"I'm not walking fast, am I ? " cried Gibberne, and slackened his pace to quick march

"You've been taking stuff," I puffed

"No," " utmost drop of water that stood in beaker I had washed out the last traces stuff some last night, But ancient history now "

"And it goes twice ? " , nearing his doorway in grateful perspiration

"It goes thousand times, many thousand times ! " cried Gibberne, with dramatic gesture, flinging open his Early English carved oak gate

"Phew ! " said I, and followed him door

"I don't know it goes," , latch-key hand

"And you----"

"It throws all sorts of light on nervous physiology, it kicks the theory of vision into perfectly new shape ! . Heaven knows thousand times We'll try all that after----The thing is the stuff now "

"Try the stuff ? " , went along the passage

"Rather," said Gibberne, turning on me study "There little green phial there ! Unless you happen afraid ? "

careful man by nature, and only theoretically adventurous I _was afraid But other hand, pride

"Well," I haggled "You say you've tried it ? "

"I've tried it," , "and I don't look hurt , do I ? I don't even look livery, and I feel_----"

I sat down " the potion," " worst comes worst save having my hair cut, , , is hateful duties of civilised man How mixture ? "

"With water," said Gibberne, whacking down carafe

He stood up in front desk and regarded me easy-chair; his manner was suddenly affected by touch Harley Street specialist "It's rum stuff, ,"

gesture with my hand

" warn you, first place, you've got it down to shut your eyes, and open them very cautiously in minute or so's time One still sees The sense of vision is question of length of vibration, and not of multitude of impacts; but there's kind of shock retina, nasty giddy confusion just eyes are open Keep 'em shut "

"Shut," "Good ! "

" next thing is, keep still Don't begin to whack about fetch something nasty rap Remember going several thousand times faster than you ever did before, heart, lungs, muscles, brain--everything--and hit hard without knowing it You won't know it, You'll feel just now Only everything will going ever thousand times slower than it ever went before That's what makes it so deuced queer "

"Lor," "And you mean----"

"You'll see," said he, and took up little measure He glanced material desk "Glasses," , "water All here Mustn't take first attempt "

The little phial glucked out its precious contents "Don't forget what you," , turning the contents measure into glass manner of an Italian waiter measuring whisky "Sit eyes tightly shut and in absolute stillness for two minutes," "Then hear me speak "

He added an inch or so of water little dose in each glass

"By-the-by," , "don't put your glass down Keep it in your hand and rest your hand knee Yes--so And now----"

He raised his glass

"The New Accelerator,"

"The New Accelerator," he answered, and we touched glasses and drank, and instantly I closed my eyes

that blank non-existence into which one drops when one has taken "gas " For an indefinite interval like that Then I heard Gibberne telling me to wake up, and I stirred and opened my eyes There he stood as he standing, glass still in hand empty, that was all the difference

"Well ? " said I

"Nothing way ? "

"Nothing slight feeling of exhilaration, perhaps Nothing more "

"Sounds ? "

"Things are still," "By Jove ! yes ! still Except the sort of faint pat, patter, like rain falling on different things it ? "

"Analysed sounds," , but not sure He glanced window " ever seen curtain before window fixed way before ? "

I followed his eyes, and the end curtain, frozen, as it were, corner high, act of flapping briskly breeze

"No," said I; "that's odd "

"And here," , and opened the hand that held the glass Naturally I winced, expecting the glass to smash But from smashing, it even seem to stir; it hung in mid-air--motionless "Roughly speaking," said Gibberne, "an object latitudes falls 16 feet first second This glass is falling 16 feet in second now Only, , it hasn't been falling yet hundredth part of second That gives you some idea pace Accelerator "

And he waved his hand round and round, over and under the slowly sinking glass Finally it bottom, pulled it down and placed it very carefully table "Eh ? " , and laughed

"That seems all right," , and began very gingerly to raise myself from my chair perfectly well, very light and comfortable, and quite confident in my mind going fast all over My heart, for example, was beating thousand times second, but that caused me no discomfort at all I looked window An immovable cyclist, head down and with frozen puff of dust behind his driving-wheel, scorched to overtake galloping char--banc that stir I gaped in amazement incredible spectacle "Gibberne," I cried, "how long will this confounded stuff last ? "

"Heaven knows ! " he answered "Last time it I went to bed and slept it off I tell you, frightened It lasted some minutes, --it seemed like hours But after bit it slows down rather suddenly, I believe "

proud to observe that feel frightened--I suppose because there were two of us "Why shouldn't we go out ? " I asked

" ? "

"They'll see us "

"Not they Goodness, no ! Why, going thousand times faster quickest conjuring trick that was ever done Come along ! shall we go ? Window, or door ? "

And out window we went

Assuredly of all the strange experiences that ever had, or imagined, or read of other people having or imagining, that little raid with Gibberne Folkestone Leas, under the influence New Accelerator, strangest and maddest of all We went out by his gate road, and there minute examination statuesque passing traffic The tops wheels and legs horses char--banc, the end whip-lash lower jaw conductor--who was just beginning to yawn--were perceptibly in motion, but all the rest lumbering conveyance seemed still And quite noiseless except for faint rattling that came from one man's throat And as parts frozen edifice there were driver, , and conductor, and eleven people ! The effect walked thing began by being madly queer and ended by being--disagreeable There they were, people like ourselves and yet not like ourselves, frozen in careless attitudes, caught in mid-gesture girl and man smiled at one another, leering smile that threatened to last for evermore; woman in floppy capelline rested her arm rail and stared at Gibberne's house unwinking stare of eternity; man stroked his moustache like figure of wax, and another stretched tiresome stiff hand with extended fingers towards his loosened hat We stared at them, we laughed at them, faces at them, and then sort of disgust came upon us, and we turned away and walked round in front cyclist towards the Leas

"Goodness ! " cried Gibberne, suddenly; "look there ! "

He pointed, and there tip finger and sliding down the air with wings flapping slowly and speed of an exceptionally languid snail--was bee

And so we came out Leas There the thing seemed madder than ever The band was playing upper stand, though all the sound it made was low-pitched, wheezy rattle, sort of prolonged last sigh that passed at times into sound like the slow, muffled ticking of some monstrous clock Frozen people stood erect, strange, silent, self-conscious-looking dummies hung unstably in mid-stride, promenading grass I passed close to little poodle dog suspended act of leaping, and watched the slow movement legs as he sank to earth "Lord, look here ! " cried Gibberne, and we halted for moment before magnificent person in white faint--striped flannels, white shoes, and Panama hat, who turned back to wink at two gaily dressed ladies he had passed wink, studied leisurely deliberation as afford, is an unattractive thing It loses any quality of alert gaiety, and one remarks winking eye completely close, that under its drooping lid appears the lower edge of an eyeball and little line of white "Heaven memory," said I, " never wink again "