Цвет из иных миров

           Itleftbehindahollowsphericalspaceaboutthreeinchesacross,andallthoughtitprobablethatotherswouldbediscoveredastheenclosingsubstancewastedaway.

           Conjecturewasvain;soafterafutileattempttofindadditionalglobulesbydrilling,theseekersleftagainwiththeirnewspecimen—whichproved,however,asbafflinginthelaboratoryasitspredecessorhadbeen.Asidefrombeingalmostplastic,havingheat,magnetism,andslightluminosity,coolingslightlyinpowerfulacids,possessinganunknownspectrum,wastingawayinair,andattackingsiliconcompoundswithmutualdestructionasaresult,itpresentednoidentifyingfeatureswhatsoever;andattheendoftheteststhecollegescientistswereforcedtoownthattheycouldnotplaceit.Itwasnothingofthisearth,butapieceofthegreatoutside;andassuchdoweredwithoutsidepropertiesandobedienttooutsidelaws.

           Thatnighttherewasathunderstorm,andwhentheprofessorswentouttoNahum’sthenextdaytheymetwithabitterdisappointment.Thestone,magneticasithadbeen,musthavehadsomepeculiarelectricalproperty;forithad“drawnthelightning”,asNahumsaid,withasingularpersistence.Sixtimeswithinanhourthefarmersawthelightningstrikethefurrowinthefrontyard,andwhenthestormwasovernothingremainedbutaraggedpitbytheancientwell-sweep,half-chokedwithcaved-inearth.Digginghadbornenofruit,andthescientistsverifiedthefactoftheuttervanishment.