortanotice。\"Whatwasitthatyouwantedmetodo？\"
\"Well，itwasjusttointerviewthatdeevilofamandownatRotherfield。\"
\"Youdon’tmeanProfessorChallenger？\"Icried。
\"Aye，it’sjusthimthatIdomean。HeranyoungAlecSimpsonoftheCourieramiledownthehighroadlastweekbythecollarofhiscoatandtheslackofhisbreeches。You’llhavereadofit，likely，inthepolicereport。Ourboyswouldassooninterviewaloosealligatorinthezoo。Butyoucoulddoit，I’mthinking——anoldfriendlikeyou。\"
\"Why，\"saidI，greatlyrelieved，\"thismakesitalleasy。ItsohappensthatitwastovisitProfessorChallengeratRotherfieldthatIwasaskingforleaveofabsence。Thefactis，thatitistheanniversaryofourmainadventureontheplateauthreeyearsago，andhehasaskedourwholepartydowntohishousetoseehimandcelebratetheoccasion。\"
\"Capital!\"criedMcArdle，rubbinghishandsandbeamingthroughhisglasses。\"Thenyouwillbeabletogethisopeenionsoutofhim。InanyothermanIwouldsayitwasallmoonshine，butthefellowhasmadegoodonce，andwhoknowsbuthemayagain!\"
\"Getwhatoutofhim？\"Iasked。\"Whathashebeendoing？\"
\"Haven’tyouseenhisletteron`ScientificPossibeelities’into—day’sTimes？\"
\"No。\"
McArdlediveddownandpickedacopyfromthefloor。
\"Readitaloud，\"saidhe，indicatingacolumnwithhisfinger。
\"I’dbegladtohearitagain，forIamnotsurenowthatIhavetheman’smeaningclearinmyhead。\"
ThiswastheletterwhichIreadtothenewseditoroftheGazette：——
\"SCIENTIFICPOSSIBILITIES\"
\"Sir，——Ihavereadwithamusement，notwhollyunmixedwithsomelesscomplimentaryemotion，thecomplacentandwhollyfatuousletterofJamesWilsonMacPhailwhichhaslatelyappearedinyourcolumnsuponthesubjectoftheblurringofFraunhofer’slinesinthespectrabothoftheplanetsandofthefixedstars。
Hedismissesthematterasofnosignificance。Toawiderintelligenceitmaywellseemofverygreatpossibleimportance——sogreatastoinvolvetheultimatewelfareofeveryman，woman，andchilduponthisplanet。Icanhardlyhope，bytheuseofscientificlanguage，toconveyanysenseofmymeaningtothoseineffectualpeoplewhogathertheirideasfromthecolumnsofadailynewspaper。Iwillendeavour，therefore，tocondescendtotheirlimitationandtoindicatethesituationbytheuseofahomelyanalogywhichwillbewithinthelimitsoftheintelligenceofyourreaders。\"
\"Man，he’sawonder——alivingwonder!\"saidMcArdle，shakinghisheadreflectively。\"He’dputupthefeathersofasucking—doveandsetupariotinaQuakers’meeting。NowonderhehasmadeLondontoohotforhim。It’sapeety，Mr。Malone，forit’sagrandbrain!We’lllet’shavetheanalogy。\"
\"Wewillsuppose，\"Iread，\"thatasmallbundleofconnectedcorkswaslaunchedinasluggishcurrentuponavoyageacrosstheAtlantic。Thecorksdriftslowlyonfromdaytodaywiththesameconditionsallroundthem。Ifthecorksweresentientwecouldimaginethattheywouldconsidertheseconditionstobepermanentandassured。Butwe，withoursuperiorknowledge，knowthatmanythingsmighthappentosurprisethecorks。Theymightpossiblyfloatupagainstaship，orasleepingwhale，orbecomeentangledinseaweed。Inanycase，theirvoyagewouldprobablyendbytheirbeingthrownupontherockycoastofLabrador。Butwhatcouldtheyknowofallthiswhiletheydriftedsogentlydaybydayinwhattheythoughtwasalimitlessandhomogeneousocean？
YourreaderswillpossiblycomprehendthattheAtlantic，inthisparable，standsforthemightyoceanofetherthroughwhichwedriftandthatthebunchofcorksrepresentsthelittleandobscureplanetarysystemtowhichwebelong。Athird—ratesun，withitsragtagandbobtailofinsignificantsatellites，wefloatunderthesamedailyconditionstowardssomeunknownend，somesqualidcatastrophewhichwilloverwhelmusattheultimateconfinesofspace，wherewearesweptoveranethericNiagaraordasheduponsomeunthinkableLabrador。Iseenoroomherefortheshallowandignorantoptimismofyourcorrespondent，Mr。
JamesWilsonMacPhail，butmanyreasonswhyweshouldwatchwithaverycloseandinterestedattentioneveryindicationofchangeinthosecosmicsurroundingsuponwhichourownultimatefatemaydepend。\"
\"Man，he’dhavemadeagrandmeenister，\"saidMcArdle。\"Itjustboomslikeanorgan。Let’sgetdountowhatitisthat’stroublinghim。\"
ThegeneralblurringandshiftingofFraunhofer’slinesofthespectrumpoint，inmyopinion，toawidespreadcosmicchangeofasubtleandsingularcharacter。Lightfromaplanetisthereflectedlightofthesun。Lightfromastarisaself—producedlight。Butthespectrabothfromplanetsandstarshave，inthisinstance，allundergonethesamechange。Isit，then，achangeinthoseplanetsandstars？Tomesuchanideaisinconceivable。
Whatcommonchangecouldsimultaneouslycomeuponthemall？Isitachangeinourownatmosphere？Itispossible，butinthehighestdegreeimprobable，sinceweseenosignsofitaroundus，andchemicalanalysishasfailedtorevealit。What，then，isthethirdpossibility？Thatitmaybeachangeintheconductingmedium，inthatinfinitelyfineetherwhichextendsfromstartostarandpervadesthewholeuniverse。Deepinthatoceanwearefloatinguponaslowcurrent。Mightthatcurrentnotdriftusintobeltsofetherwhicharenovelandhavepropertiesofwhichwehaveneverconceived？Thereisachangesomewhere。Thiscosmicdisturbanceofthespectrumprovesit。
Itmaybeagoodchange。Itmaybeanevilone。Itmaybeaneutralone。Wedonotknow。Shallowobserversmaytreatthematterasonewhichcanbedisregarded，butonewholikemyselfispossessedofthedeeperintelligenceofthetruephilosopherwillunderstandthatthepossibilitiesoftheuniverseareincalculableandthatthewisestmanishewhoholdshimselfreadyfortheunexpected。Totakeanobviousexample，whowouldundertaketosaythatthemysteriousanduniversaloutbreakofillness，recordedinyourcolumnsthisverymorningashavingbrokenoutamongtheindigenousracesofSumatra，hasnoconnectionwithsomecosmicchangetowhichtheymayrespondmorequicklythanthemorecomplexpeoplesofEurope？Ithrowouttheideaforwhatitisworth。Toassertitis，inthepresentstage，asunprofitableastodenyit，butitisanunimaginativenumskullwhoistoodensetoperceivethatitiswellwithintheboundsofscientificpossibility。
\"Yoursfaithfully，\"GEORGEEDWARDCHALLENGER。
\"THEBRIARS，ROTHERFIELD。\"
\"It’safine，steemulatingletter，\"saidMcArdlethoughtfully，fittingacigaretteintothelongglasstubewhichheusedasaholder。\"What’syouropeenionofit，Mr。Malone？\"
Ihadtoconfessmytotalandhumiliatingignoranceofthesubjectatissue。What，forexample，wereFraunhofer’slines？
