Машина часу
Chapter 8
FurtherinthegallerywasthehugeskeletonbarrelofaBrontosaurus. Mymuseumhypothesiswasconfirmed. GoingtowardsthesideIfoundwhatappearedtobeslopingshelves,andclearingawaythethickdust,Ifoundtheoldfamiliarglasscasesofourowntime. Buttheymusthavebeenair-tighttojudgefromthefairpreservationofsomeoftheircontents.
‘Clearlywestoodamongtheruinsofsomelatter-daySouthKensington! Here,apparently,wasthePalaeontologicalSection,andaverysplendidarrayoffossilsitmusthavebeen,thoughtheinevitableprocessofdecaythathadbeenstavedoffforatime,andhad,throughtheextinctionofbacteriaandfungi,lostninety-ninehundredthsofitsforce,wasnevertheless,withextremesurenessifwithextremeslownessatworkagainuponallitstreasures. HereandthereIfoundtracesofthelittlepeopleintheshapeofrarefossilsbrokentopiecesorthreadedinstringsuponreeds. Andthecaseshadinsomeinstancesbeenbodilyremoved—bytheMorlocksasIjudged. Theplacewasverysilent. Thethickdustdeadenedourfootsteps. Weena,whohadbeenrollingaseaurchindowntheslopingglassofacase,presentlycame,asIstaredaboutme,andveryquietlytookmyhandandstoodbesideme.
‘AndatfirstIwassomuchsurprisedbythisancientmonumentofanintellectualage,thatIgavenothoughttothepossibilitiesitpresented. EvenmypreoccupationabouttheTimeMachinerecededalittlefrommymind.
‘Tojudgefromthesizeoftheplace,thisPalaceofGreenPorcelainhadagreatdealmoreinitthanaGalleryofPalaeontology; possiblyhistoricalgalleries;itmightbe,evenalibrary! Tome,atleastinmypresentcircumstances,thesewouldbevastlymoreinterestingthanthisspectacleofoldtimegeologyindecay.
