The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells
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but not a bit suspicious or hostile . rather, he_was self-depreciatory . he looked at me doubtfully ." but do_you really think - ? " he_said ." and your play ! how about_that play ? "

" it's vanished ! " I cried ." my dear_Sir, don't you_see what you've got ? Don't you_see what you're going to_do ? "

that was merely a rhetorical turn, but positively, he didn't . at first I_could_not believe it . he had_not had the beginning of_the inkling of an idea . this astonishing little man had_been working on purely theoretical grounds the whole time; when he_said it_was " the most important" research the world had ever seen, he simply meant it squared up so_many theories, settled so_much that was in doubt; he had troubled no more about_the application of_the stuff he_was going to_turn out than if he had_been a machine that makes guns . this_was a possible substance, and he_was going to_make it ! V'la tout, as_the Frenchman says .

beyond that, he_was childish; if he_made it, it would go down to posterity as Cavorite or Cavorine, and he_would_be made an F .R .S ., and_his portrait given away as a scientific worthy with nature, and things like that . and_that was all he_saw ! he_would_have dropped this bombshell into_the world as_though he had discovered a new species of gnat, if_it had_not happened that I had come along . and there it would_have lain and fizzled, like one_or_two other little things these scientific people have lit and dropped about us .

when I realised this, it_was I_did the talking, and Cavor who said, " go on ! " I jumped up .I paced the room, gesticulating like a boy of twenty .I tried to_make him understand his duties and responsibilities in_the matter - our duties and responsibilities in_the matter .I assured him we_might make wealth enough to work any sort of social revolution we fancied, we_might own and order the whole world . i_told him of companies and patents, and_the case for secret processes . all these things seemed to_take him much as his mathematics had taken me .a look of perplexity came into his ruddy little face . he stammered something about indifference to wealth, but I brushed all that aside . he had got to_be rich, and it_was no good his stammering . I_gave him to understand the sort of man i_was, and_that I had had very considerable business experience . I_did_not tell him i_was an undischarged bankrupt at_the_time, because that was temporary, but i_think I reconciled my evident poverty with my financial claims . and quite insensibly, in_the way such projects grow, the understanding of aCavorite monopoly grew up between_us . he_was to make_the stuff, and i_was to make_the boom .

I stuck like a leech to_the " we" - " you" and "I" didn't exist for_me .

his idea was_that the profits I spoke of might go to endow research, but that, of_course, was a matter we had to settle later ." that's all right," I shouted, " that's all right ." the great point, as I insisted, was to_get the thing done .

" here_is a substance," I cried, " no home, no factory, no fortress, no ship can dare to_be without - more universally applicable even than a patent medicine . there isn't a solitary aspect of it, not one of_its ten thousand possible uses that_will_not make us rich, Cavor, beyond the dreams of avarice ! "

" no ! " he_said ."I begin to_see . it's extraordinary how one gets new points of view by talking over things ! "

" and as it happens you_have just talked to_the right man ! "

" I suppose no one," he_said, " is absolutely averse to enormous wealth . of_course there_is one_thing - "

he paused .I stood still .

" it_is just possible, you_know, that we_may not be_able to_make it after all ! it may_be one of_those things that_are a theoretical possibility, but a practical absurdity . or when we_make it, there_may_be some little hitch ! "

" we'll tackle the hitch when it comes ." said I .

chapter 2

the first Making of Cavorite

but Cavor's fears were groundless, so_far as_the actual making was concerned . on_the 14th of October, 1899, this incredible substance was_made !