McArdlehadjustbeenstudyingthematterwiththeaidofourtamescientistattheoffice，andhepickedfromhisdesktwoofthosemany—colouredspectralbandswhichbearageneralresemblancetothehat—ribbonsofsomeyoungandambitiouscricketclub。Hepointedouttomethattherewerecertainblacklineswhichformedcrossbarsupontheseriesofbrilliantcoloursextendingfromtheredatoneendthroughgradationsoforange，yellow，green，blue，andindigotothevioletattheother。
\"ThosedarkbandsareFraunhofer’slines，\"saidhe。\"Thecoloursarejustlightitself。Everylight，ifyoucansplititupwithaprism，givesthesamecolours。Theytellusnothing。Itisthelinesthatcount，becausetheyvaryaccordingtowhatitmaybethatproducesthelight。Itistheselinesthathavebeenblurredinsteadofclearthislastweek，andalltheastronomershavebeenquarrelingoverthereason。Here’saphotographoftheblurredlinesforourissueto—morrow。Thepublichavetakennointerestinthematteruptonow，butthisletterofChallenger’sintheTimeswillmakethemwakeup，I’mthinking。\"
\"AndthisaboutSumatra？\"
\"Well，it’salongcryfromablurredlineinaspectrumtoasickniggerinSumatra。Andyetthechielhasshownusoncebeforethatheknowswhathe’stalkingabout。Thereissomequeerillnessdownyonder，that’sbeyondalldoubt，andto—daythere’sacablejustcomeinfromSingaporethatthelighthousesareoutofactionintheStraitsofSundan，andtwoshipsonthebeachinconsequence。Anyhow，it’sgoodenoughforyoutointerviewChallengerupon。Ifyougetanythingdefinite，letushaveacolumnbyMonday。\"
Iwascomingoutfromthenewseditor’sroom，turningovermynewmissioninmymind，whenIheardmynamecalledfromthewaiting—roombelow。Itwasatelegraph—boywithawirewhichhadbeenforwardedfrommylodgingsatStreatham。Themessagewasfromtheverymanwehadbeendiscussing，andranthus：——
Malone，17，HillStreet，Streatham。——Bringoxygen。——Challenger。
\"Bringoxygen!\"TheProfessor，asIrememberedhim，hadanelephantinesenseofhumourcapableofthemostclumsyandunwieldlygambollings。Wasthisoneofthosejokeswhichusedtoreducehimtouproariouslaughter，whenhiseyeswoulddisappearandhewasallgapingmouthandwaggingbeard，supremelyindifferenttothegravityofallaroundhim？Iturnedthewordsover，butcouldmakenothingevenremotelyjocoseoutofthem。
Thensurelyitwasaconciseorder——thoughaverystrangeone。
HewasthelastmanintheworldwhosedeliberatecommandI
shouldcaretodisobey。Possiblysomechemicalexperimentwasafoot；possibly————Well，itwasnobusinessofminetospeculateuponwhyhewantedit。Imustgetit。TherewasnearlyanhourbeforeIshouldcatchthetrainatVictoria。Itookataxi，andhavingascertainedtheaddressfromthetelephonebook，ImadefortheOxygenTubeSupplyCompanyinOxfordStreet。
AsIalightedonthepavementatmydestination，twoyouthsemergedfromthedooroftheestablishmentcarryinganironcylinder，which，withsometrouble，theyhoistedintoawaitingmotor—car。Anelderlymanwasattheirheelsscoldinganddirectinginacreaky，sardonicvoice。Heturnedtowardsme。
Therewasnomistakingthoseausterefeaturesandthatgoateebeard。Itwasmyoldcross—grainedcompanion，ProfessorSummerlee。
\"What!\"hecried。\"Don’ttellmethatYOUhavehadoneofthesepreposteroustelegramsforoxygen？\"
Iexhibitedit。
\"Well，well!Ihavehadonetoo，and，asyousee，verymuchagainstthegrain，Ihaveacteduponit。Ourgoodfriendisasimpossibleasever。Theneedforoxygencouldnothavebeensourgentthathemustdeserttheusualmeansofsupplyandencroachuponthetimeofthosewhoarereallybusierthanhimself。Whycouldhenotorderitdirect？\"
Icouldonlysuggestthatheprobablywanteditatonce。
\"Orthoughthedid，whichisquiteanothermatter。Butitissuperfluousnowforyoutopurchaseany，sinceIhavethisconsiderablesupply。\"
\"Still，forsomereasonheseemstowishthatIshouldbringoxygentoo。Itwillbesafertodoexactlywhathetellsme。\"
Accordingly，inspiteofmanygrumblesandremonstrancesfromSummerlee，Iorderedanadditionaltube，whichwasplacedwiththeotherinhismotor—car，forhehadofferedmealifttoVictoria。
Iturnedawaytopayoffmytaxi，thedriverofwhichwasverycantankerousandabusiveoverhisfare。AsIcamebacktoProfessorSummerlee，hewashavingafuriousaltercationwiththemenwhohadcarrieddowntheoxygen，hislittlewhitegoat’sbeardjerkingwithindignation。Oneofthefellowscalledhim，Iremember，\"asillyoldbleachedcockatoo，\"whichsoenragedhischauffeurthatheboundedoutofhisseattotakethepartofhisinsultedmaster，anditwasallwecoulddotopreventariotinthestreet。
Theselittlethingsmayseemtrivialtorelate，andpassedasmereincidentsatthetime。Itisonlynow，asIlookback，thatIseetheirrelationtothewholestorywhichIhavetounfold。
Thechauffeurmust，asitseemedtome，havebeenanoviceorelsehavelosthisnerveinthisdisturbance，forhedrovevilelyonthewaytothestation。Twicewenearlyhadcollisionswithotherequallyerraticvehicles，andIrememberremarkingtoSummerleethatthestandardofdrivinginLondonhadverymuchdeclined。OncewebrushedtheveryedgeofagreatcrowdwhichwaswatchingafightatthecorneroftheMall。Thepeople，whoweremuchexcited，raisedcriesofangerattheclumsydriving，andonefellowspranguponthestepandwavedastickaboveourheads。Ipushedhimoff，butweweregladwhenwehadgotclearofthemandsafeoutofthepark。Theselittleevents，comingoneaftertheother，leftmeveryjangledinmynerves，andIcouldseefrommycompanion’spetulantmannerthathisownpatiencehadgottoalowebb。
ButourgoodhumourwasrestoredwhenwesawLordJohnRoxtonwaitingforusupontheplatform，histall，thinfigurecladinayellowtweedshooting—suit。Hiskeenface，withthoseunforgettableeyes，sofierceandyetsohumorous，flushedwithpleasureatthesightofus。Hisruddyhairwasshotwithgrey，andthefurrowsuponhisbrowhadbeencutalittledeeperbyTime’schisel，butinallelsehewastheLordJohnwhohadbeenourgoodcomradeinthepast。
\"Hullo，HerrProfessor!Hullo，youngfella!\"heshoutedashecametowardus。
Heroaredwithamusementwhenhesawtheoxygencylindersupontheporter’strollybehindus。\"Soyou’vegotthemtoo!\"hecried。\"Mineisinthevan。Whatevercantheolddearbeafter？\"
\"HaveyouseenhisletterintheTimes？\"Iasked。
\"Whatwasit？\"
\"Stuffandnonsense!\"saidSummerleeHarshly。
\"Well，it’satthebottomofthisoxygenbusiness，orIammistaken，\"saidI。
\"Stuffandnonsense!\"criedSummerleeagainwithquiteunnecessaryviolence。Wehadallgotintoafirst—classsmoker，andhehadalreadylittheshortandcharredoldbriarpipewhichseemedtosingetheendofhislong，aggressivenose。
