Chapter 4

           ItwastowardMaywhenDr.Willett,attherequestoftheseniorWard,andfortifiedwithalltheCurwendatawhichthefamilyhadgleanedfromCharlesinhisnon-secretivedays,talkedwiththeyoungman.Theinterviewwasoflittlevalueorconclusiveness,forWillettfeltateverymomentthatCharleswasthoroughmasterofhimselfandintouchwithmattersofrealimportance;butitatleastforcethesecretiveyouthtooffersomerationalexplanationofhisrecentdemeanor.Ofapallid,impassivetypenoteasilyshowingembarrassment,Wardseemedquitereadytodiscusshispursuits,thoughnottorevealtheirobject.Hestatedthatthepapersofhisancestorhadcontainedsomeremarkablesecretsofearlyscientificknowledge,forthemostpartincipher,ofanapparentscopecomparableonlytothediscoveriesofFriarBaconandperhapssurpassingeventhose.Theywere,however,meaninglessexceptwhencorrelatedwithabodyoflearningnowwhollyobsolete;sothattheirimmediatepresentationtoaworldequippedonlywithmodernsciencewouldrobthemofallimpressivenessanddramaticsignificance.Totaketheirvividplaceinthehistoryofhumanthoughttheymustfirstbecorrelatedbyonefamiliarwiththebackgroundoutofwhichtheyevolved,andtothistaskofcorrelationWardwasnowdevotinghimself.HewasseekingtoacquireasfastaspossiblethoseneglectedartsofoldwhichatrueinterpreteroftheCurwendatamustpossess,andhopedintimetomadeafullannouncementandpresentationoftheutmostinteresttomankindandtotheworldofthought.