Машина времени

           Itwasevidentlythederelictremainsofsomevaststructure,towhatendbuiltIcouldnotdetermine. ItwasherethatIwasdestined,atalaterdate,tohaveaverystrangeexperience—thefirstintimationofastillstrangerdiscovery—butofthatIwillspeakinitsproperplace. 

           ‘Lookingroundwithasuddenthought,fromaterraceonwhichIrestedforawhile,Irealizedthattherewerenosmallhousestobeseen. Apparentlythesinglehouse,andpossiblyeventhehousehold,hadvanished. Hereandthereamongthegreenerywerepalace-likebuildings,butthehouseandthecottage,whichformsuchcharacteristicfeaturesofourownEnglishlandscape,haddisappeared. 

           ‘"Communism,"saidItomyself. 

           ‘Andontheheelsofthatcameanotherthought. Ilookedatthehalf-dozenlittlefiguresthatwerefollowingme. Then,inaflash,Iperceivedthatallhadthesameformofcostume,thesamesofthairlessvisage,andthesamegirlishrotundityoflimb. Itmayseemstrange,perhaps,thatIhadnotnoticedthisbefore.Buteverythingwassostrange. Now,Isawthefactplainlyenough. Incostume,andinallthedifferencesoftextureandbearingthatnowmarkoffthesexesfromeachother,thesepeopleofthefuturewerealike. Andthechildrenseemedtomyeyestobebuttheminiaturesoftheirparents. Ijudged,then,thatthechildrenofthattimewereextremelyprecocious,physicallyatleast,andIfoundafterwardsabundantverificationofmyopinion. 

           ‘Seeingtheeaseandsecurityinwhichthesepeoplewereliving,Ifeltthatthiscloseresemblanceofthesexeswasafterallwhatonewouldexpect;