\"FriendChallengerisacleverman，\"saidhewithgreatvehemence。\"Noonecandenyit。It’safoolthatdeniesit。
Lookathishat。There’sasixty—ouncebraininsideit——abigengine，runningsmooth，andturningoutcleanwork。Showmetheengine—houseandI’lltellyouthesizeoftheengine。
Butheisaborncharlatan——you’veheardmetellhimsotohisface——aborncharlatan，withakindofdramatictrickofjumpingintothelimelight。Thingsarequiet，sofriendChallengerseesachancetosetthepublictalkingabouthim。
Youdon’timaginethatheseriouslybelievesallthisnonsenseaboutachangeintheetherandadangertothehumanrace？Waseversuchacock—and—bullstoryinthislife？\"
Hesatlikeanoldwhiteraven，croakingandshakingwithsardoniclaughter。
AwaveofangerpassedthroughmeasIlistenedtoSummerlee。
Itwasdisgracefulthatheshouldspeakthusoftheleaderwhohadbeenthesourceofallourfameandgivenussuchanexperienceasnomenhaveeverenjoyed。Ihadopenedmymouthtouttersomehotretort，whenLordJohngotbeforeme。
\"YouhadascraponcebeforewitholdmanChallenger，\"saidhesternly，\"andyouweredownandoutinsidetenseconds。Itseemstome，ProfessorSummerlee，he’sbeyondyourclass，andthebestyoucandowithhimistowalkwideandleavehimalone。\"
\"Besides，\"saidI，\"hehasbeenagoodfriendtoeveryoneofus。Whateverhisfaultsmaybe，heisasstraightasaline，andIdon’tbelieveheeverspeaksevilofhiscomradesbehindtheirbacks。\"
\"Wellsaid，youngfellah—my—lad，\"saidLordJohnRoxton。Then，withakindlysmile，heslappedProfessorSummerleeuponhisshoulder。\"Come，HerrProfessor，we’renotgoingtoquarrelatthistimeofday。We’veseentoomuchtogether。ButkeepoffthegrasswhenyougetnearChallenger，forthisyoungfellahandI
haveabitofaweaknessfortheolddear。\"
ButSummerleewasinnohumourforcompromise。Hisfacewasscrewedupinrigiddisapproval，andthickcurlsofangrysmokerolledupfromhispipe。
\"Astoyou，LordJohnRoxton，\"hecreaked，\"youropinionuponamatterofscienceisofasmuchvalueinmyeyesasmyviewsuponanewtypeofshot—gunwouldbeinyours。Ihavemyownjudgment，sir，andIuseitinmyownway。Becauseithasmisledmeonce，isthatanyreasonwhyIshouldacceptwithoutcriticismanything，howeverfar—fetched，whichthismanmaycaretoputforward？ArewetohaveaPopeofscience，withinfallibledecreeslaiddownEXCATHEDRA，andacceptedwithoutquestionbythepoorhumblepublic？Itellyou，sir，thatIhaveabrainofmyownandthatIshouldfeelmyselftobeasnobandaslaveifIdidnotuseit。IfitpleasesyoutobelievethisrigmaroleaboutetherandFraunhofer’slinesuponthespectrum，dosobyallmeans，butdonotaskonewhoisolderandwiserthanyourselftoshareinyourfolly。Isitnotevidentthatiftheetherwereaffectedtothedegreewhichhemaintains，andifitwereobnoxioustohumanhealth，theresultofitwouldalreadybeapparentuponourselves？\"Herehelaughedwithuproarioustriumphoverhisownargument。\"Yes，sir，weshouldalreadybeveryfarfromournormalselves，andinsteadofsittingquietlydiscussingscientificproblemsinarailwaytrainweshouldbeshowingactualsymptomsofthepoisonwhichwasworkingwithinus。Wheredoweseeanysignsofthispoisonouscosmicdisturbance？Answermethat，sir!Answermethat!Come，come，noevasion!Ipinyoutoananswer!\"
Ifeltmoreandmoreangry。TherewassomethingveryirritatingandaggressiveinSummerlee’sdemeanour。
\"Ithinkthatifyouknewmoreaboutthefactsyoumightbelesspositiveinyouropinion，\"saidI。
Summerleetookhispipefromhismouthandfixedmewithastonystare。
\"Praywhatdoyoumean，sir，bythatsomewhatimpertinentobservation？\"
\"ImeanthatwhenIwasleavingtheofficethenewseditortoldmethatatelegramhadcomeinconfirmingthegeneralillnessoftheSumatranatives，andaddingthatthelightshadnotbeenlitintheStraitsofSunda。\"
\"Really，thereshouldbesomelimitstohumanfolly!\"criedSummerleeinapositivefury。\"Isitpossiblethatyoudonotrealizethatether，ifforamomentweadoptChallenger’spreposteroussupposition，isauniversalsubstancewhichisthesamehereasattheothersideoftheworld？DoyouforaninstantsupposethatthereisanEnglishetherandaSumatranether？PerhapsyouimaginethattheetherofKentisinsomewaysuperiortotheetherofSurrey，throughwhichthistrainisnowbearingus。Therereallyarenoboundstothecredulityandignoranceoftheaveragelayman。IsitconceivablethattheetherinSumatrashouldbesodeadlyastocausetotalinsensibilityattheverytimewhentheetherherehashadnoappreciableeffectuponuswhatever？Personally，IcantrulysaythatIneverfeltstrongerinbodyorbetterbalancedinmindinmylife。\"
\"Thatmaybe。Idon’tprofesstobeascientificman，\"saidI，\"thoughIhaveheardsomewherethatthescienceofonegenerationisusuallythefallacyofthenext。Butitdoesnottakemuchcommonsensetoseethat，asweseemtoknowsolittleaboutether，itmightbeaffectedbysomelocalconditionsinvariouspartsoftheworldandmightshowaneffectovertherewhichwouldonlydeveloplaterwithus。\"
\"With`might’and`may’youcanproveanything，\"criedSummerleefuriously。\"Pigsmayfly。Yes，sir，pigsMAYfly——buttheydon’t。Itisnotwortharguingwithyou。Challengerhasfilledyouwithhisnonsenseandyouarebothincapableofreason。I
hadassoonlayargumentsbeforethoserailwaycushions。\"
\"Imustsay，ProfessorSummerlee，thatyourmannersdonotseemtohaveimprovedsinceIlasthadthepleasureofmeetingyou，\"
saidLordJohnseverely。
\"Youlordlingsarenotaccustomedtohearthetruth，\"Summerleeansweredwithabittersmile。\"Itcomesasabitofashock，doesitnot，whensomeonemakesyourealizethatyourtitleleavesyounonethelessaveryignorantman？\"
\"Uponmyword，sir，\"saidLordJohn，verysternandrigid，\"ifyouwereayoungermanyouwouldnotdaretospeaktomeinsooffensiveafashion。\"
Summerleethrustouthischin，withitslittlewaggingtuftofgoateebeard。
\"Iwouldhaveyouknow，sir，that，youngorold，therehasneverbeenatimeinmylifewhenIwasafraidtospeakmymindtoanignorantcoxcomb——yes，sir，anignorantcoxcomb，ifyouhadasmanytitlesasslavescouldinventandfoolscouldadopt。\"
ForamomentLordJohn’seyesblazed，andthen，withatremendouseffort，hemasteredhisangerandleanedbackinhisseatwitharmsfoldedandabittersmileuponhisface。Tomeallthiswasdreadfulanddeplorable。Likeawave，thememoryofthepastsweptoverme，thegoodcomradeship，thehappy，adventurousdays——allthatwehadsufferedandworkedforandwon。Thatitshouldhavecometothis——toinsultsandabuse!
