A Slip under the Microscope by H.G. Wells
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A slip under the microscope

by H .G .Wells

outside the laboratory windows was a watery-grey fog, and within a close warmth and_the yellow light of_the green- shaded gas lamps that stood two to each table down its narrow length . on each table stood a couple of glass jars containing the mangled vestiges of_the crayfish, mussels, frogs, and guinea-pigs upon_which the students had_been working, and down the side of_the room, facing the windows, were shelves bearing bleached dissections in spirits, surmounted by a row of beautifully executed anatomical drawings in white- wood frames and overhanging a row of cubical lockers . all the doors of_the laboratory were panelled with blackboard, and on_these were the half- erased diagrams of_the previous day's work . the laboratory was empty, save for_the demonstrator, who sat near the preparation- room door, and silent, save for a low, continuous murmur and_the clicking of_the rocker microtome at which he_was working . but scattered about_the room were traces of numerous students: hand-bags, polished boxes of instruments, in one place a large drawing covered by newspaper, and in another a prettily bound copy of News from Nowhere_, a book oddly at variance with its surroundings . these things had_been put down hastily as_the students had arrived and hurried at once to secure their seats in_the adjacent lecture theatre . deadened by_the closed door, the measured accents of_the professor sounded as afeatureless muttering .

presently, faint through_the closed windows came the sound of_the oratory clock striking the hour of eleven . the clicking of_the microtome ceased, and_the demonstrator looked at his watch, rose, thrust his hands into his pockets, and walked slowly down the laboratory towards the lecture theatre door . he stood listening for a moment, and then his eye fell on_the little volume by William Morris . he picked it up, glanced at_the title, smiled, opened it, looked at_the name on_the fly- leaf, ran the leaves through with_his hand, and put it down . almost immediately the even murmur of_the lecturer ceased, there_was a sudden burst of pencils rattling on_the desks in_the lecture theatre, astirring, ascraping of feet, and a number of voices speaking together . then a firm footfall approached the door, which began to open, and stood ajar, as some indistinctly heard question arrested the new-comer .

the demonstrator turned, walked slowly back past the microtome, and left the laboratory by_the preparation- room door . as he_did so, first one, and then several students carrying notebooks entered the laboratory from_the lecture theatre, and distributed themselves among_the little tables, or stood in a group about_the doorway . they were an exceptionally heterogeneous assembly, for while Oxford and Cambridge still recoil from_the blushing prospect of mixed classes, the college of science anticipated America in_the matter years_ago-- mixed socially, too, for_the prestige of_the college is high, and its scholarships, free of any age limit, dredge deeper even than do those of_the Scotch universities . the class numbered one- and-twenty, but some remained in_the theatre questioning the professor, copying the black- board diagrams before_they were washed off, or examining the special specimens he had produced to illustrate the day's teaching . of_the nine who had come into_the laboratory three were girls, one of whom, a little fair woman, wearing spectacles and dressed in greyish- green, was peering out_of_the window at_the fog, while the other two, both wholesome- looking, plain- faced schoolgirls, unrolled and put on_the brown Holland aprons they wore while dissecting . of_the men, two went down the laboratory to_their places, one a pallid, dark- bearded man, who had once been a tailor; the other a pleasant- featured, ruddy young man of twenty, dressed in a well-fitting brown suit; young Wedderburn, the son of Wedderburn, the eye specialist . the others formed a little knot near the theatre door . one_of_these, adwarfed, spectacled figure, with ahunchback, sat on a bent wood stool; two others, one a short, dark youngster, and_the other a flaxen-haired, reddish-complexioned young man, stood leaning side by side against the slate sink, while the fourth stood facing them, and maintained the larger share of_the conversation .

