Машина времени

           ‘Where’s——?’saidI,namingourhost. 

           ‘You’vejustcome? It’sratherodd. He’sunavoidablydetained. Heasksmeinthisnotetoleadoffwithdinneratsevenifhe’snotback.Sayshe’llexplainwhenhecomes.’ 

           ‘Itseemsapitytoletthedinnerspoil,’saidtheEditorofawell-knowndailypaper; andthereupontheDoctorrangthebell. 

           ThePsychologistwastheonlypersonbesidestheDoctorandmyselfwhohadattendedthepreviousdinner. TheothermenwereBlank,theEditoraforementioned,acertainjournalist,andanother—aquiet,shymanwithabeard—whomIdidn’tknow,andwho,asfarasmyobservationwent,neveropenedhismouthalltheevening. Therewassomespeculationatthedinner-tableabouttheTimeTraveller’sabsence,andIsuggestedtimetravelling,inahalf-jocularspirit. TheEditorwantedthatexplainedtohim,andthePsychologistvolunteeredawoodenaccountofthe‘ingeniousparadoxandtrick’wehadwitnessedthatdayweek. Hewasinthemidstofhisexpositionwhenthedoorfromthecorridoropenedslowlyandwithoutnoise. Iwasfacingthedoor,andsawitfirst. ‘Hallo!’Isaid.‘Atlast!’ Andthedooropenedwider,andtheTimeTravellerstoodbeforeus. Igaveacryofsurprise. ‘Goodheavens!man,what’sthematter?’criedtheMedicalMan,whosawhimnext. Andthewholetablefulturnedtowardsthedoor. 

           Hewasinanamazingplight. Hiscoatwasdustyanddirty,andsmearedwithgreendownthesleeves; hishairdisordered,andasitseemedtomegreyer—eitherwithdustanddirtorbecauseitscolourhadactuallyfaded. Hisfacewasghastlypale; hischinhadabrowncutonit—acuthalfhealed; hisexpressionwashaggardanddrawn,asbyintensesuffering. Foramomenthehesitatedinthedoorway,asifhehadbeendazzledbythelight. Thenhecameintotheroom.