And it grew - the sphere December passed, January - I spent day with broom sweeping path snow from bungalow to laboratory - February, March end of March the completion was in sight In January had come team of horses, huge packing-case; we had our thick glass sphere now ready, and in position under the crane we had rigged to sling it steel shell All the bars and blinds steel shell - not really spherical shell, but polyhedral, with roller blind to each facet - had arrived by February, lower half was bolted together The Cavorite was half made by March, the metallic paste had gone through two stages in its manufacture, and we had plastered quite half of it on steel bars ad blinds astonishing how closely we kept lines of Cavor's first inspiration in working out the scheme bolting together sphere was finished, he proposed to remove the rough roof temporary laboratory work , and build furnace So the last stage of Cavorite making, paste is heated to dull red glow in stream of helium, accomplished then already sphere

And then we had to discuss and decide what provisions we were - compressed foods, concentrated essences, steel cylinders containing reserve oxygen, an arrangement for removing carbonic acid and waste air and restoring oxygen of sodium peroxide, water condensers, and so forth I remember the little heap they made corner - tins, and rolls, and boxes - convincingly matter-of-fact

strenuous time, with little chance of thinking But one day, when we were drawing near the end, an odd mood came over me I bricking up the furnace all the morning, and I sat down possessions dead beat Everything seemed dull and incredible

"But look here, Cavor," "After all ! What's it all for ? "

He smiled "The thing now is "

"The moon," I reflected But what expect ? the moon was dead world "

He shrugged his shoulders

"We're going "

"Are we ? " , and stared before me

" tired," he remarked "You'd better take walk this afternoon "

"No," obstinately; "I'm going to finish this brickwork "

And , and insured myself night of insomnia I don't think ever had such night I had some bad times before my business collapse, but the very worst was sweet slumber compared infinity of aching wakefulness suddenly most enormous funk thing we were going

remember night thinking at all risks we were running Now they came like that array of spectres that once beleaguered Prague, and camped around me The strangeness of what we were about , the unearthliness of it, overwhelmed me like man awakened out of pleasant dreams most horrible surroundings I lay, eyes wide open, sphere seemed more flimsy and feeble, and Cavor more unreal and fantastic, whole enterprise madder and madder every moment

I got out of bed and wandered about I sat window and stared immensity of space stars void, the unfathomable darkness ! I tried to recall the fragmentary knowledge of astronomy I had gained in my irregular reading, but all too vague any idea things expect At last I got back to bed and snatched some moments of sleep - moments of nightmare rather - I fell and fell and fell for evermore abyss sky

I astonished Cavor at breakfast him shortly, "I'm not coming sphere "

I met all his protests with sullen persistence "The thing's too mad," , "and I won't come The thing's too mad "

go laboratory I fretted bout my bungalow for time, and then took hat and stick and set out alone, not whither It chanced glorious morning: warm wind and deep blue sky, the first green of spring abroad, and multitudes of birds singing I lunched on beef and beer in little public-house near Elham, and startled the landlord by remarking apropos weather, "A man who leaves the world when days sort are about is fool ! "

"That's what I says when I heerd ! " said the landlord, and that poor soul this world had proved excessive, and there throat-cutting I went on with new twist to my thoughts

afternoon I had pleasant sleep in sunny place, and went on my way refreshed to comfortable - looking inn near Canterbury bright with creepers, landlady was clean old woman and took my eye I had just enough money lodging with her I decided to stop the night there She was talkative body, and among particulars learnt she had never been to London "Canterbury's as far as ever I been," she said "I'm not one of your gad-about sort "

"How would you like trip moon ? " I cried

"I never did hold ballooneys," she said evidently under the impression was common excursion enough "I wouldn't go up in one - not for ever so "

This struck me as being funny After I had supped I sat on bench door inn and gossiped with two labourers about brickmaking, and motor cars, cricket of last year And sky faint new crescent, blue and vague as distant Alp, sank westward over the sun

The I returned to Cavor " coming," "I've been little out of order, that's all "

That only time any serious doubt our enterprise Nerves purely ! Alter that I worked little more carefully, and took trudge for an hour every day And at last, save heating furnace, our labours were at an end

Chapter 4

Inside the Sphere

"GO ON," said Cavor, as I sat across the edge manhole, and looked down black interior sphere We two were alone evening, the sun had set, stillness twilight was upon everything

I drew my other leg inside and slid down the smooth glass bottom sphere, then turned to cans of food and other impedimenta from Cavor The interior was warm, the thermometer stood at eighty, and as lose little or none by radiation, we were dressed in shoes and thin flannels We had, however, bundle of thick woollen clothing and several thick blankets to guard against mischance

By Cavor's direction I placed the packages, the cylinders of oxygen, and so forth, loosely feet, and soon we had everything in He walked roofless shed for time seeking anything we had overlooked, and then crawled in after me I noted something hand

"What got there ? " I asked

"Haven't you brought anything to read ? "

"Good Lord ! No "

"I forgot you uncertainties - The voyage may last - weeks ! "

"But - "

" floating sphere with absolutely no occupation "

" I'd known"

He peered manhole " Look ! " " There's something there ! "

" time ? "

" an hour "

I looked out an old number of Tit-Bits that men brought Farther away corner torn Lloyd's News I scrambled back sphere things "What got ? "

the book hand and read, "The Works of William Shakespeare"

He coloured slightly "My education so purely scientific -" apologetically

"Never read him ? "

"Never "

" little, - in an irregular sort of way "

"Precisely what told," said Cavor

I assisted him to screw glass cover manhole, and then he pressed stud to close the corresponding blind outer case The little oblong of twilight vanished We were in darkness For time neither of us spoke Although our case impervious to sound, everything was very still I perceived nothing to grip shock start should come, and I realised that uncomfortable for want of chair