this last person was named hill . he_was a sturdily built young fellow, of_the same age as Wedderburn; he had a white face, dark grey eyes, hair of an indeterminate colour, and prominent, irregular features . he talked rather louder than was needful, and thrust his hands deeply into his pockets . his collar was frayed and blue with_the starch of a careless laundress, his clothes were evidently ready- made, and there_was a patch on_the side of_his boot near the toe . and as he talked or listened to_the others, he glanced now and again towards the lecture theatre door . they were discussing the depressing peroration of_the lecture they had just heard, the last lecture it_was in_the introductory course in zoology ." from ovum to ovum is_the goal of_the higher vertebrata," the lecturer had said in_his melancholy tones, and so had neatly rounded off the sketch of comparative anatomy he had_been developing . the spectacled hunchback had repeated it, with noisy appreciation, had tossed it towards the fair-haired student with an evident provocation, and had started one_of_these vague, rambling discussions on generalities, so unaccountably dear to_the student mind all the world over .

" that_is our goal, perhaps--I admit it, as far as science goes," said the fair-haired student, rising to_the challenge ." but there_are things above science ."

" science," said hill confidently, " is systematic knowledge .Ideas that don't come into_the system-- must anyhow-- be loose ideas ." he_was not quite_sure whether that was a clever saying or a fatuity until his hearers took it seriously .

" the thing I_cannot understand," said the hunchback, at large, " is whether hill is a materialist or not ."

" there_is one_thing above matter," said hill promptly, feeling he had a better thing this_time; aware, too, of someone in_the doorway behind him, and raising his voice a trifle for her benefit, " and_that is, the delusion that_there_is something above matter ."

" so we_have your gospel at last," said the fair student ." it's all a delusion, is_it ? all our aspirations to lead something more than dogs' lives, all our work for anything beyond ourselves . but see how inconsistent you_are . your socialism, for instance . why do_you trouble about_the interests of_the race ? why do_you concern yourself about_the beggar in_the gutter ? why are_you bothering yourself to lend that book "-- he indicated William Morris by a movement of_the head--" to everyone in_the lab .? "

" girl," said the hunchback indistinctly, and glanced guiltily over his shoulder .

the girl in brown, with_the brown eyes, had come into_the laboratory, and stood on_the other side of_the table behind him, with her rolled- up apron in one hand, looking over her shoulder, listening to_the discussion . she did_not notice the hunchback, because she was glancing from hill to_his interlocutor . hill's consciousness of her presence betrayed itself to her only in_his studious ignorance of_the fact; but she understood that, and it pleased her ." I_see no reason," said he, " why a man should live like a brute because he_knows of nothing beyond matter, and does_not expect to exist a hundred years hence ."

" why shouldn't he ? " said the fair-haired student .

" why should he ? " said hill .

" what inducement has he ? "

" that's the way with all you religious people . it's all a business of inducements .Cannot a man seek after righteousness for righteousness' sake ? "

there_was a pause . the fair man answered, with a kind of vocal padding, " but-- you_see-- inducement-- when I_said inducement," to gain time . and then the hunchback came to_his rescue and inserted a question . he_was a terrible person in_the debating society with_his questions, and_they invariably took one form--a demand for a definition, " what's your definition of righteousness ? " said the hunchback at_this stage .

hill experienced a sudden loss of complacency at_this question, but even as it_was asked, relief came in_the person of Brooks, the laboratory attendant, who entered by_the preparation- room door, carrying a number of freshly killed guinea-pigs by their hind legs ." this_is_the last batch of material this session," said the youngster who had_not previously spoken .Brooks advanced up the laboratory, smacking down a couple of guinea-pigs at each table . the rest of_the class, scenting the prey from afar, came crowding in by_the lecture theatre door, and_the discussion perished abruptly as_the students who were_not already in their places hurried to_them to secure the choice of a specimen . there_was a noise of keys rattling on split rings as lockers were opened and dissecting instruments taken out . hill was already standing by his table, and_his box of scalpels was sticking out of_his pocket . the girl in brown came a step towards him, and, leaning over his table, said softly, " did you_see that I returned your book, Mr hill ? "

during the whole scene she and_the book had_been vividly present in_his consciousness; but he_made a clumsy pretence of looking at_the book and seeing it for_the first time ."Oh, yes," he_said, taking it up ." I_see . did you like it ? "

" i_want to ask_you some questions about_it-- some_time ."

