Острів доктора Моро
“The Locked Door.”
Itwasinthesillyseason,andaprominenteditor,acousinofthetemporarylaboratory-assistant,appealedtotheconscienceofthenation.Itwasnotthefirsttimethatconsciencehasturnedagainstthemethodsofresearch.Thedoctorwassimplyhowledoutofthecountry.Itmaybethathedeservedtobe;butIstillthinkthatthetepidsupportofhisfellow-investigatorsandhisdesertionbythegreatbodyofscientificworkerswasashamefulthing.Yetsomeofhisexperiments,bythejournalist’saccount,werewantonlycruel.Hemightperhapshavepurchasedhissocialpeacebyabandoninghisinvestigations;butheapparentlypreferredthelatter,asmostmenwouldwhohaveoncefallenundertheovermasteringspellofresearch.Hewasunmarried,andhadindeednothingbuthisowninteresttoconsider.
Ifeltconvincedthatthismustbethesameman.Everythingpointedtoit.Itdawneduponmetowhatendthepumaandtheotheranimals—whichhadnowbeenbroughtwithotherluggageintotheenclosurebehindthehouse—weredestined;andacuriousfaintodour,thehalitusofsomethingfamiliar,anodourthathadbeeninthebackgroundofmyconsciousnesshitherto,suddenlycameforwardintotheforefrontofmythoughts.Itwastheantisepticodourofthedissecting-room.Iheardthepumagrowlingthroughthewall,andoneofthedogsyelpedasthoughithadbeenstruck