oddly enough, it was_made at last by accident, when Mr Cavor least expected it . he had fused together a number of metals and certain other things - i_wish I_knew the particulars now ! - and he intended to leave the mixture a week and then allow it to cool slowly . unless he had miscalculated, the last stage in_the combination would occur when_the stuff sank to a temperature of 60 Fahr . but it chanced that, unknown to Cavor, dissension had arisen about_the furnace tending .Gibbs, who had previously seen to_this, had suddenly attempted to shift it to_the man who had_been a gardener, on_the score that coal was soil, being dug, and therefore could_not possibly fall within_the province of a joiner; the man who had_been ajobbing gardener alleged, however, that coal was a metallic or ore- like substance, let alone that he_was cook . but Spargus insisted on Gibbs doing the coaling, seeing that he_was a joiner and_that coal is notoriously fossil wood . consequently Gibbs ceased to replenish the furnace, and no one else did so, and Cavor was too_much immersed in certain interesting problems concerning aCavorite flying machine (neglecting the resistance of_the air and one_or_two other points) to perceive that anything was wrong . and_the premature birth of_his invention took place just as he_was coming across the field to my bungalow for_our afternoon talk and tea .

I remember the occasion with extreme vividness . the water was boiling, and everything was prepared, and_the sound of_his "zuzzoo" had brought me out upon_the verandah . his active little figure was black against the autumnal sunset, and to_the right the chimneys of_his house just rose above agloriously tinted group of trees . remoter rose the Wealden Hills, faint and blue, while to_the left the hazy marsh spread out spacious and serene . and then -

the chimneys jerked heavenward, smashing into a string of bricks as_they rose, and_the roof and a miscellany of furniture followed . then overtaking them came a huge white flame . the trees about_the building swayed and whirled and tore themselves to pieces, that sprang towards the flare . my ears were smitten with a clap of thunder that left me deaf on one side for life, and all about me windows smashed, unheeded .

i_took three steps from_the verandah towards Cavor's house, and even as I_did so came the wind .

instantly my coat tails were over my head, and i_was progressing in great leaps and bounds, and quite against my will, towards him . in_the same moment the discoverer was seized, whirled about, and flew through_the screaming air . I_saw one of_my chimney pots hit the ground within six yards of me, leap a score of feet, and so hurry in great strides towards the focus of_the disturbance .Cavor, kicking and flapping, came down again, rolled over and over on_the ground for a space, struggled up and was lifted and borne forward at an enormous velocity, vanishing at last among_the labouring, lashing trees that writhed about his house .

a mass of smoke and ashes, and a square of bluish shining substance rushed up towards the zenith .a large fragment of fencing came sailing past me, dropped edgeways, hit the ground and fell flat, and then the worst was over . the aerial commotion fell swiftly until it_was amere strong gale, and 1 became once more aware that I had breath and feet . by leaning back against the wind I managed to stop, and could collect such wits as still remained to_me .

in_that instant the whole face of_the world had changed . the tranquil sunset had vanished, the sky was dark with scurrying clouds, everything was flattened and swaying with_the gale .I glanced back to_see if_my bungalow was still in a general way standing, then staggered forwards towards the trees amongst which Cavor had vanished, and through whose tall and leaf-denuded branches shone the flames of_his burning house .

I entered the copse, dashing from one tree to another and clinging to_them, and for a space I sought him in vain . then amidst a heap of smashed branches and fencing that had banked itself against a portion of_his garden wall I perceived something stir . I_made a run for_this, but before I reached it a brown object separated itself, rose on two muddy legs, and protruded two drooping, bleeding hands . some tattered ends of garment fluttered out from its middle portion and streamed before_the wind .

for a moment I_did_not recognise this earthy lump, and then I_saw that_it_was Cavor, caked in_the mud in_which he had rolled . he leant forward against the wind, rubbing the dirt from_his eyes and mouth .

he extended a muddy lump of hand, and staggered apace towards me . his face worked with emotion, little lumps of mud kept falling from_it . he looked as damaged and pitiful as any living creature I_have ever seen, and_his remark therefore amazed me exceeding .

"Gratulate me," he gasped; "gratulate me ! "

" congratulate you ! said I ." good heavens ! what for ? "

"I've done it ."