" certainly," said hill ." I_shall_be_glad ." he stopped awkwardly ." you liked it ? " he_said .

" it's a wonderful book . only some things I don't understand ."

then suddenly the laboratory was hushed by a curious, braying noise . it was_the demonstrator . he_was at_the blackboard ready to_begin the day's instruction, and it_was his custom to demand silence by a sound midway between_the "Er" of common intercourse and_the blast of a trumpet . the girl in brown slipped back to her place: it_was immediately in front of hill's, and hill, forgetting her forthwith, took a notebook out_of_the drawer of_his table, turned over its leaves hastily, drew a stumpy pencil from_his pocket, and prepared to_make a copious note of_the coming demonstration . for demonstrations and lectures are the sacred text of_the college students .Books, saving only the professor's own, you_may-- it_is even expedient to-- ignore .

hill was_the son of aLandport cobbler, and had_been hooked by a chance blue paper the authorities had thrown out to_the Landport technical college . he kept himself in London on_his allowance of a guinea a week, and found that, with proper care, this also covered his clothing allowance, an occasional waterproof collar, that_is; and ink and needles and cotton, and such- like necessaries for a man about town . this_was his first year and_his first session, but the brown old man in Landport had already got himself detested in many public-houses by boasting of_his son, " the professor ." hill was a vigorous youngster, with a serene contempt for_the clergy of all denominations, and a fine ambition to reconstruct the world . he regarded his scholarship as a brilliant opportunity . he had begun to read at seven, and had read steadily whatever came in_his way, good or bad, since then . his worldly experience had_been limited to_the island of Portsea, and acquired chiefly in_the wholesale boot factory in_which he had worked by day, after passing the seventh standard of_the board school . he had a considerable gift of speech, as_the college Debating society, which met amidst the crushing machines and mine models in_the metallurgical theatre downstairs, already recognised--recognised by a violent battering of desks whenever he rose . and he_was just at_that fine emotional age when life opens at_the end of a narrow pass like a broad valley at one's feet, full of_the promise of wonderful discoveries and tremendous achievements . and_his own limitations, save that he_knew that he_knew neither Latin nor French, were all unknown to him .

at first his interest had_been divided pretty equally between his biological work at_the college and social and theological theorising, an employment which he_took in deadly earnest . of a night, when_the big museum library was not open, he_would sit on_the bed of_his room in Chelsea with_his coat and a muffler on, and write out the lecture notes and revise his dissection memoranda, until Thorpe called him out by a whistle-- the landlady objected to open the door to attic visitors-- and then the two would go prowling about_the shadowy, shiny, gas-lit streets, talking, very_much in_the fashion of_the sample just given, of_the god idea, and righteousness, and Carlyle, and_the Reorganisation of society . and in_the midst of it all, hill, arguing not_only for Thorpe, but for_the casual passer- by, would lose the thread of_his argument glancing at some pretty painted face that looked meaningly at him as he passed . science and righteousness ! but once_or_twice lately there had_been signs that a third interest was creeping into his life, and he had found his attention wandering from_the fate of_the mesoblastic somites or the probable meaning of_the blastopore, to_the thought of_the girl with_the brown eyes who sat at_the table before him .

she was apaying student; she descended inconceivable social altitudes to_speak to him . at_the thought of_the education she must_have had, and_the accomplishments she_must possess, the soul of hill became abject within him . she had spoken to him first over a difficulty about_the alisphenoid of a rabbit's skull, and he had found that, in biology at_least, he had no reason for self- abasement . and from_that, after_the manner of young people starting from any starting- point, they got to generalities, and while hill attacked her upon_the question of socialism-- some instinct told him to spare her a direct assault upon her religion-- she was gathering resolution to undertake what she told herself was his aesthetic education . she was a year or two older than he,

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