A Dream of Armageddon by H.G. Wells
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he_was aforcible, hard, and tactless man, and only I had_been able to control and soften him . it_was on_his account even more than my own, i_think, that_the others had_been so dismayed at my retreat .So this question about what he had done re-awakened my old interest in_the life I had put aside just for amoment .

"' I_have taken no heed of any news for many days,' I_said .'What has Gresham been saying ? '

"And with_that the man began, nothing loth, and I_must confess ever; i_was struck by Gresham's reckless folly in_the wild and threatening words he had used .And this messenger they had sent to_me not_only told me of Gresham's speech, but went on to ask counsel and to point out what need they had of me .While he talked, my lady sat alittle forward and watched his face and mine .

"My old habits of scheming and organising reasserted themselves . I_could even see myself suddenly returning to_the north, and all the dramatic effect of it .All that_this man said witnessed to_the disorder of_the party indeed, but not to its damage . i_should go back stronger than I had come .And then i_thought of_my lady . you_see--how can I tell you ? There were certain peculiarities of_our relationship--as things are I_need not tell about_that--which would render her presence with me impossible . i_should_have had to leave her; indeed, i_should_have had to renounce her clearly and openly, if i_was to_do all that I_could do in_the north . and_the man knew that_, even as he talked to her and me, knew it as_well as she did, that my steps to duty were--first, separation, then abandonment . at_the touch of_that thought my dream of areturn was shattered .I turned on_the man suddenly, as he_was imagining his eloquence was gaining ground with me .

"'What have I to_do with_these things now ? ' I_said .' I_have_done with_them . do_you_think I_am coquetting with your people in coming here ? '

"'No,' he_said; 'but----'

"'Why cannot you leave me alone ? I_have_done with_these things . I_have ceased to_be anything but aprivate man .'

"'Yes,' he answered .'But have_you thought ? --this talk of war, these reckless challenges, these wild aggressions----'

"I stood up .

"'No,' I cried .'I won't hear you . i_took count of all those things, I weighed them--and I_have come away ."

" he_seemed to consider the possibility of persistence .He looked from me to where the lady sat regarding us .

"'War,' he_said, as_if he were speaking to himself, and then turned slowly from me and walked away .

"I stood, caught in_the whirl of thoughts his appeal had set going .

"I heard my lady's voice .

"'Dear,' she said; 'but if they_have need of you--'

"She did_not finish her sentence, she let it rest there .I turned to her sweet face, and_the balance of_my mood swayed and reeled .

"' they_want me only to_do_the thing they dare not do themselves,' I_said .' if_they distrust Gresham they_must settle with_him themselves .'

"She looked at me doubtfully .

"'But war--' she said .

" I_saw adoubt on her face that I had seen before, adoubt of herself and me, the first shadow of_the discovery that, seen strongly and completely, must drive us apart for ever .

"Now, i_was an older mind than hers, and I_could sway her to_this belief or that .

"'My dear one,' I_said, ' you_must not trouble over these things . there_will_be no war .Certainly there_will_be no war .The age of wars is past .Trust me to_know the justice of this_case . they_have no right upon me, dearest, and no one has aright upon me . I_have_been free to_choose my life, and I_have chosen this .'

"'But war_--' she said .

"I sat down beside her .I put an arm behind her and took her hand in mine .I set myself to drive that doubt away--I set myself to_fill her mind with pleasant things again .I lied to her, and in lying to her I lied also to myself .And she was only too ready to_believe me, only too ready to forget .

" very_soon the shadow had gone again, and we were hastening to our bathing-place in_the Grotta del Bovo Marino, where it_was our custom to bathe every day .We swam and splashed one another, and in_that buoyant water I seemed to_become something lighter and stronger than aman .And at last we came out dripping and rejoicing and raced among_the rocks .And then I put on adry bathing-dress, and we sat to bask in_the sun, and presently I nodded, resting my head against her knee, and she put her hand upon my hair and stroked it softly and I dozed .And behold ! as it were with_the snapping of_the string of aviolin, i_was awakening, and i_was in my own bed in Liverpool, in_the life of to-day .

"Only for atime I_could_not believe that all these vivid moments had_been no more than_the substance of adream .

"In truth, I_could_not believe it adream, for all the sobering reality of things about me .I bathed and dressed as it were by habit, and as I shaved I argued why I of all men should leave the woman I loved to_go back to fantastic politics in_the hard and strenuous north .Even if Gresham did force the world back to war, what was_that to_me ? i_was aman, with_the heart of aman, and why should I_feel the responsibility of adeity for_the way the world might go ?

" you_know that_is_not quite the way i_think about affairs, about_my real affairs . I_am asolicitor, you_know, with apoint of view .

"The vision was so real, you_must understand, so utterly unlike adream, that I kept perpetually recalling little irrelevant details; even the ornament of abookcover that lay on my wife's sewing-machine in_the breakfast-room recalled with_the utmost vividness the gilt line that ran about_the seat in_the alcove where I had talked with_the messenger from my deserted party . have_you ever heard of adream that had aquality like that ? "

"Like-- ? "

" so_that afterwards you remembered little details you had forgotten ."

i_thought .I had never noticed the point before, but he_was right .

"Never," I_said ." that_is what you never seem to_do with dreams ."

"No," he answered ."But that_is just what I_did . I_am asolicitor, you_must understand, in Liverpool, and I_could_not help wondering what the clients and business people I_found myself talking to in my office would think if i_told them suddenly i_was in love with agirl who_would_be born acouple of hundred years or so hence, and worried about_the politics of_my great-great-great-grandchildren . i_was chiefly busy that day negotiating aninety-nine-year building lease . it_was aprivate builder in ahurry, and we wanted to tie him in every possible way .I had an interview with_him, and he showed acertain want of temper that sent me to bed still irritated .That night I had no dream .Nor did I dream the next night, at_least, to remember .

"Something of_that intense reality of conviction vanished .I began to_feel sure it_was adream .And then it came again .

" when_the dream came again, nearly four days later, it_was very different . i_think it certain that four days had also elapsed in_the dream .Many things had happened in_the north, and_the shadow of_them was back again between_us, and this_time it_was not so easily dispelled .I began, I_know, with moody musings .Why, in_spite of all, should I go back, go back for all the rest of_my days, to toil and stress, insults, and perpetual dissatisfaction, simply to save hundreds of millions of common people, whom I_did_not love, whom too often I_could_not do other_than despise, from_the stress and anguish of war and infinite misrule ? And, after all, I_might fail .They all sought their own narrow ends, and why should_not I--why should_not I also live as aman ? And out of_such thoughts her voice summoned me, and I lifted my eyes .

" I_found myself awake and walking .We had come out above the Pleasure City, we were near the summit of Monte Solaro and looking towards the bay .It was_the late afternoon and very clear .Far away to_the left Ischia hung in agolden haze between sea and sky, and Naples was coldly white against the hills, and before_us was Vesuvius with atall and slender streamer feathering at last towards the south, and_the ruins of Torre dell' Annunziata and Castellammare glittering and near ."

I interrupted suddenly: " you_have_been to Capri, of_course ? "

"Only in_this dream," he_said, "only in_this dream .All across the bay beyond Sorrento were the floating palaces of_the Pleasure City moored and chained .And northward were the broad floating stages that received the aeroplanes .Aeroplanes fell out_of_the sky every afternoon, each bringing its thousands of pleasure-seekers from_the uttermost parts of_the earth to Capri and its delights .All these things, I_say, stretched below .

"But we noticed them only incidentally because of an unusual sight that evening had to show

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