A sudden gloom overcast the Professor’s jolly face. “They did it as I went home after the Election,” he mournfully replied. “It was kindly meant—but I didn’t like it! They waved flags all round me till I was nearly blind: and they rang bells till I was nearly deaf: and they strewed the road so thick with flowers that I lost my way!” And the poor old man sighed deeply.
“How far is it to Outland?” I asked, to change the subject.
“About five days’ march. But one _must_ go back—occasionally. You see, as Court-Professor, I have to be _always_ in attendance on Prince Uggug. The Empress would be _very_ angry if I left him, even for an hour.”
“But surely, every time you come here, you are absent ten days, at least?”
“Oh, more than that!” the Professor exclaimed. “A fortnight, sometimes. But of course I keep a memorandum of the exact time when I started, so that I can put the Court-time back to the very moment!”
“Excuse me,” I said. “I don’t understand.”
Silently the Professor drew from his pocket a square gold watch, with six or eight hands, and held it out for my inspection. “This,” he began, “is an Outlandish Watch——”
“—which has the peculiar property that, instead of _its_ going with the _time_, the _time_ goes with _it_. I trust you understand me now?”
“Permit me to explain. So long as it is let alone, it takes its own course. Time has _no_ effect upon it.”
“It _goes_, of course, at the usual rate. Only the time has to go _with_ it. Hence, if I move the hands, I change the time. To move them _forwards_, in _advance_ of the true time, is impossible: but I can move them as much as a month _backwards_—that is the limit. And then you have the events all over again—with any alterations experience may suggest.”
“_What_ a blessing such a watch would be,” I thought, “in real life! To be able to unsay some heedless word—to undo some reckless deed! Might I see the thing done?”
“With pleasure!” said the good natured Professor. “When I move _this_ hand back to _here_,” pointing out the place, “History goes back fifteen minutes!”
Trembling with excitement, I watched him push the hand round as he described.
Shrilly and suddenly the words rang in my ears, and, more startled than I cared to show, I turned to look for the speaker.