The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells
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view very little better than if_it never came back ! "

I stared . as_yet i_was too amazed to realise how all my expectations had_been upset ." what do_you_mean to_do now ? " I asked .

" in_the first place if I_may borrow a garden trowel i_will remove some_of_this earth with_which I_am encased, and then if I_may avail myself of your domestic conveniences i_will_have a bath . this done, we_will converse more at leisure . it_will_be wise, i_think " - he laid a muddy hand on my arm" if nothing were said of_this affair beyond ourselves . I_know I_have caused great damage - probably even dwelling-houses may_be ruined here and there upon_the country- side . but on_the other hand, I_cannot possibly pay for_the damage I_have_done, and if_the real cause of_this is published, it_will lead only to heartburning and_the obstruction of_my work . one cannot foresee everything, you_know, and I_cannot consent for_one moment to add the burthen of practical considerations to my theorising . later on, when_you have come in with your practical mind, and Cavorite is floated - floated is_the word, isn't it ? - and it has realised all you anticipate for_it, we_may set matters right with_these persons . but not now - not now . if no other explanation is offered, people, in_the present unsatisfactory state of meteorological science, will ascribe all this to a cyclone; there_might_be a public subscription, and as my house has collapsed and been burnt, i_should in_that case receive a considerable share in_the compensation, which would_be extremely helpful to_the prosecution of_our researches . but if_it_is known that I caused this, there_will_be no public subscription, and everybody will_be put out . practically i_should never get a chance of working in peace again . my three assistants may or may not have perished . that_is a detail . if they_have, it_is no great loss; they were more zealous than able, and this premature event must_be largely due to_their joint neglect of_the furnace . if they_have not perished, I_doubt if they_have the intelligence to explain the affair . they_will accept the cyclone story . and if during the temporary unfitness of_my house for occupation, I_may lodge in one_of_the untenanted rooms of_this bungalow of yours - "

he paused and regarded me .

a man of_such possibilities, I reflected, is no ordinary guest to entertain .

" perhaps," said I, rising to my feet, " we had better begin by looking for a trowel," and I led the way to_the scattered vestiges of_the greenhouse .

and while he_was having his bath I considered the entire question alone . it_was clear there were drawbacks to Mr Cavor's society I had_not foreseen . the absentmindedness that had just escaped depopulating the terrestrial globe, might at any moment result in some other grave inconvenience . on_the other hand i_was young, my affairs were in a mess, and i_was in just the mood for reckless adventure - with a chance of something good at_the end of it .I had quite settled in my mind that i_was to_have half at_least in_that aspect of_the affair .Fortunately I held my bungalow, as I_have already explained, on a three- year agreement, without being responsible for repairs; and my furniture, such as_there_was of it, had_been hastily purchased, was unpaid for, insured, and altogether devoid of associations . in_the end I decided to_keep on with_him, and_see the business through .

certainly the aspect of things had changed very greatly .I no longer doubted at all the enormous possibilities of_the substance, but I began to_have doubts about_the gun- carriage and_the patent boots . we set to work at once to reconstruct his laboratory and proceed with_our experiments .Cavor talked more on my level than he had ever done before, when it came to_the question of how we_should make_the stuff next .

" of_course we_must make it again," he_said, with a sort of glee I had_not expected in him, " of_course we_must make it again . we_have caught a tartar, perhaps, but we_have left the theoretical behind us for good and all . if_we_can possibly avoid wrecking this little planet of ours, we_will . but - there_must_be risks ! there_must_be . in experimental work there always are . and here, as a practical man, you_must come in . for_my own part it seems to_me we_might make it edgeways, perhaps, and very thin . yet I don't know . I_have a certain dim perception of another method . I_can hardly explain it yet . but curiously enough it came into my mind, while i_was rolling over and over in_the mud before_the wind, and very doubtful how I the whole adventure was to end, as being absolutely the thing I ought_to_have done .

even with my aid we_found some little difficulty, and meanwhile we kept at work restoring the laboratory . there_was plenty to_do before it became absolutely necessary to decide upon_the precise form and method of_our second attempt . our only hitch was_the strike of_the three labourers, who objected to my activity as a foreman . but that matter we compromised after two days' delay .

chapter 3

the building of_the sphere

I remember the occasion very distinctly when Cavor told me of_his idea of_the sphere . he had had intimations of it before, but at_the_time it seemed to_come to him in a rush . we were returning to_the bungalow for tea, and on_the way he fell humming . suddenly he shouted, " that's it ! that finishes it ! a sort of roller blind ! "

"Finishes what ? " I asked .

" space - anywhere ! the moon ."

" what do_you_mean ? "

" mean ? why - it must_be a sphere ! that's what I mean ! "

I_saw i_was out of it, and for a time I let him talk in_his own fashion .I hadn't the ghost of an idea then of_his drift . but after he had taken tea he_made it clear to_me .

" it's like this," he_said ." last time I ran this stuff that cuts things off from gravitation into a flat tank with an overlap that held it down . and directly it had cooled and_the manufacture was completed all that uproar happened, nothing above it weighed anything, the air went squirting up, the house squirted up, and if_the stuff itself hadn't squirted up too, I don't know what would_have happened ! but suppose the substance is loose, and quite free to_go up ? "

" it_will go up at once ! "

" exactly . with no more disturbance than firing a big gun ."

" but what good will that_do ? "

"I'm going up with it ! "

I put down my teacup and stared at him .

" imagine a sphere," he explained, " large enough to hold two people and their luggage . it_will_be made of steel lined with thick glass; it_will contain a proper store of solidified air, concentrated food, water distilling apparatus, and so forth . and enamelled, as it were, on_the outer steel - "

"Cavorite ? "

" yes ."

