Philip Van Doren Stern (ed) (9 page)

"This
little
affair,"
said
the
Time
Traveller,
resting
his
elbows
upon the
table
and
pressing
his
hands
together
above
the
apparatus,
"is only
a
model.
It
is
my
plan
for
a
machine
to
travel
through
time. You
will
notice
that
it
looks
singularly
askew,
and
that
there
is
an
odd twinkling
appearance
about
this
bar,
as
though
it
was
in
some
way unreal."
He
pointed
to
the
part
with
his
finger.
"Also,
here
is
one little
white
lever,
and
here
is
another."

The
Medical
Man
got
up
out
of
his
chair
and
peered
into
the
thing. "It's
beautifully
made,"
he
said.

"It
took
two
years
to
make,"
retorted
the
Time
Traveller.
Then, when
we
had
all
imitated
the
action
of
the
Medical
Man,
he
said: "Now
I
want
you
clearly
to
understand
that
this
lever,
being
pressed over,
sends
the
machine
gliding
into
the
future,
and
this
other
reverses the
motion.
This
saddle
represents
the
seat
of
a
time
traveller. Presently
I
am
going
to
press
the
lever,
and
off
the
machine
will go.
It
will
vanish,
pass
into
future
Time,
and
disappear.
Have
a
good look
at
the
thing.
Look
at
the
table
too,
and
satisfy
yourselves
there is
no
trickery.
I
don't
want
to
waste
this
model,
and
then
be
told I'm
a
quack."

There
was
a
minute's
pause
perhaps.
The
Psychologist
seemed about
to
speak
to
me,
but
changed
his
mind.
Then
the
Time
Traveller put
forth
his
finger
towards
the
lever.
"No,"
he
said
suddenly.
"Lend me
your
hand."
And
turning
to
the
Psychologist,
he
took
that
individual's
hand
in
his
own
and
told
him
to
put
out
his
forefinger.
So
that it
was
the
Psychologist
himself
who
sent
forth
the
model
Time
Machine
on
its
interminable
voyage.
We
all
saw
the
lever
turn.
I
am absolutely
certain
there
was
no
trickery.
There
was
a
breath
of
wind, and
the
lamp
flame
jumped.
One
of
the
candles
on
the
mantel
was blown
out,
and
the
little
machine
suddenly
swung
round,
became indistinct,
was
seen
as
a
ghost
for
a
second
perhaps,
as
an
eddy
of faintly
glittering
brass
and
ivory;
and
it
was
gone—vanished!
Save for
the
lamp
the
table
was
bare.

Everyone
was
silent
for
a
minute.
Then
Filby
said
he
was
damned.

The
Psychologist
recovered
from
his
stupor,
and
suddenly
looked under
the
table.
At
that
the
Time
Traveller
laughed
cheerfully. "Well?"
he
said,
with
a
reminiscence
of
the
Psychologist.
Then, getting
up,
he
went
to
the
tobacco
jar
on
the
mantel,
and
with
his back
to
us
began
to
fill
his
pipe.

We
stared
at
each
other.
"Look
here,"
said
the
Medical
Man,
"are you
in
earnest
about
this?
Do
you
seriously
believe
that
that
machine has
travelled
into
Time?"