"Why have we no chairs ? " I asked

"I've settled all that," said Cavor "We won't need them "

" ? "

" ," , tone of man who refuses

I became silent Suddenly it had come clear and vivid that fool inside that sphere Even now, I asked myself, is to too late to withdraw ? The world outside the sphere, , cold and inhospitable enough - for weeks I living on subsidies from Cavor - but after all, would it be as cold infinite zero, as inhospitable as empty space ? appearance of cowardice, I believe that even then made him let me out But I hesitated score, and hesitated, and grew fretful and angry, time passed

There came little jerk, noise like champagne being uncorked in another room, and faint whistling sound For just one instant I had sense of enormous tension, transient conviction that my feet were pressing downward with force of countless tons It lasted for an infinitesimal time

But it stirred me to action "Cavor ! " darkness, "my nerve's in rags I don't think - "

I stopped no answer

"Confound it ! " I cried; "I'm fool ! What business have I here ? I'm not coming, Cavor The thing's too risky I'm getting out "

" 't,"

"Can't ! We'll soon see ! "

no answer for ten seconds "It's too late to quarrel now, Bedford," "That little jerk start Already flying as swiftly as bullet up gulf of space "

"I -" , and then it didn't seem to matter what happened For time , as it were, stunned; I had nothing just I had never heard idea of leaving the world before Then I perceived an unaccountable change in my bodily sensations feeling of lightness, of unreality Coupled was queer sensation head, an apoplectic effect almost, and thumping of blood vessels ears Neither feelings diminished as time went on, but at last I got so used that I experienced no inconvenience

I heard click, and little glow lamp came, into being

Cavor's face, as white as my own We regarded one another in silence The transparent blackness glass behind him made him seem he floated in void

"Well, we're committed," at last

"Yes," , " we're committed "

"Don't move," he exclaimed, at some suggestion of gesture "Let your muscles keep quite lax - as were in bed in little universe own Look at those things ! "

He pointed loose cases and bundles that lying blankets bottom sphere astonished were floating now nearly foot spherical wall Then shadow that Cavor was no longer leaning against the glass I thrust out my hand behind me, and found that I too was suspended in space, clear glass

cry out nor gesticulate, but fear came upon me like being held and lilted by something - not what The mere touch hand against the glass moved me rapidly I understood what had happened, but that prevent my being afraid We were cut off from all exterior gravitation, only the attraction of objects within our sphere had effect Consequently everything that was not fixed glass was falling - slowly because slightness masses - towards the centre of gravity little world, which seemed somewhere middle sphere, but rather nearer to myself than Cavor, on account greater weight

" turn round," said Cavor, "and float back to back, things "

It strangest sensation conceivable, floating thus loosely in space, at first indeed horribly strange, and horror passed, not disagreeable at all, exceeding restful; indeed, the nearest thing in earthly experience that is lying on very thick, soft feather bed But the quality of utter detachment and independence ! I reckoned on things like this I had expected violent jerk at starting, giddy sense of speed Instead - I were disembodied not like the beginning of journey; like the beginning of dream

Chapter 5

The Journey Moon

PRESENTLY Cavor extinguished the light we overmuch energy stored, what we had economise for reading For time, whether long or short know, nothing but blank darkness

question floated up void "How are we pointing ? " " our direction ? "

" flying away earth at tangent, and moon is near her third quarter going somewhere towards her open blind -"

Came click, and then window outer case yawned open The sky outside was as black darkness sphere, but the shape open window was marked by an infinite number of stars

Those only seen the starry sky earth cannot imagine its appearance vague, half luminous veil air withdrawn The stars we see on earth are the mere scattered survivors that penetrate our misty atmosphere But now at last realise the meaning hosts of heaven !

Stranger things we were presently , but that airless, star-dusted sky ! Of all things, last forget

The little window vanished with click, another beside it snapped open and instantly closed, and then third, and for moment I had to close my eyes because blinding splendour waning moon

For space I had to stare at Cavor white-lit things about me to season my eyes to light again, before turn them towards that pallid glare

Four windows were open the gravitation moon might act upon all the substances sphere no longer floating freely in space, but that my feet were resting glass direction moon The blankets and cases of provisions were also creeping slowly down the glass, and presently came to rest so block out portion view It seemed , , that I looked "down" when I looked moon On earth "down" means earthward, the way things fall, and "up" the reverse direction Now the pull of gravitation was towards the moon, and for all contrary our earth was overhead And, , when all the Cavorite blinds were closed, "down" was towards the centre sphere, and " up " towards its outer wall

curiously unlike earthly experience, too, the light coming one On earth light falls from above, or comes slanting down sideways, but here it came from beneath our feet, and our shadows we had to look up

At first it sort of vertigo to stand only on thick glass and look down moon through hundreds of thousands of miles of vacant space; but this sickness passed very speedily And then - the splendour sight !

The reader may imagine it best if lie ground some warm summer's night and look between his upraised feet moon, but for some reason, probably because the absence of air made it more luminous, the moon seemed already considerably larger than it does from earth The minutest details of it's surface were acutely clear And since see it through air, its outline was bright and sharp, no glow or halo , star-dust that covered the sky came right to its very margin, and marked the outline unilluminated part And as I stood and stared moon between my feet, that perception impossible that with me off and on our start, returned again with tenfold conviction

"Cavor," , "this takes me queerly Those companies we were going to run, and all that about minerals ? "

"Well ? "

"I don't see 'em here "

"No," said Cavor; "but you'll get over all that "

"I suppose I'm made right side up again Still, this - For moment half believe there never was world "

"That copy of Lloyd's News might "