The Man who Could Work Miracles by H.G. Wells
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altogether unlimited ." and from_the hearthrug Mr Maydig, waving the Winch difficulty aside, unfolded a series of wonderful proposals-- proposals he invented as he went along .

now what those proposals were does_not concern the essentials of_this story . suffice it that_they were designed in a spirit of infinite benevolence, the sort of benevolence that used to_be called post-prandial . suffice it, too, that_the problem of Winch remained unsolved . nor is_it necessary to describe how far that series got to its fulfilment . there were astonishing changes . the small hours found Mr Maydig and Mr Fotheringay careering across the chilly market square under the still moon, in a sort of ecstasy of thaumaturgy, Mr Maydig all flap and gesture, Mr Fotheringay short and bristling, and no longer abashed at his greatness . they had reformed every drunkard in_the parliamentary division, changed all the beer and alcohol to water ( Mr Maydig had overruled Mr Fotheringay on_this point); they had, further, greatly improved the railway communication of_the place, drained Flinder's swamp, improved the soil of one tree hill, and cured the vicar's wart . and_they were going to_see what could_be_done with_the injured pier at south bridge ." the place," gasped Mr Maydig, " won't be the same place to- morrow . how surprised and thankful everyone will_be ! " and just at_that moment the church clock struck three .

" I_say," said Mr Fotheringay, " that's three o'clock ! I_must_be getting back .I've got to_be at business by eight . and besides, Mrs Wimms----"

" we're only beginning," said Mr Maydig, full of_the sweetness of unlimited power ." we're only beginning . think of all the good we're doing . when people wake----"

" but----," said Mr Fotheringay .

Mr Maydig gripped his arm suddenly . his eyes were bright and wild ." my dear chap," he_said, " there's no hurry . look"-- he pointed to_the moon at_the zenith--"Joshua ! "

"Joshua ? " said Mr Fotheringay .

"Joshua," said Mr Maydig ." why_not ? stop it ."

Mr Fotheringay looked at_the moon .

" that's a bit tall," he_said, after a pause .

" why_not ? " said Mr Maydig ." of_course it doesn't stop . you stop the rotation of_the earth, you_know . time stops . it isn't as_if we were doing harm ."

"H'm ! " said Mr Fotheringay ." well," he sighed, "I'll try . here ! "

he buttoned up his jacket and addressed himself to_the habitable globe, with as good an assumption of confidence as lay in_his power ." jest stop rotating, will_you ? " said Mr Fotheringay .

Incontinently he_was flying head over heels through_the air at_the rate of dozens of miles a minute . in_spite of_the innumerable circles he_was describing per second, he thought; for thought is wonderful--sometimes as sluggish as flowing pitch, sometimes as instantaneous as light . he thought in a second, and willed ." let me come down safe and sound . whatever else happens, let me down safe and sound ."

he willed it only just in_time, for_his clothes, heated by his rapid flight through_the air, were already beginning to singe . he_came down with a forcible, but by no means injurious, bump in what appeared to_be a mound of fresh- turned earth .a large mass of metal and masonry, extraordinarily like the clock-tower in_the middle of_the market square, hit the earth near him, ricochetted over him, and flew into stonework, bricks, and cement, like abursting bomb .ahurtling cow hit one_of_the larger blocks and smashed like an egg . there_was a crash that made all the most violent crashes of_his past life seem like the sound of falling dust, and this_was followed by adescending series of lesser crashes .a vast wind roared throughout earth and heaven, so_that he_could scarcely lift his head to look . for a while he_was too breathless and astonished even to_see where he_was or what had happened . and_his first movement was to_feel his head and reassure himself that his streaming hair was still his own .

" lord ! " gasped Mr Fotheringay, scarce able to_speak for_the gale, "I've had a squeak ! what's gone wrong ? Storms and thunder . and only a minute ago a fine night . it's Maydig set me on to_this sort of thing . what a wind ! if I go on fooling in_this_way I'm bound to_have a thundering accident ! .. .

" where's Maydig ?

" what a confounded mess everything's in ! "

he looked about him so_far as his flapping jacket would permit . the appearance of things was really extremely strange ." the sky's all right anyhow," said Mr Fotheringay ." and_that's about all that_is all right . and even there it looks like a terrific gale coming up . but there's the moon overhead . just as it_was just now . bright as midday . but as for_the rest---- where's the village ? where's-- where's anything ? and what on earth set this wind a-blowing ? I didn't order no wind ."