SuddenlyIwassobbing——sobbinginloud，gulping，uncontrollablesobswhichrefusedtobeconcealed。Mycompanionslookedatmeinsurprise。Icoveredmyfacewithmyhands。
\"It’sallright，\"saidI。\"Only——onlyitISsuchapity!\"
\"You’reill，youngfellah，that’swhat’samisswithyou，\"saidLordJohn。\"Ithoughtyouwerequeerfromthefirst。\"
\"Yourhabits，sir，havenotmendedinthesethreeyears，\"saidSummerlee，shakinghishead。\"Ialsodidnotfailtoobserveyourstrangemannerthemomentwemet。Youneednotwasteyoursympathy，LordJohn。Thesetearsarepurelyalcoholic。Themanhasbeendrinking。Bytheway，LordJohn，Icalledyouacoxcombjustnow，whichwasperhapsundulysevere。Butthewordremindsmeofasmallaccomplishment，trivialbutamusing，whichIusedtopossess。Youknowmeastheausteremanofscience。CanyoubelievethatIoncehadawell—deservedreputationinseveralnurseriesasafarmyardimitator？PerhapsIcanhelpyoutopassthetimeinapleasantway。Woulditamuseyoutohearmecrowlikeacock？\"
\"No，sir，\"saidLordJohn，whowasstillgreatlyoffended，\"itwouldNOTamuseme。\"
\"Myimitationofthecluckinghenwhohadjustlaidaneggwasalsoconsideredratherabovetheaverage。MightIventure？\"
\"No，sir，no——certainlynot。\"
Butinspiteofthisearnestprohibition，ProfessorSummerleelaiddownhispipeandfortherestofourjourneyheentertained——orfailedtoentertain——usbyasuccessionofbirdandanimalcrieswhichseemedsoabsurdthatmytearsweresuddenlychangedintoboisterouslaughter，whichmusthavebecomequitehystericalasIsatoppositethisgraveProfessorandsawhim——orratherheardhim——inthecharacteroftheuproariousroosterorthepuppywhosetailhadbeentroddenupon。OnceLordJohnpassedacrosshisnewspaper，uponthemarginofwhichhehadwritteninpencil，\"Poordevil!Madasahatter。\"Nodoubtitwasveryeccentric，andyettheperformancestruckmeasextraordinarilycleverandamusing。
Whilstthiswasgoingon，LordJohnleanedforwardandtoldmesomeinterminablestoryaboutabuffaloandanIndianrajahwhichseemedtometohaveneitherbeginningnorend。ProfessorSummerleehadjustbeguntochirruplikeacanary，andLordJohntogettotheclimaxofhisstory，whenthetraindrewupatJarvisBrook，whichhadbeengivenusasthestationforRotherfield。
AndtherewasChallengertomeetus。Hisappearancewasglorious。Notalltheturkey—cocksincreationcouldmatchtheslow，high—steppingdignitywithwhichheparadedhisownrailwaystationandthebenignantsmileofcondescendingencouragementwithwhichheregardedeverybodyaroundhim。Ifhehadchangedinanythingsincethedaysofold，itwasthathispointshadbecomeaccentuated。Thehugeheadandbroadsweepofforehead，withitsplasteredlockofblackhair，seemedevengreaterthanbefore。Hisblackbeardpouredforwardinamoreimpressivecascade，andhiscleargreyeyes，withtheirinsolentandsardoniceyelids，wereevenmoremasterfulthanofyore。
Hegavemetheamusedhand—shakeandencouragingsmilewhichtheheadmasterbestowsuponthesmallboy，and，havinggreetedtheothersandhelpedtocollecttheirbagsandtheircylindersofoxygen，hestowedusandthemawayinalargemotor—carwhichwasdrivenbythesameimpassiveAustin，themanoffewwords，whomIhadseeninthecharacterofbutlerupontheoccasionofmyfirsteventfulvisittotheProfessor。Ourjourneyledusupawindinghillthroughbeautifulcountry。Isatinfrontwiththechauffeur，butbehindmemythreecomradesseemedtometobealltalkingtogether。LordJohnwasstillstrugglingwithhisbuffalostory，sofarasIcouldmakeout，whileonceagainI
heard，asofold，thedeeprumbleofChallengerandtheinsistentaccentsofSummerleeastheirbrainslockedinhighandfiercescientificdebate。SuddenlyAustinslantedhismahoganyfacetowardmewithouttakinghiseyesfromhissteering—wheel。
\"I’mundernotice，\"saidhe。
\"Dearme!\"saidI。
Everythingseemedstrangeto—day。Everyonesaidqueer，unexpectedthings。Itwaslikeadream。
\"It’sforty—seventimes，\"saidAustinreflectively。
\"Whendoyougo？\"Iasked，forwantofsomebetterobservation。
\"Idon’tgo，\"saidAustin。
Theconversationseemedtohaveendedthere，butpresentlyhecamebacktoit。
\"IfIwastogo，whowouldlookafter’im？\"Hejerkedhisheadtowardhismaster。\"Whowould’egettoserve’im？\"
\"Someoneelse，\"Isuggestedlamely。
\"Not’e。Noonewouldstayaweek。IfIwastogo，that’ousewouldrundownlikeawatchwiththemainspringout。I’mtellingyoubecauseyou’re’isfriend，andyououghttoknow。IfIwastotake’imat’isword——butthere，Iwouldn’thavethe’eart。
’Eandthemissuswouldbeliketwobabesleftoutinabundle。
I’mjusteverything。Andthen’egoesandgivesmenotice。\"
\"Whywouldnoonestay？\"Iasked。
\"Well，theywouldn’tmakeallowances，sameasIdo。’E’saverycleverman，themaster——socleverthat’e’scleanbalmysometimes。I’veseen’imrightoff’isonion，andnoerror。
Well，lookwhat’edidthismorning。\"
\"Whatdidhedo？\"
Austinbentovertome。
\"’Ebitthe’ousekeeper，\"saidheinahoarsewhisper。
\"Bither？\"
\"Yes，sir。Bit’erontheleg。Isaw’erwithmyowneyesstartin’amarathonfromthe’all—door。\"
\"Goodgracious!\"
\"Soyou’dsay，sir，ifyoucouldseesomeofthegoingson。’E
don’tmakefriendswiththeneighbors。There’ssomeofthemthinksthatwhen’ewasupamongthosemonstersyouwroteabout，itwasjust`’Ome，Sweet’Ome’forthemaster，and’ewasneverinfittercompany。That’swhatTHEYsay。ButI’veserved’imtenyears，andI’mfondof’im，and，mindyou，’e’sagreatman，whenall’ssaidan’done，andit’sanhonortoserve’im。But’edoestryonecruelattimes。Nowlookatthat，sir。Thatain’twhatyoumightcallold—fashioned’ospitality，isitnow？Justyoureaditforyourself。\"
Thecaronitslowestspeedhadgrounditswayupasteep，curvingascent。Atthecorneranotice—boardpeeredoverawell—clippedhedge。AsAustinsaid，itwasnotdifficulttoread，forthewordswerefewandarresting：——
———————————————————————————————————————
WARNING。
————
Visitors，Pressmen，andMendicants
arenotencouraged。
G。E。CHALLENGER。
_______________________________________
\"No，it’snotwhatyoumightcall’earty，\"saidAustin，shakinghisheadandglancingupatthedeplorableplacard。\"Itwouldn’tlookwellinaChristmascard。Ibegyourpardon，sir，forI
haven’tspokeasmuchasthisformanyalongyear，butto—daymyfeelingsseemto’avegotthebetterofme。’Ecansackmetill’e’sblueintheface，butIain’tgoing，andthat’sflat。I’m’ismanand’e’smymaster，andsoitwillbe，Iexpect，totheendofthechapter。\"