" you_have . what on earth caused that explosion ? "

a gust of wind blew his words away .I understood him to_say that_it wasn't an explosion at all . the wind hurled me into collision with_him, and we stood clinging to one another .

" try and get back - to my bungalow," I bawled in_his ear . he_did_not hear me, and shouted something about " three martyrs - science," and also something about " not much good ." at_the_time he laboured under the impression that his three attendants had perished in_the whirlwind . happily this_was incorrect . directly he had left for_my bungalow they had gone . off to_the public- house in Lympne to discuss the question of_the furnaces over some trivial refreshment .

I repeated my suggestion of getting back to my bungalow, and this_time he understood . we clung arm- in- arm and started, and managed at last to reach the shelter of as_much roof as was left to_me . for a space we sat in arm-chairs and panted . all the windows were broken, and_the lighter articles of furniture were in great disorder, but no irrevocable damage was_done . happily the kitchen door had stood the pressure upon it, so_that all my crockery and cooking materials had survived . the oil stove was still burning, and I put on_the water to boil again for tea . and_that prepared, I_could turn on Cavor for_his explanation .

" quite correct," he insisted; " quite correct .I've done it, and it's all right ."

" but", I protested ." all right ! why, there can't be arick standing, or a fence or a thatched roof undamaged for twenty miles round ."

" it's all right - really .I didn't, of_course, foresee this little upset . my mind was preoccupied with another problem, and I'm apt to disregard these practical side issues . but it's all right "

" my dear_Sir," I cried, " don't you_see you've done thousands of pounds' worth of damage ? "

" there, I throw myself on_your discretion .I'm not a practical man, of_course, but don't you_think they_will regard it as a cyclone ? "

" but the explosion "

" it_was not an explosion . it's perfectly simple . only, as I_say, I'm apt to overlook these little things . its that zuzzoo business on a larger scale .Inadvertently I_made this substance of_mine, this Cavorite, in a thin, wide sheet .. .. "

he paused ." you_are quite clear that_the stuff is opaque to gravitation, that_it cuts off things from gravitating towards each_other ? "

" yes," said I ." yes ."

" well, so soon as it reached a temperature of 60 Fahr, and_the process of_its manufacture was complete, the air above it, the portions of roof and ceiling and floor above it ceased to_have weight .I suppose you_know - everybody knows nowadays - that, as a usual thing, the air has weight, that_it presses on everything at_the surface of_the earth, presses in all directions, with a pressure of fourteen and a half pounds to_the square inch ? "

" I_know that," said I ." go on ."

" I_know that too," he remarked ." only this shows you how useless knowledge is unless you apply it . you_see, over our Cavorite this ceased to_be the case, the air there ceased to exert any pressure, and_the air round it and not over the Cavorite was execerting a pressure of fourteen pounds and a half to_the square in upon_this suddenly weightless air .Ah ! you begin to_see ! the air all about_the Cavorite crushed in upon_the air above it with irresistible force . the air above th Cavorite was forced upward violently, the air that rushed in to replace it immediately lost weight, ceased to exert any pressure, followed suit, blew the ceiling through and_the roof off .. ..

" you perceive," he_said, " it formed a sort of atmospheric fountain, a kind of chimney in_the atmosphere . and if_the Cavorite itself hadn't been loose and so got sucked up the chimney, does it occur to_you what would_have happened ? "

i_thought ."I suppose," I_said, " the air would_be rushing up and up over that infernal piece of stuff now ."

" precisely," he_said ."A huge fountain "

"Spouting into space ! good heavens ! why, it would_have squirted all the atmosphere of_the earth away ! it would_have robbed the world of air ! it would_have_been the death of all mankind ! that little lump of stuff ! "

" not exactly into space," said Cavor, " but as bad - practically . it would_have whipped the air off the world as one peels a banana, and flung it thousands of miles . it would_have dropped back again, of_course - but on an asphyxiated world ! from_our point of view

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