Mr Fotheringay struggled to_get to_his feet in vain, and after one failure, remained on all fours, holding on . he surveyed the moonlit world to leeward, with_the tails of_his jacket streaming over his head ." there's something seriously wrong," said Mr Fotheringay ." and what it_is-- goodness knows ."

far and wide nothing was visible in_the white glare through_the haze of dust that drove before ascreaming gale but tumbled masses of earth and heaps of inchoate ruins, no trees, no houses, no familiar shapes, only a wilderness of disorder, vanishing at last into_the darkness beneath the whirling columns and streamers, the lightnings and thunderings of a swiftly rising storm . near him in_the livid glare was something that might once have_been an elm- tree, asmashed mass of splinters, shivered from boughs to base, and further a twisted mass of iron girders-- only too evidently the viaduct-- rose out_of_the piled confusion .

you_see, when Mr Fotheringay had arrested the rotation of_the solid globe, he had made no stipulation concerning the trifling movables upon its surface . and_the earth spins so fast that_the surface at its equator is travelling at rather more than a thousand miles an hour, and in_these latitudes at more than half that pace . so that_the village, and Mr Maydig, and Mr Fotheringay, and everybody and everything had_been jerked violently forward at about nine miles per second-- that_is_to_say, much more violently than if_they had_been fired out of a cannon . and every human being, every living creature, every house, and every tree-- all the world as we_know it-- had_been so jerked and smashed and utterly destroyed . that was all .

these things Mr Fotheringay did_not, of_course, fully appreciate . but he perceived that his miracle had miscarried, and with_that a great disgust of miracles came upon him . he_was in darkness now, for_the clouds had swept together and blotted out his momentary glimpse of_the moon, and_the air was full of fitful struggling tortured wraiths of hail .a great roaring of wind and waters filled earth and sky, and peering under his hand through_the dust and sleet to windward, he_saw by_the play of_the lightnings a vast wall of water pouring towards him .

"Maydig ! " screamed Mr Fotheringay's feeble voice amid the elemental uproar ." here ! --Maydig !

" stop ! " cried Mr Fotheringay to_the advancing water ."Oh, for goodness' sake, stop !

" just a moment," said Mr Fotheringay to_the lightnings and thunder ." stop jest a moment while I collect my thoughts .. . and now what shall I_do ? " he_said ." what shall I_do ? lord ! i_wish Maydig was about ."

" I_know," said Mr Fotheringay ." and for goodness' sake let's have it right this_time ."

he remained on all fours, leaning against the wind, very intent to_have everything right .

"Ah ! " he_said ." let nothing what I'm going to order happen until I_say ' off ! ' .. . lord ! i_wish I'd thought of_that before ! "

he lifted his little voice against the whirlwind, shouting louder and louder in_the vain desire to hear himself speak ." now then ! -- here goes ! mind about_that what I_said just now . in_the first place, when all I've got to_say is done, let me lose my miraculous power, let my will become just like anybody else's will, and all these dangerous miracles be stopped .I don't like them .I'd rather I didn't work 'em . ever so_much . that's the first thing . and_the second is-- let me be back just before_the miracles begin; let everything be just as it_was before_that blessed lamp turned up . it's a big job, but it's the last . have_you got it ? no more miracles, everything as it_was-- me back in_the long dragon just before I drank my half- pint . that's it ! yes ."

he dug his fingers into_the mould, closed his eyes, and said " off ! "

everything became perfectly still . he perceived that he_was standing erect .

" so you say," said a voice .

he opened his eyes . he_was in_the bar of_the long dragon, arguing about miracles with toddy Beamish . he had a vague sense of some great thing forgotten that instantaneously passed . you_see that, except for_the loss of_his miraculous powers, everything was back as it had_been, his mind and memory therefore were now just as_they had_been at_the_time when_this story began . so_that he_knew absolutely nothing of all that_is told here-- knows nothing of all that_is told here to_this day . and among other things, of_course, he still did_not believe in miracles .

"I tell you that miracles, properly speaking, can't possibly happen," he_said, " whatever you like to hold . and I'm prepared to_prove it up_to_the hilt ."

" that's what you_think," said toddy Beamish, and " prove it if_you_can ."

"Looky here, Mr Beamish," said Mr Fotheringay ." let_us clearly understand what a miracle is . it's something contrariwise to_the course of nature done by power of will .. ."

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