Wehadpassedbetweenthewhitepostsofagateandupacurvingdrive，linedwithrhododendronbushes。Beyondstoodalowbrickhouse，pickedoutwithwhitewoodwork，verycomfortableandpretty。Mrs。Challenger，asmall，dainty，smilingfigure，stoodintheopendoorwaytowelcomeus。
\"Well，mydear，\"saidChallenger，bustlingoutofthecar，\"hereareourvisitors。Itissomethingnewforustohavevisitors，isitnot？Nolovelostbetweenusandourneighbors，isthere？
Iftheycouldgetratpoisonintoourbaker’scart，Iexpectitwouldbethere。\"
\"It’sdreadful——dreadful!\"criedthelady，betweenlaughterandtears。\"Georgeisalwaysquarrelingwitheveryone。Wehaven’tafriendonthecountryside。\"
\"Itenablesmetoconcentratemyattentionuponmyincomparablewife，\"saidChallenger，passinghisshort，thickarmroundherwaist。Pictureagorillaandagazelle，andyouhavethepairofthem。\"Come，come，thesegentlemenaretiredfromthejourney，andluncheonshouldbeready。HasSarahreturned？\"
Theladyshookherheadruefully，andtheProfessorlaughedloudlyandstrokedhisbeardinhismasterfulfashion。
\"Austin，\"hecried，\"whenyouhaveputupthecaryouwillkindlyhelpyourmistresstolaythelunch。Now，gentlemen，willyoupleasestepintomystudy，forthereareoneortwoveryurgentthingswhichIamanxioustosaytoyou。\"
ChapterII
THETIDEOFDEATH
Aswecrossedthehallthetelephone—bellrang，andweweretheinvoluntaryauditorsofProfessorChallenger’sendoftheensuingdialogue。Isay\"we，\"butnoonewithinahundredyardscouldhavefailedtoheartheboomingofthatmonstrousvoice，whichreverberatedthroughthehouse。Hisanswerslingeredinmymind。
\"Yes，yes，ofcourse，itisI……Yes，certainly，THEProfessorChallenger，thefamousProfessor，whoelse？……Ofcourse，everywordofit，otherwiseIshouldnothavewrittenit……I
shouldn’tbesurprised……Thereiseveryindicationofit……
Withinadayorsoatthefurthest……Well，Ican’thelpthat，canI？……Veryunpleasant，nodoubt，butIratherfancyitwillaffectmoreimportantpeoplethanyou。Thereisnousewhiningaboutit……No，Icouldn’tpossibly。Youmusttakeyourchance……That’senough，sir。Nonsense!Ihavesomethingmoreimportanttodothantolistentosuchtwaddle。\"
Heshutoffwithacrashandledusupstairsintoalargeairyapartmentwhichformedhisstudy。Onthegreatmahoganydesksevenoreightunopenedtelegramswerelying。
\"Really，\"hesaidashegatheredthemup，\"Ibegintothinkthatitwouldsavemycorrespondents’moneyifIweretoadoptatelegraphicaddress。Possibly`Noah，Rotherfield，’wouldbethemostappropriate。\"
Asusualwhenhemadeanobscurejoke，heleanedagainstthedeskandbellowedinaparoxysmoflaughter，hishandsshakingsothathecouldhardlyopentheenvelopes。
\"Noah!Noah!\"hegasped，withafaceofbeetroot，whileLordJohnandIsmiledinsympathyandSummerlee，likeadyspepticgoat，waggedhisheadinsardonicdisagreement。FinallyChallenger，stillrumblingandexploding，begantoopenhistelegrams。Thethreeofusstoodinthebowwindowandoccupiedourselvesinadmiringthemagnificentview。
Itwascertainlyworthlookingat。Theroadinitsgentlecurveshadreallybroughtustoaconsiderableelevation——sevenhundredfeet，asweafterwardsdiscovered。Challenger’shousewasontheveryedgeofthehill，andfromitssouthernface，inwhichwasthestudywindow，onelookedacrossthevaststretchofthewealdtowherethegentlecurvesoftheSouthDownsformedanundulatinghorizon。InacleftofthehillsahazeofsmokemarkedthepositionofLewes。Immediatelyatourfeettherelayarollingplainofheather，withthelong，vividgreenstretchesoftheCrowboroughgolfcourse，alldottedwiththeplayers。A
littletothesouth，throughanopeninginthewoods，wecouldseeasectionofthemainlinefromLondontoBrighton。Intheimmediateforeground，underourverynoses，wasasmallenclosedyard，inwhichstoodthecarwhichhadbroughtusfromthestation。
AnejaculationfromChallengercausedustoturn。Hehadreadhistelegramsandhadarrangedtheminalittlemethodicalpileuponhisdesk。Hisbroad，ruggedface，orasmuchofitaswasvisibleoverthemattedbeard，wasstilldeeplyflushed，andheseemedtobeundertheinfluenceofsomestrongexcitement。
\"Well，gentlemen，\"hesaid，inavoiceasifhewasaddressingapublicmeeting，\"thisisindeedaninterestingreunion，andittakesplaceunderextraordinary——Imaysayunprecedented——circumstances。MayIaskifyouhaveobservedanythinguponyourjourneyfromtown？\"
\"TheonlythingwhichIobserved，\"saidSummerleewithasoursmile，\"wasthatouryoungfriendherehasnotimprovedinhismannersduringtheyearsthathavepassed。IamsorrytostatethatIhavehadtoseriouslycomplainofhisconductinthetrain，andIshouldbewantinginfranknessifIdidnotsaythatithasleftamostunpleasantimpressioninmymind。\"
\"Well，well，weallgetabitprosysometimes，\"saidLordJohn。
\"Theyoungfellahmeantnorealharm。Afterall，he’sanInternational，soifhetakeshalfanhourtodescribeagameoffootballhehasmorerighttodoitthanmostfolk。\"
\"Halfanhourtodescribeagame!\"Icriedindignantly。\"Why，itwasyouthattookhalfanhourwithsomelong—windedstoryaboutabuffalo。ProfessorSummerleewillbemywitness。\"
\"Icanhardlyjudgewhichofyouwasthemostutterlywearisome，\"
saidSummerlee。\"Ideclaretoyou，Challenger，thatIneverwishtohearoffootballorofbuffaloessolongasIlive。\"
\"Ihaveneversaidonewordto—dayaboutfootball，\"Iprotested。
LordJohngaveashrillwhistle，andSummerleeshookhisheadsadly。
\"Soearlyinthedaytoo，\"saidhe。\"Itisindeeddeplorable。
AsIsatthereinsadbutthoughtfulsilence————\"
\"Insilence!\"criedLordJohn。\"Why，youweredoin’amusic—hallturnofimitationsalltheway——morelikearunawaygramophonethanaman。\"
Summerleedrewhimselfupinbitterprotest。
\"Youarepleasedtobefacetious，LordJohn，\"saidhewithafaceofvinegar。
\"Why，dashitall，thisisclearmadness，\"criedLordJohn。
\"Eachofusseemstoknowwhattheothersdidandnoneofusknowswhathedidhimself。Let’sputitalltogetherfromthefirst。Wegotintoafirst—classsmoker，that’sclear，ain’tit？ThenwebegantoquarreloverfriendChallenger’sletterintheTimes。\"
\"Oh，youdid，didyou？\"rumbledourhost，hiseyelidsbeginningtodroop。
\"Yousaid，Summerlee，thattherewasnopossibletruthinhiscontention。\"
\"Dearme!\"saidChallenger，puffingouthischestandstrokinghisbeard。\"Nopossibletruth!Iseemtohaveheardthewordsbefore。AndmayIaskwithwhatargumentsthegreatandfamousProfessorSummerleeproceededtodemolishthehumbleindividualwhohadventuredtoexpressanopinionuponamatterofscientificpossibility？Perhapsbeforeheexterminatesthatunfortunatenonentityhewillcondescendtogivesomereasonsfortheadverseviewswhichhehasformed。\"
