Philip Van Doren Stern (ed) (29 page)

"My
impression
of
it
is,
of
course,
imperfect;
but
I
know
it
was
a dull
white,
and
had
strange
large
greyish-red
eyes;
also
that
there was
flaxen
hair
on
its
head
and
down
its
back.
But,
as
I
say,
it
went too
fast
for
me
to
see
distinctly.
I
cannot
even
say
whether
it
ran
on all-fours,
or
only
with
its
forearms
held
very
low.
After
an
instant's pause
I
followed
it
into
the
second
heap
of
ruins.
I
could
not
find
it at
first;
but,
after
a
time
in
the
profound
obscurity,
I
came
upon one
of
those
round
well-like
openings
of
which
I
have
told
you,
hall closed
by
a
fallen
pillar.
A
sudden
thought
came
to
me.
Could
this Thing
have
vanished
down
the
shaft?
I
lit
a
match,
and,
looking down,
I
saw
a
small,
white,
moving
creature,
with
large
bright
eyes which
regarded
me
steadfastly
as
it
retreated.
It
made
me
shudder.
It was
so
like
a
human
spider!
It
was
clambering
down
the
wall,
and now
I
saw
for
the
first
time
a
number
of
metal
foot
and
hand
rests forming
a
kind
of
ladder
down
the
shaft.
Then
the
light
burned my
fingers
and
fell
out
of
my
hand,
going
out
as
it
dropped,
and
when I
had
lit
another
the
little
monster
had
disappeared.

"I
do
not
know
how
long
I
sat
peering
down
that
well.
It
was
not for
some
time
that
I
could
succeed
in
persuading
myself
that
the
thing I
had
seen
was
human.
But,
gradually,
the
truth
dawned
on
me:
that Man
had
not
remained
one
species,
but
had
differentiated
into
two distinct
animals:
that
my
graceful
children
of
the
Upper-world
were not
the
sole
descendants
of
our
generation,
but
that
this
bleached, obscene,
nocturnal
Thing,
which
had
flashed
before
me,
was
also heir
to
all
the
ages.

"I
thought
of
the
flickering
pillars
and
of
my
theory
of
an
underground
ventilation.
I
began
to
suspect
their
true
import.
And
what, I
wondered,
was
this
Lemur
doing
in
my
scheme
of
a
perfectly balanced
organisation?
How
was
it
related
to
the
indolent
serenity of
the
beautiful
Upper-worlders?
And
what
was
hidden
down
there at
the
foot
of
that
shaft?
I
sat
upon
the
edge
of
the
well
telling
myself
that,
at
any
rate,
there
was
nothing
to
fear,
and
that
there
I
must descend
for
the
solution
of
my
difficulties.
And
withal
I
was
absolutely
afraid
to
go!
As
I
hesitated,
two
of
the
beautiful
Upper-world people
came
running
in
their
amorous
sport
across
the
daylight
into the
shadow.
The
male
pursued
the
female,
flinging
flowers
at
her
as he
ran.

"They
seemed
distressed
to
find
me,
my
arm
against
the
overturned pillar,
peering
down
the
well.
Apparently
it
was
considered
bad
form to
remark
these
apertures;
for
when
I
pointed
to
this
one,
and
tried to
frame
a
question
about
it
in
their
tongue,
they
were
still
more visibly
distressed
and
turned
away.
But
they
were
interested
by
my matches,
and
I
struck
some
to
amuse
them.
I
tried
them
again
about the
well,
and
again
I
failed.
So
presently
I
left
them,
meaning
to
go back
to
Weena,
and
see
what
I
could
get
from
her.
But
my
mind was
already
in
revolution;
my
guesses
and
impressions
were
slipping and
sliding
to
a
new
adjustment.
I
had
now
a
clue
to
the
import
of these
wells,
to
the
ventilating
towers,
to
the
mystery
of
the
ghosts; to
say
nothing
of
a
hint
at
the
meaning
of
the
bronze
gates
and
the fate
of
the
Time
Machine!
And
very
vaguely
there
came
a
suggestion towards
the
solution
of
the
economic
problem
that
had
puzzled
me.