The New Accelerator by H.G. Wells
Section [1 | 2]
the slowly sinking glass . finally he_took it by_the bottom, pulled it down and placed it very carefully on_the table ."Eh ? " he_said to_me, and laughed .

" that seems all right," I_said, and began very gingerly to raise myself from my chair . I_felt perfectly well, very light and comfortable, and quite confident in my mind . i_was going fast all over . my heart, for example, was beating a thousand times a second, but that caused me no discomfort at all .I looked out_of_the window . an immovable cyclist, head down and with a frozen puff of dust behind his driving- wheel, scorched to overtake agalloping char--banc that did_not stir .I gaped in amazement at_this incredible spectacle ."Gibberne," I cried, " how long will this confounded stuff last ? "

" heaven knows ! " he answered ." last time i_took it I went to bed and slept it off .I tell you, i_was frightened . it must_have lasted some minutes, i_think-- it seemed like hours . but after a bit it slows down rather suddenly, I believe ."

i_was proud to observe that I_did_not feel frightened--I suppose because there were two of us ." why shouldn't we go out ? " I asked .

" why_not ? "

" they'll see us ."

" not they . goodness, no ! why, we_shall_be going a thousand times faster than_the quickest conjuring trick that was ever done . come along ! which_way shall we go ? window, or door ? "

and out by_the window we went .

assuredly of all the strange experiences that I_have ever had, or imagined, or read of other people having or imagining, that little raid I_made with Gibberne on_the Folkestone Leas, under the influence of_the new accelerator, was_the strangest and maddest of all . we went out by his gate into_the road, and there we_made a minute examination of_the statuesque passing traffic . the tops of_the wheels and some_of_the legs of_the horses of_this char--banc, the end of_the whip- lash and_the lower jaw of_the conductor-- who was just beginning to yawn-- were perceptibly in motion, but all the rest of_the lumbering conveyance seemed still . and quite noiseless except for a faint rattling that came from one man's throat . and as parts of_this frozen edifice there were a driver, you_know, and a conductor, and eleven people ! the effect as_we walked about_the thing began by being madly queer and ended by being-- disagreeable . there they were, people like ourselves and yet not like ourselves, frozen in careless attitudes, caught in mid- gesture .a girl and a man smiled at one another, aleering smile that threatened to last for evermore; a woman in a floppy capelline rested her arm on_the rail and stared at Gibberne's house with_the unwinking stare of eternity; a man stroked his moustache like a figure of wax, and another stretched a tiresome stiff hand with extended fingers towards his loosened hat . we stared at them, we laughed at them, we_made faces at them, and then a sort of disgust of_them came upon us, and we turned away and walked round in front of_the cyclist towards the Leas .

" goodness ! " cried Gibberne, suddenly; " look there ! "

he pointed, and there at_the tip of_his finger and sliding down the air with wings flapping slowly and at_the speed of an exceptionally languid snail-- was a bee .

and so we came out upon_the Leas . there the thing seemed madder than ever . the band was playing in_the upper stand, though all the sound it made for_us was a low- pitched, wheezy rattle, a sort of prolonged last sigh that passed at times into a sound like the slow, muffled ticking of some monstrous clock . frozen people stood erect, strange, silent, self- conscious- looking dummies hung unstably in mid- stride, promenading upon_the grass .I passed close to a little poodle dog suspended in_the act of leaping, and watched the slow movement of_his legs as he sank to earth ." lord, look here ! " cried Gibberne, and we halted for a moment before a magnificent person in white faint-- striped flannels, white shoes, and a panama hat, who turned back to wink at two gaily dressed ladies he had passed .a wink, studied with_such leisurely deliberation as we_could afford, is an unattractive thing . it loses any quality of alert gaiety, and one remarks that_the winking eye does_not completely close, that under its drooping lid appears the lower edge of an eyeball and a little line of white ." heaven give_me memory," said I, " and_I_will never wink again ."

" or smile," said Gibberne, with_his eye on_the lady's answering teeth .

" it's infernally hot, somehow," said I, " let's go slower ."

