Первые люди на Луне
Chapter 1 — Mr. Bedford Meets Mr. Cavor at Lympne
Thisastonishinglittlemanhadbeenworkingonpurelytheoreticalgroundsthewholetime!Whenhesaiditwas“themostimportant”researchtheworldhadeverseen,hesimplymeantitsquaredupsomanytheories,settledsomuchthatwasindoubt;hehadtroublednomoreabouttheapplicationofthestuffhewasgoingtoturnoutthanifhehadbeenamachinethatmakesguns.Thiswasapossiblesubstance,andhewasgoingtomakeit!V’latout,astheFrenchmansays.
Beyondthat,hewaschildish!Ifhemadeit,itwouldgodowntoposterityasCavoriteorCavorine,andhewouldbemadeanF.R.S.,andhisportraitgivenawayasascientificworthywithNature,andthingslikethat.Andthatwasallhesaw!Hewouldhavedroppedthisbombshellintotheworldasthoughhehaddiscoveredanewspeciesofgnat,ifithadnothappenedthatIhadcomealong.Andthereitwouldhavelainandfizzled,likeoneortwootherlittlethingsthesescientificpeoplehavelitanddroppedaboutus.
WhenIrealisedthis,itwasIdidthetalking,andCavorwhosaid,“Goon!”Ijumpedup.Ipacedtheroom,gesticulatinglikeaboyoftwenty.Itriedtomakehimunderstandhisdutiesandresponsibilitiesinthematter—ourdutiesandresponsibilitiesinthematter.Iassuredhimwemightmakewealthenoughtoworkanysortofsocialrevolutionwefancied,wemightownandorderthewholeworld.Itoldhimofcompaniesandpatents,andthecaseforsecretprocesses.Allthesethingsseemedtotakehimmuchashismathematicshadtakenme.Alookofperplexitycameintohisruddylittleface.