Hebowedandshruggedandspreadopenhishandsashespokewithhiselaborateandelephantinesarcasm。
\"Thereasonwassimpleenough，\"saidthedoggedSummerlee。\"I
contendedthatiftheethersurroundingtheearthwassotoxicinonequarterthatitproduceddangeroussymptoms，itwashardlylikelythatwethreeintherailwaycarriageshouldbeentirelyunaffected。\"
TheexplanationonlybroughtuproariousmerrimentfromChallenger。Helaugheduntileverythingintheroomseemedtorattleandquiver。
\"OurworthySummerleeis，notforthefirsttime，somewhatoutoftouchwiththefactsofthesituation，\"saidheatlast，moppinghisheatedbrow。\"Now，gentlemen，IcannotmakemypointbetterthanbydetailingtoyouwhatIhavemyselfdonethismorning。YouwillthemoreeasilycondoneanymentalabberationuponyourownpartwhenyourealizethatevenIhavehadmomentswhenmybalancehasbeendisturbed。Wehavehadforsomeyearsinthishouseholdahousekeeper——oneSarah，withwhosesecondnameIhaveneverattemptedtoburdenmymemory。Sheisawomanofasevereandforbiddingaspect，primanddemureinherbearing，veryimpassiveinhernature，andneverknownwithinourexperiencetoshowsignsofanyemotion。AsIsataloneatmybreakfast——Mrs。Challengerisinthehabitofkeepingherroomofamorning——itsuddenlyenteredmyheadthatitwouldbeentertainingandinstructivetoseewhetherIcouldfindanylimitstothiswoman’sinperturbability。Idevisedasimplebuteffectiveexperiment。Havingupsetasmallvaseofflowerswhichstoodinthecentreofthecloth，Irangthebellandslippedunderthetable。Sheenteredand，seeingtheroomempty，imaginedthatIhadwithdrawntothestudy。AsIhadexpected，sheapproachedandleanedoverthetabletoreplacethevase。I
hadavisionofacottonstockingandanelastic—sidedboot。
Protrudingmyhead，Isankmyteethintothecalfofherleg。
Theexperimentwassuccessfulbeyondbelief。Forsomemomentsshestoodparalyzed，staringdownatmyhead。Thenwithashriekshetoreherselffreeandrushedfromtheroom。Ipursuedherwithsomethoughtsofanexplanation，butsheflewdownthedrive，andsomeminutesafterwardsIwasabletopickheroutwithmyfield—glassestravelingveryrapidlyinasouth—westerlydirection。Itellyoutheanecdoteforwhatitisworth。Idropitintoyourbrainsandawaititsgermination。Isitilluminative？Hasitconveyedanythingtoyourminds？WhatdoYOUthinkofit，LordJohn？\"
LordJohnshookhisheadgravely。
\"You’llbegettin’intoserioustroublesomeofthesedaysifyoudon’tputabrakeon，\"saidhe。
\"Perhapsyouhavesomeobservationtomake，Summerlee？\"
\"Youshoulddropallworkinstantly，Challenger，andtakethreemonthsinaGermanwatering—place，\"saidhe。
\"Profound!Profound!\"criedChallenger。\"Now，myyoungfriend，isitpossiblethatwisdommaycomefromyouwhereyourseniorshavesosignallyfailed？\"
Anditdid。Isayitwithallmodesty，butitdid。Ofcourse，itallseemsobviousenoughtoyouwhoknowwhatoccurred，butitwasnotsoveryclearwheneverythingwasnew。Butitcameonmesuddenlywiththefullforceofabsoluteconviction。
\"Poison!\"Icried。
Then，evenasIsaidtheword，mymindflashedbackoverthewholemorning’sexperiences，pastLordJohnwithhisbuffalo，pastmyownhystericaltears，pasttheoutrageousconductofProfessorSummerlee，tothequeerhappeningsinLondon，therowinthepark，thedrivingofthechauffeur，thequarrelattheoxygenwarehouse。Everythingfittedsuddenlyintoitsplace。
\"Ofcourse，\"Icriedagain。\"Itispoison。Weareallpoisoned。\"
\"Exactly，\"saidChallenger，rubbinghishands，\"weareallpoisoned。Ourplanethasswumintothepoisonbeltofether，andisnowflyingdeeperintoitattherateofsomemillionsofmilesaminute。Ouryoungfriendhasexpressedthecauseofallourtroublesandperplexitiesinasingleword，`poison。’\"
Welookedateachotherinamazedsilence。Nocommentseemedtomeetthesituation。
\"Thereisamentalinhibitionbywhichsuchsymptomscanbecheckedandcontrolled，\"saidChallenger。\"Icannotexpecttofinditdevelopedinallofyoutothesamepointwhichithasreachedinme，forIsupposethatthestrengthofourdifferentmentalprocessesbearssomeproportiontoeachother。
Butnodoubtitisappreciableeveninouryoungfriendhere。
AfterthelittleoutburstofhighspiritswhichsoalarmedmydomesticIsatdownandreasonedwithmyself。IputittomyselfthatIhadneverbeforefeltimpelledtobiteanyofmyhousehold。Theimpulsehadthenbeenanabnormalone。InaninstantIperceivedthetruth。Mypulseuponexaminationwastenbeatsabovetheusual，andmyreflexeswereincreased。Icalleduponmyhigherandsanerself，therealG。E。C。，seatedsereneandimpregnablebehindallmeremoleculardisturbance。I
summonedhim，Isay，towatchthefoolishmentaltrickswhichthepoisonwouldplay。IfoundthatIwasindeedthemaster。Icouldrecognizeandcontroladisorderedmind。Itwasaremarkableexhibitionofthevictoryofmindovermatter，foritwasavictoryoverthatparticularformofmatterwhichismostintimatelyconnectedwithmind。Imightalmostsaythatmindwasatfaultandthatpersonalitycontrolledit。Thus，whenmywifecamedownstairsandIwasimpelledtoslipbehindthedoorandalarmherbysomewildcryassheentered，Iwasabletostifletheimpulseandtogreetherwithdignityandrestraint。Anoverpoweringdesiretoquacklikeaduckwasmetandmasteredinthesamefashion。
Later，whenIdescendedtoorderthecarandfoundAustinbendingoveritabsorbedinrepairs，IcontrolledmyopenhandevenafterIhadlifteditandrefrainedfromgivinghimanexperiencewhichwouldpossiblyhavecausedhimtofollowinthestepsofthehousekeeper。Onthecontrary，Itouchedhimontheshoulderandorderedthecartobeatthedoorintimetomeetyourtrain。AtthepresentinstantIammostforciblytemptedtotakeProfessorSummerleebythatsillyoldbeardofhisandtoshakehisheadviolentlybackwardsandforwards。Andyet，asyousee，Iamperfectlyrestrained。Letmecommendmyexampletoyou。\"
\"I’lllookoutforthatbuffalo，\"saidLordJohn。
\"AndIforthefootballmatch。\"
\"Itmaybethatyouareright，Challenger，\"saidSummerleeinachastenedvoice。\"IamwillingtoadmitthatmyturnofmindiscriticalratherthanconstructiveandthatIamnotareadyconverttoanynewtheory，especiallywhenithappenstobesounusualandfantasticasthisone。However，asIcastmymindbackovertheeventsofthemorning，andasIreconsiderthefatuousconductofmycompanions，Ifinditeasytobelievethatsomepoisonofanexcitingkindwasresponsiblefortheirsymptoms。\"
