"SIR,
"I have read your article on the possibility of travelling to the
other members of the Solar system with much interest. It is a
problem at which I, myself, have been working for a great many
years, and I believe that I have now discovered a means of solving
it in a practical manner. If you would care to see my experiments, and will do me the honour of coming here, I shall be glad to show them in confidence any time you may appoint.--Yours truly,
"NASMYTH CARMICHAEL."
The above letter, marked "Private," was forwarded to me through the
editor of The Day After To-morrow. The writer of it was a total
stranger to me, even by report, and at first I did not know what to make
of it. Was the man a charlatan, or a "crank?" There were no signs of
craziness or humbug in his frank and simple sentences. Had he really
found out a way of crossing the celestial spaces? In these days it is
better not to be too sceptical as to what science will accomplish. It
is, in fact, wise to keep the mind open and suspend the judgment. We are
standing on the threshold of the Arcana, and at any hour the
search-light of our intellect may penetrate the darkness, and reveal to
our wondering gaze the depths of the inner mechanism of Nature.
I resolved to accept his invitation.
A few days later I presented myself at the home of my unknown
correspondent. It was a lonely little cottage, in the midst of a wild
flat or waste of common ground on the outskirts of London. I should say
it had once been the dwelling of a woodman engaged in the neighbouring
forest. A tall, thick hedge of holly surrounded the large garden, and
almost concealed it from the curiosity of an occasional wanderer on the
heath.
Certainly it did not look the sort of place to find a man of science, and the old misgivings assailed my mind in greater force than ever. Half regretting that I had come, and feeling in a dubious element, I opened the wicket, and knocked at the door.
It was answered by a young woman, in a plain gown of some dark stuff, with a white collar round the neck. In spite of her dress I could see that she was not an ordinary cottage girl. Pretty, without being beautiful, there was a distinction in her voice and manner which bespoke the gentlewoman. With a pleasant smile, she welcomed me as one who had been expected, and ushered me into a small sitting-room, poorly furnished, but with a taste and refinement unusual in a workman's home. A large piano stood in one of the corners, and a pile of classical music lay on a chair beside it. The mantelpiece was decorated with cut flowers, and the walls were hung with portraits and sketches in crayons and water-colour.
"My father will be down in a moment," she said, with a slight American
accent. "He is delighted to have the pleasure of meeting you. It is so
kind of you to come."
Before I had time to respond, Mr. Carmichael entered the parlour. He was
a man of striking and venerable presence. His long white locks, his
bulging brow, pregnant with brain, his bushy eyebrows and deep blue-grey
eyes, his aquiline nose and flowing beard, gave an Olympian cast to his
noble head. Withal, I could not help noticing that his countenance was
lined with care, his black coat seamed and threadbare, his hands rough
and horny, like those of a workman. If he appeared a god, it was a god
in exile or disgrace; a Saturn rather than a Jove.
"Now to the matter," said he, after a few words of kindly welcome. "Evidently the question of inter-planetary travel is coming to the front. In your article you suggest that a locomotive car, that is to say, a car able to propel itself through what we, in our ignorance, call empty space, though, in reality, it is chock-full, and very 'thrang' as the Scotch say, might yet be contrived, and even worked by energy drawn from the ether direct. When I read that, sir, I sat up and rubbed my eyes."
"Your spectacles, father," said Miss Carmichael.
"Well, it's the same thing," went on the old man. "For like many another
prophet, sir, you had prophesied better than you knew."
"How do you mean?" I inquired, with a puzzled air.
"If you will step with me into the garden I will show you."
I rose and followed him into a large shed, which was fitted up as a
workshop and laboratory. It contained several large benches, provided
with turning lathes and tools, a quantity of chemicals, and scientific
apparatus.