" but how will_you get inside ? "

" there_was a similar problem about a dumpling ."

" yes, I_know . but how ? "

" that's perfectly easy . an air- tight manhole is all that_is needed . that, of_course, will_have to_be a little complicated; there_will have to_be a valve, so_that things may_be thrown out, if necessary, without much loss of air ."

" like Jules Verne's thing in a trip to_the moon ."

but Cavor was not a reader of fiction .

"I begin to_see," I_said slowly ." and you_could get in and screw yourself up while the Cavorite was warm, and as_soon_as it cooled it would become impervious to gravitation, and off you_would fly -"

" at a tangent ."

" you_would go off in a straight line - " I stopped abruptly ." what_is to_prevent the thing travelling in a straight line into space for ever ? " I asked ." you're not safe to_get anywhere, and if_you_do - how will_you get back ? "

"I've just thought of_that," said Cavor ." that's what I meant when I_said the thing is finished . the inner glass sphere can_be air- tight, and, except for_the manhole, continuous, and_the steel sphere can_be made in sections, each section capable of rolling up after_the fashion of a roller blind . these can easily be worked by springs, and released and checked by electricity conveyed by platinum wires fused through_the glass . all that_is merely a question of detail . so you_see, that except for_the thickness of_the blind rollers, the Cavorite exterior of_the sphere will consist of windows or blinds, whichever you like to_call them . well, when all these windows or blinds are shut, no light, no heat, no gravitation, no radiant energy of any sort will get at_the inside of_the sphere, it_will fly on through space in a straight line, as_you say . but open a window, imagine one_of_the windows open . then at once any heavy body that chances to_be in_that direction will attract us "

I sat taking it in .

" you_see ? " he_said .

"Oh, I_see ."

" practically we_shall_be_able to tack about in space just as we_wish . get attracted by_this and_that ."

"Oh, yes . that's clear enough . only - "

" well ? "

"I don't quite see what we_shall do_it for ! it's really only jumping off the world and back again ."

" surely ! for example, one might go to_the moon ."

" and when one got there ? what would you find ? "

" we should_see - Oh ! consider the new knowledge ."

" is_there air there ? "

" there_may_be ."

" it's a fine idea," I_said, " but it strikes me as a large order all the same . the moon ! I'd much rather try some smaller things first ."

" they're out_of_the_question, because of_the air difficulty ."

" why_not apply that idea of spring blinds - Cavorite blinds in strong steel cases - to lifting weights ? "

" it wouldn't work," he insisted ." after all, to_go into outer space is_not so_much worse, if at all, than a polar expedition . men go on polar expeditions ."

" not business men . and besides, they get paid for polar expeditions . and if anything goes wrong there_are relief parties . but this - it's just firing ourselves off the world for nothing ."

" call it prospecting ."

" you'll have to_call it that .. .. one might make a book of it perhaps," I_said .

" I_have no_doubt there_will_be minerals," said Cavor .

" for example ? "

"Oh ! sulphur, ores, gold perhaps, possibly new elements ."

" cost of carriage," I_said ." you_know you're not a practical man . the moon's a quarter of a million miles away ."

" it seems to_me it wouldn't cost much to cart any weight anywhere if_you packed it in aCavorite case ."

I had_not thought of_that ." delivered free on head of purchaser, eh ? "

" it isn't as_though we were confined to_the moon ."

" you mean ? "

" there's Mars - clear atmosphere, novel surroundings, exhilarating sense of lightness . it might_be pleasant to_go there ."

" is_there air on Mars ? "

"Oh, yes ! "

"Seems as_though you_might run it as a sanatorium . by_the_way, how far is Mars ? "

" two hundred million miles at present," said Cavor airily; " and you go close by_the sun ."

my imagination was picking itself up again ." after all," I_said, there's something in_these things . there's travel -"

an extraordinary possibility came rushing into my mind . suddenly I_saw, as in a vision, the whole solar system threaded with Cavorite liners and spheres deluxe ."Rights of pre-emption," came floating into my head - planetary rights of pre-emption .I recalled the old Spanish monopoly in American gold . it wasn't as_though it_was just this planet or that - it_was all of_them .I stared at Cavor's rubicund face, and suddenly my imagination was leaping and dancing .I stood up, I walked up and down; my tongue was unloosened .

"I'm beginning to_take it in," I_said; "I'm beginning to_take it in ." the transition from doubt to enthusiasm seemed to_take scarcely any_time at all ." but this_is tremendous ! " I cried ." this_is imperial ! I haven't been dreaming of_this sort of thing ."

once the chill of_my opposition was removed, his own pent- up excitement had play . he too got up and paced . he too gesticulated and shouted . we behaved like men inspired . we were men inspired .

" we'll settle all that ! " he_said in answer to some incidental difficulty that had pulled me up ." we'll soon settle that ! we'll start the drawings for mouldings this very night ."

" we'll start them now," I responded, and we hurried off to_the laboratory to_begin upon_this work forthwith .

i_was like a child in wonderland all that night . the dawn found us both still at work - we kept our electric light going heedless of_the day .I remember now exactly how these drawings looked .I shaded and tinted while Cavor drew - smudged and haste- marked they were in every line, but wonderfully correct . we got out the orders for_the steel blinds and frames we needed from_that night's work, and_the glass sphere was designed within a week . we gave up our afternoon conversations and_our old routine altogether . we worked, and we slept and ate when we_could work no longer for hunger and fatigue . our enthusiasm infected even our three men, though they had no idea what the sphere was for . through those days the man Gibbs gave up walking, and went everywhere, even across the room, at a sort of fussy run .

and it grew - the sphere . December passed, January - I spent a day with a broom sweeping a path through_the snow from bungalow to laboratory - February, march . by_the end of march the completion

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