Challengerslappedhiscolleaguegood—humouredlyupontheshoulder。\"Weprogress，\"saidhe。\"Decidedlyweprogress。\"
\"Andpray，sir，\"askedSummerleehumbly，\"whatisyouropinionastothepresentoutlook？\"
\"WithyourpermissionIwillsayafewwordsuponthatsubject。\"
Heseatedhimselfuponhisdesk，hisshort，stumpylegsswinginginfrontofhim。\"Weareassistingatatremendousandawfulfunction。Itis，inmyopinion，theendoftheworld。\"
Theendoftheworld!Oureyesturnedtothegreatbow—windowandwelookedoutatthesummerbeautyofthecountry—side，thelongslopesofheather，thegreatcountry—houses，thecozyfarms，thepleasure—seekersuponthelinks。
Theendoftheworld!Onehadoftenheardthewords，buttheideathattheycouldeverhaveanimmediatepracticalsignificance，thatitshouldnotbeatsomevaguedate，butnow，to—day，thatwasatremendous，astaggeringthought。WewereallstrucksolemnandwaitedinsilenceforChallengertocontinue。
Hisoverpoweringpresenceandappearancelentsuchforcetothesolemnityofhiswordsthatforamomentallthecruditiesandabsurditiesofthemanvanished，andheloomedbeforeusassomethingmajesticandbeyondtherangeofordinaryhumanity。
Thentome，atleast，therecamebackthecheeringrecollectionofhowtwicesincewehadenteredtheroomhehadroaredwithlaughter。Surely，Ithought，therearelimitstomentaldetachment。Thecrisiscannotbesogreatorsopressingafterall。
`Youwillconceiveabunchofgrapes，\"saidhe，\"whicharecoveredbysomeinfinitesimalbutnoxiousbacillus。Thegardenerpassesitthroughadisinfectingmedium。Itmaybethathedesireshisgrapestobecleaner。Itmaybethatheneedsspacetobreedsomefreshbacilluslessnoxiousthanthelast。Hedipsitintothepoisonandtheyaregone。OurGardeneris，inmyopinion，abouttodipthesolarsystem，andthehumanbacillus，thelittlemortalvibriowhichtwistedandwriggledupontheouterrindoftheearth，willinaninstantbesterilizedoutofexistence。\"
Againtherewassilence。Itwasbrokenbythehightrillofthetelephone—bell。
\"Thereisoneofourbacillisqueakingforhelp，\"saidhewithagrimsmile。\"Theyarebeginningtorealizethattheircontinuedexistenceisnotreallyoneofthenecessitiesoftheuniverse。\"
Hewasgonefromtheroomforaminuteortwo。Irememberthatnoneofusspokeinhisabsence。Thesituationseemedbeyondallwordsorcomments。
\"ThemedicalofficerofhealthforBrighton，\"saidhewhenhereturned。\"Thesymptomsareforsomereasondevelopingmorerapidlyuponthesealevel。Oursevenhundredfeetofelevationgiveusanadvantage。FolkseemtohavelearnedthatIamthefirstauthorityuponthequestion。NodoubtitcomesfrommyletterintheTimes。ThatwasthemayorofaprovincialtownwithwhomItalkedwhenwefirstarrived。Youmayhaveheardmeuponthetelephone。Heseemedtoputanentirelyinflatedvalueuponhisownlife。Ihelpedhimtoreadjusthisideas。\"
Summerleehadrisenandwasstandingbythewindow。Histhin，bonyhandsweretremblingwithhisemotion。
\"Challenger，\"saidheearnestly，\"thisthingistooseriousformerefutileargument。DonotsupposethatIdesiretoirritateyoubyanyquestionImayask。ButIputittoyouwhethertheremaynotbesomefallacyinyourinformationorinyourreasoning。Thereisthesunshiningasbrightlyaseverinthebluesky。Therearetheheatherandtheflowersandthebirds。
Therearethefolkenjoyingthemselvesuponthegolf—linksandthelaborersyondercuttingthecorn。Youtellusthattheyandwemaybeupontheverybrinkofdestruction——thatthissunlitdaymaybethatdayofdoomwhichthehumanracehassolongawaited。Sofarasweknow，youfoundthistremendousjudgmentuponwhat？Uponsomeabnormallinesinaspectrum——uponrumoursfromSumatra——uponsomecuriouspersonalexcitementwhichwehavediscernedineachother。Thislattersymptomisnotsomarkedbutthatyouandwecould，byadeliberateeffort，controlit。
Youneednotstandonceremonywithus，Challenger。Wehaveallfaceddeathtogetherbeforenow。Speakout，andletusknowexactlywherewestand，andwhat，inyouropinion，areourprospectsforourfuture。\"
Itwasabrave，goodspeech，aspeechfromthatstanchandstrongspiritwhichlaybehindalltheaciditiesandangularitiesoftheoldzoologist。LordJohnroseandshookhimbythehand。
\"Mysentimenttoatick，\"saidhe。\"Now，Challenger，it’suptoyoutotelluswhereweare。Weain’tnervousfolk，asyouknowwell；butwhenitcomestomakin’aweek—endvisitandfindingyou’verunfullbuttintotheDayofJudgment，itwantsabitofexplainin’。What’sthedanger，andhowmuchofitisthere，andwhatarewegoin’todotomeetit？\"
Hestood，tallandstrong，inthesunshineatthewindow，withhisbrownhandupontheshoulderofSummerlee。Iwaslyingbackinanarmchair，anextinguishedcigarettebetweenmylips，inthatsortofhalf—dazedstateinwhichimpressionsbecomeexceedinglydistinct。Itmayhavebeenanewphaseofthepoisoning，butthedeliriouspromptingshadallpassedawayandweresucceededbyanexceedinglylanguidand，atthesametime，perceptivestateofmind。Iwasaspectator。Itdidnotseemtobeanypersonalconcernofmine。Butherewerethreestrongmenatagreatcrisis，anditwasfascinatingtoobservethem。
Challengerbenthisheavybrowsandstrokedhisbeardbeforeheanswered。Onecouldseethathewasverycarefullyweighinghiswords。
\"WhatwasthelastnewswhenyouleftLondon？\"heasked。
\"IwasattheGazetteofficeaboutten，\"saidI。\"TherewasaReuterjustcomeinfromSingaporetotheeffectthatthesicknessseemedtobeuniversalinSumatraandthatthelighthouseshadnotbeenlitinconsequence。\"
\"Eventshavebeenmovingsomewhatrapidlysincethen，\"saidChallenger，pickinguphispileoftelegrams。\"Iaminclosetouchbothwiththeauthoritiesandwiththepress，sothatnewsisconverginguponmefromallparts。Thereis，infact，ageneralandveryinsistentdemandthatIshouldcometoLondon；
butIseenogoodendtobeserved。Fromtheaccountsthepoisonouseffectbeginswithmentalexcitement；theriotinginParisthismorningissaidtohavebeenveryviolent，andtheWelshcolliersareinastateofuproar。Sofarastheevidencetohandcanbetrusted，thisstimulativestage，whichvariesmuchinracesandinindividuals，issucceededbyacertainexaltationandmentallucidity——Iseemtodiscernsomesignsofitinouryoungfriendhere——which，afteranappreciableinterval，turnstocoma，deepeningrapidlyintodeath。Ifancy，sofarasmytoxicologycarriesme，thattherearesomevegetablenervepoisons————\"
\"Datura，\"suggestedSummerlee。
