" What on earth caused that explosion ? "

gust of wind blew his words away I understood him wasn't an explosion at all The wind hurled me into collision , and we stood clinging to one another

"Try and get back - to my bungalow," I bawled ear hear me, and shouted something about "three martyrs - science," and also something about "not much good " he laboured under the impression that his three attendants had perished whirlwind Happily incorrect Directly he had left bungalow they had gone Off public-house in Lympne to discuss the question furnaces over some trivial refreshment

I repeated my suggestion of getting back to my bungalow, and he understood We clung arm-in-arm and started, and managed at last to reach the shelter of roof as was left For space we sat in arm-chairs and panted All the windows were broken, lighter articles of furniture were in great disorder, but no irrevocable damage Happily the kitchen door had stood the pressure upon it, all my crockery and cooking materials had survived The oil stove was still burning, and I put water to boil again for tea prepared, turn on Cavor explanation

"Quite correct," he insisted; "quite correct I've done it, and it's all right "

"But", I protested "All right ! Why, there can't be rick standing, or fence or thatched roof undamaged for twenty miles round "

"It's all right - really I didn't, , foresee this little upset My mind was preoccupied with another problem, and I'm apt to disregard these practical side issues But it's all right "

"My ," I cried, " don't you've done thousands of pounds' worth of damage ? "

"There, I throw myself discretion I'm not practical man, , but don't regard it as cyclone ? "

"But the explosion "

" not an explosion It's perfectly simple Only, as , I'm apt to overlook these little things Its that zuzzoo business on larger scale Inadvertently this substance , this Cavorite, in thin, wide sheet . . "

He paused " quite clear stuff is opaque to gravitation, cuts off things from gravitating towards ? "

"Yes," said I "Yes "

"Well, so soon as it reached temperature of 60 Fahr, process manufacture was complete, the air above it, the portions of roof and ceiling and floor above it ceased weight I suppose - everybody knows nowadays - that, as usual thing, the air has weight, presses on everything surface earth, presses in all directions, with pressure of fourteen and half pounds square inch ? "

" that," said I " Go on "

" that too," he remarked " Only this shows you how useless knowledge is unless you apply it , over our Cavorite this ceased the case, the air there ceased to exert any pressure, air round it and not over the Cavorite was execerting pressure of fourteen pounds and half square in suddenly weightless air Ah ! you begin ! The air all Cavorite crushed in air above it with irresistible force The air above th Cavorite was forced upward violently, the air that rushed in to replace it immediately lost weight, ceased to exert any pressure, followed suit, blew the ceiling through roof off . .

"You perceive," , "it formed sort of atmospheric fountain, kind of chimney atmosphere And Cavorite itself hadn't been loose and so got sucked up the chimney, does it occur what happened ? "

"I suppose," , "the air rushing up and up over that infernal piece of stuff now "

"Precisely," "A huge fountain "

"Spouting into space ! Good heavens ! Why, it squirted all the atmosphere earth away ! It robbed the world of air ! It the death of all mankind ! That little lump of stuff ! "

"Not exactly into space," said Cavor, "but as bad - practically It whipped the air off the world as one peels banana, and flung it thousands of miles It dropped back again, - but on an asphyxiated world ! point of view very little better than never came back ! "

I stared too amazed to realise how all my expectations upset "What now ? " I asked

" first place if borrow garden trowel remove earth encased, and then if avail myself of your domestic conveniences bath This done, converse more at leisure wise, " - he laid muddy hand on my arm" if nothing were said affair beyond ourselves caused great damage - probably even dwelling-houses ruined here and there country-side But other hand, possibly pay damage , and real cause of published, lead only to heartburning obstruction work One cannot foresee everything, , and consent moment to add the burthen of practical considerations to my theorising Later on, have come in with your practical mind, and Cavorite is floated - floated word, isn't it ? - and it has realised all you anticipate , set matters right persons But not now - not now If no other explanation is offered, people, present unsatisfactory state of meteorological science, will ascribe all this to cyclone; public subscription, and as my house has collapsed and been burnt, case receive considerable share compensation, which extremely helpful prosecution researches But known that I caused this, no public subscription, and everybody put out Practically never get chance of working in peace again My three assistants may or may not have perished detail If , no great loss; they were more zealous than able, and this premature event largely due joint neglect furnace If not perished, if the intelligence to explain the affair accept the cyclone story And if during the temporary unfitness house for occupation, lodge in untenanted rooms bungalow of yours - "

He paused and regarded me

man possibilities, I reflected, is no ordinary guest to entertain

"Perhaps," said I, rising to my feet, " we had better begin by looking for trowel," and I led the way scattered vestiges greenhouse

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

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