"Oh, come along ! " said Gibberne .

we picked our way among_the bath-chairs in_the path . many_of_the people sitting in_the chairs seemed almost natural in their passive poses, but the contorted scarlet of_the bandsmen was not a restful thing to_see .a purple- faced little gentleman was frozen in_the midst of a violent struggle to refold his newspaper against the wind; there were many evidences that all these people in their sluggish way were exposed to a considerable breeze, a breeze that had no existence so_far as our sensations went . we came out and walked a little way from_the crowd, and turned and regarded it . to_see all that multitude changed to a picture, smitten rigid, as it were, into_the semblance of realistic wax, was impossibly wonderful . it_was absurd, of_course; but it filled me with an irrational, an exultant sense of superior advantage . consider the wonder of it ! all that I had said, and thought, and done since_the stuff had begun to work in my veins had happened, so_far as_those people, so_far as_the world in general went, in_the twinkling of an eye ." the new accelerator----" I began, but Gibberne interrupted me .

" there's that infernal old woman ! " he_said .

" what old woman ? "

"Lives next door to_me," said Gibberne ." has alapdog that yaps .Gods ! the temptation is strong ! "

there_is something very boyish and impulsive about Gibberne at times . before I_could expostulate with_him he had dashed forward, snatched the unfortunate animal out of visible existence, and was running violently with it towards the cliff of_the Leas . it_was most extraordinary . the little brute, you_know, didn't bark or wriggle or make_the slightest sign of vitality . it kept quite stiffly in an attitude of somnolent repose, and Gibberne held it by_the neck . it_was like running about with a dog of wood ."Gibberne," I cried, " put it down ! " then I_said something else ." if_you run like that, Gibberne," I cried, " you'll set your clothes on fire . your linen trousers are going brown as_it_is ! "

he clapped his hand on_his thigh and stood hesitating on_the verge ."Gibberne," I cried, coming up, " put it down . this heat is too_much ! it's our running so ! two_or_three miles a second ! friction of_the air ! "

" what ? " he_said, glancing at_the dog .

" friction of_the air," I shouted ." friction of_the air . going too fast . like meteorites and things . too hot . and, Gibberne ! Gibberne ! I'm all over pricking and a sort of perspiration . you_can see people stirring slightly .I believe the stuff's working off ! put that dog down ."

"Eh ? " he_said .

" it's working off," I repeated ." we're too hot and_the stuff's working off ! I'm wet through ."

he stared at me, then at_the band, the wheezy rattle of whose performance was certainly going faster . then with a tremendous sweep of_the arm he hurled the dog away from_him and it went spinning upward, still inanimate, and hung at last over the grouped parasols of a knot of chattering people .Gibberne was gripping my elbow ." by Jove ! " he cried, "I believe it_is ! a sort of hot pricking and-- yes . that man's moving his pocket- handkerchief ! Perceptibly . we_must get out of_this sharp ."

but we_could_not get out of it sharply enough . luckily, perhaps ! for we_might_have run, and if_we had run we_should, I believe, have burst into flames . almost certainly we_should_have burst into flames ! you_know we had neither of us thought of_that .. . but before we_could even begin to run the action of_the drug had ceased . it was_the business of a minute fraction of a second . the effect of_the new accelerator passed like the drawing of a curtain, vanished in_the movement of a hand .I heard Gibberne's voice in infinite alarm ." sit down," he_said, and flop, down upon_the turf at_the edge of_the Leas I sat--scorching as I sat . there_is a patch of burnt grass there still where I sat down . the whole stagnation seemed to wake up as I_did so, the disarticulated vibration of_the band rushed together into a blast of music, the promenaders put their feet down and walked their ways, the papers and flags began flapping, smiles passed into words, the winker finished his wink and went on_his way complacently, and all the seated people moved and spoke .

the whole world had come alive again, was going as fast as_we were, or rather we were going no faster than_the rest of_the world . it_was like slowing down as one comes into a railway station . everything seemed to spin round for a second or two, I had the most transient feeling of nausea, and_that was all . and_the little dog, which had seemed to hang for a moment when_the force of Gibberne's arm was expended, fell with a swift acceleration clean through a lady's parasol !