\"Excellent!\"criedChallenger。\"Itwouldmakeforscientificprecisionifwenamedourtoxicagent。Letitbedaturon。Toyou，mydearSummerlee，belongsthehonour——posthumous，alas，butnonethelessunique——ofhavinggivenanametotheuniversaldestroyer，theGreatGardener’sdisinfectant。Thesymptomsofdaturon，then，maybetakentobesuchasIindicate。Thatitwillinvolvethewholeworldandthatnolifecanpossiblyremainbehindseemstometobecertain，sinceetherisauniversalmedium。Uptonowithasbeencapriciousintheplaceswhichithasattacked，butthedifferenceisonlyamatterofafewhours，anditislikeanadvancingtidewhichcoversonestripofsandandthenanother，runninghitherandthitherinirregularstreams，untilatlastithassubmergeditall。Therearelawsatworkinconnectionwiththeactionanddistributionofdaturonwhichwouldhavebeenofdeepinteresthadthetimeatourdisposalpermittedustostudythem。SofarasIcantracethem\"——hereheglancedoverhistelegrams——\"thelessdevelopedraceshavebeenthefirsttorespondtoitsinfluence。
TherearedeplorableaccountsfromAfrica，andtheAustralianaboriginesappeartohavebeenalreadyexterminated。TheNorthernraceshaveasyetshowngreaterresistingpowerthantheSouthern。This，yousee，isdatedfromMarseillesatnine—forty—fivethismorning。Igiveittoyouverbatim：——
\"`AllnightdeliriousexcitementthroughoutProvence。TumultofvinegrowersatNimes。SocialisticupheavalatToulon。Suddenillnessattendedbycomaattackedpopulationthismorning。
PESTEFOUDROYANTE。Greatnumbersofdeadinthestreets。
Paralysisofbusinessanduniversalchaos。’
\"Anhourlatercamethefollowing，fromthesamesource：——
\"`Wearethreatenedwithutterextermination。Cathedralsandchurchesfulltooverflowing。Thedeadoutnumbertheliving。Itisinconceivableandhorrible。Deceaseseemstobepainless，butswiftandinevitable。’
\"ThereisasimilartelegramfromParis，wherethedevelopmentisnotyetasacute。IndiaandPersiaappeartobeutterlywipedout。TheSlavonicpopulationofAustriaisdown，whiletheTeutonichashardlybeenaffected。Speakinggenerally，thedwellersupontheplainsandupontheseashoreseem，sofarasmylimitedinformationgoes，tohavefelttheeffectsmorerapidlythanthoseinlandorontheheights。Evenalittleelevationmakesaconsiderabledifference，andperhapsiftherebeasurvivorofthehumanrace，hewillagainbefounduponthesummitofsomeArarat。Evenourownlittlehillmaypresentlyprovetobeatemporaryislandamidaseaofdisaster。Butatthepresentrateofadvanceafewshorthourswillsubmergeusall。\"
LordJohnRoxtonwipedhisbrow。
\"Whatbeatsme，\"saidhe，\"ishowyoucouldsittherelaughin’
withthatstackoftelegramsunderyourhand。I’veseendeathasoftenasmostfolk，butuniversaldeath——it’sawful!\"
\"Astothelaughter，\"saidChallenger，\"youwillbearinmindthat，likeyourselves，Ihavenotbeenexemptfromthestimulatingcerebraleffectsoftheethericpoison。Butastothehorrorwithwhichuniversaldeathappearstoinspireyou，I
wouldputittoyouthatitissomewhatexaggerated。Ifyouweresenttoseaaloneinanopenboattosomeunknowndestination，yourheartmightwellsinkwithinyou。Theisolation，theuncertainty，wouldoppressyou。Butifyourvoyageweremadeinagoodlyship，whichborewithinitallyourrelationsandyourfriends，youwouldfeelthat，howeveruncertainyourdestinationmightstillremain，youwouldatleasthaveonecommonandsimultaneousexperiencewhichwouldholdyoutotheendinthesameclosecommunion。Alonelydeathmaybeterrible，butauniversalone，aspainlessasthiswouldappeartobe，isnot，inmyjudgment，amatterforapprehension。Indeed，Icouldsympathizewiththepersonwhotooktheviewthatthehorrorlayintheideaofsurvivingwhenallthatislearned，famous，andexaltedhadpassedaway。\"
\"What，then，doyouproposetodo？\"askedSummerlee，whohadforoncenoddedhisassenttothereasoningofhisbrotherscientist。
\"Totakeourlunch，\"saidChallengerastheboomofagongsoundedthroughthehouse。\"Wehaveacookwhoseomelettesareonlyexcelledbyhercutlets。Wecanbuttrustthatnocosmicdisturbancehasdulledherexcellentabilities。MyScharzbergerof’96mustalsoberescued，sofarasourearnestandunitedeffortscandoit，fromwhatwouldbeadeplorablewasteofagreatvintage。\"Heleveredhisgreatbulkoffthedesk，uponwhichhehadsatwhileheannouncedthedoomoftheplanet。
\"Come，\"saidhe。\"Ifthereislittletimeleft，thereisthemoreneedthatweshouldspenditinsoberandreasonableenjoyment。\"
And，indeed，itprovedtobeaverymerrymeal。Itistruethatwecouldnotforgetourawfulsituation。Thefullsolemnityoftheeventloomedeveratthebackofourmindsandtemperedourthoughts。Butsurelyitisthesoulwhichhasneverfaceddeathwhichshiesstronglyfromitattheend。Toeachofusmenithad，foronegreatepochinourlives，beenafamiliarpresence。
Astothelady，sheleaneduponthestrongguidanceofhermightyhusbandandwaswellcontenttogowhitherhispathmightlead。Thefuturewasourfate。Thepresentwasourown。Wepasseditingoodlycomradeshipandgentlemerriment。Ourmindswere，asIhavesaid，singularlylucid。EvenIstrucksparksattimes。AstoChallenger，hewaswonderful!NeverhaveIsorealizedtheelementalgreatnessoftheman，thesweepandpowerofhisunderstanding。Summerleedrewhimonwithhischorusofsubacidcriticism，whileLordJohnandIlaughedatthecontestandthelady，herhanduponhissleeve，controlledthebellowingsofthephilosopher。Life，death，fate，thedestinyofman——thesewerethestupendoussubjectsofthatmemorablehour，madevitalbythefactthatasthemealprogressedstrange，suddenexaltationsinmymindandtinglingsinmylimbsproclaimedthattheinvisibletideofdeathwasslowlyandgentlyrisingaroundus。OnceIsawLordJohnputhishandsuddenlytohiseyes，andonceSummerleedroppedbackforaninstantinhischair。Eachbreathwebreathedwaschargedwithstrangeforces。Andyetourmindswerehappyandatease。
PresentlyAustinlaidthecigarettesuponthetableandwasabouttowithdraw。
\"Austin!\"saidhismaster。
\"Yes，sir？\"
\"Ithankyouforyourfaithfulservice。\"Asmilestoleovertheservant’sgnarledface。
\"I’vedonemyduty，sir。\"
\"I’mexpectingtheendoftheworldto—day，Austin。\"
\"Yes，sir。Whattime，sir？\"
\"Ican’tsay，Austin。Beforeevening。\"
\"Verygood，sir。\"
ThetaciturnAustinsalutedandwithdrew。Challengerlitacigarette，and，drawinghischairclosertohiswife’s，hetookherhandinhis。
\"Youknowhowmattersstand，dear，\"saidhe。\"Ihaveexplaineditalsotoourfriendshere。You’renotafraidareyou？\"
\"Itwon’tbepainful，George？\"
\"Nomorethanlaughing—gasatthedentist’s。Everytimeyouhavehadityouhavepracticallydied。\"
\"Butthatisapleasantsensation。\"