that was_the saving of us . unless it_was for_one corpulent old gentleman in a bath- chair, who certainly did start at_the sight of us, and afterwards regarded us at intervals with a darkly suspicious eye, and, finally, I believe, said something to_his nurse about us, I_doubt if a solitary person remarked our sudden appearance among them .Plop ! we_must_have appeared abruptly . we ceased to smoulder almost at once, though the turf beneath me was uncomfortably hot . the attention of every_one-- including even the Amusements' association band, which on_this occasion, for_the only time in its history, got out of tune-- was arrested by_the amazing fact, and_the still more amazing yapping and uproar caused by_the fact, that a respectable, over-fed lapdog sleeping quietly to_the east of_the bandstand should suddenly fall through_the parasol of a lady on_the west-- in a slightly singed condition due to_the extreme velocity of_its movements through_the air . in_these absurd days, too, when we_are all trying to_be as psychic, and silly, and superstitious as possible ! people got up and trod on other people, chairs were overturned, the Leas policeman ran . how the matter settled itself I_do_not know-- we were much too anxious to disentangle ourselves from_the affair and get out of range of_the eye of_the old gentleman in_the bath- chair to_make minute inquiries . as_soon_as we were sufficiently cool and sufficiently recovered from_our giddiness and nausea and confusion of mind to_do_so we stood up, and skirting the crowd, directed our steps back along the road below the Metropole towards Gibberne's house . but amidst the din I heard very distinctly the gentleman who had_been sitting beside the lady of_the ruptured sunshade using quite unjustifiable threats and language to one of_those chair-attendants who_have " inspector" written on their caps: " if_you didn't throw the dog," he_said, " who did ? "

the sudden return of movement and familiar noises, and_our natural anxiety about ourselves ( our clothes were still dreadfully hot, and_the fronts of_the thighs of Gibberne's white trousers were scorched adrabbish brown), prevented the minute observations i_should_have liked to_make on all these things . indeed, I really made no observations of any scientific value on_that return . the bee, of_course, had gone .I looked for_that cyclist, but he_was already out of sight as_we came into_the upper Sandgate road or hidden from_us by traffic; the char--banc_, however, with its people now all alive and stirring, was clattering along at aspanking pace almost abreast of_the nearer church .

we noted, however, that_the window-sill on_which we had stepped in getting out_of_the house was slightly singed, and_that the impressions of_our feet on_the gravel of_the path were unusually deep .

so it_was I had my first experience of_the new accelerator . practically we had_been running about and saying and doing all sorts of things in_the space of a second or so of_time . we had lived half an hour while the band had played, perhaps, two bars . but the effect it had upon us was_that the whole world had stopped for_our convenient inspection .Considering all things, and particularly considering our rashness in venturing out_of_the house, the experience might certainly have_been much more disagreeable than it_was . it showed, no_doubt, that Gibberne has still much to learn before his preparation is a manageable convenience, but its practicability it certainly demonstrated beyond all cavil .

since that adventure he has_been steadily bringing its use under control, and I_have several_times, and without the slightest bad result, taken measured doses under his direction; though I_must confess I_have_not_yet ventured abroad again while under its influence . I_may mention, for example, that_this story has_been written at one sitting and without interruption, except for_the nibbling of some chocolate, by its means .I began at 6 .25, and my watch is now very nearly at_the minute past the half- hour . the convenience of securing a long, uninterrupted spell of work in_the midst of a day full of engagements cannot_be exaggerated .Gibberne is now working at_the quantitative handling of_his preparation, with especial reference to its distinctive effects upon different types of constitution . he then hopes to_find a retarder, with_which to dilute its present rather excessive potency . the retarder will, of_course, have the reverse effect to_the accelerator; used alone it should enable the patient to spread a few seconds over many hours of ordinary time, and so to maintain an apathetic inaction, a glacier- like absence of alacrity, amidst the most animated or irritating surroundings . the two things together must necessarily work an entire revolution in civilised existence . it_is_the beginning of_our escape from_that_time garment of_which Carlyle speaks . while this accelerator will enable us to concentrate ourselves with tremendous impact upon any moment or occasion that demands our utmost sense and vigour, the retarder will enable us to_pass in passive tranquillity through infinite hardship and tedium . perhaps I_am a little optimistic about_the retarder, which_has indeed still to_be discovered, but about_the accelerator there_is no possible sort of doubt whatever . its appearance upon_the market in a convenient, controllable, and assimilable form is a matter of_the next few_months . it_will_be obtainable of all chemists and druggists, in small green bottles, at a high but, considering its extraordinary qualities, by no means excessive price .Gibberne's nervous accelerator it_will_be called, and he hopes to_be_able to supply it in three strengths: one in 200, one in 900, and one in 2000, distinguished by yellow, pink, and white labels respectively .

no_doubt its use renders a great number of very extraordinary things possible; for, of_course, the most remarkable and, possibly, even criminal proceedings may_be effected with impunity by thus dodging, as it were, into_the interstices of_time . like all potent preparations, it_will_be liable to abuse . we_have, however, discussed this aspect of_the question very thoroughly, and we_have decided that_this_is purely a matter of medical jurisprudence and altogether outside our province . we_shall manufacture and sell the accelerator, and as for_the consequences-- we_shall see .

Section [1 | 2]