Машина часу
Chapter 9
AsIthoughtofthat,Iwasalmostmovedtobeginamassacreofthehelplessabominationsaboutme,butIcontainedmyself. Thehillock,asIhavesaid,wasakindofislandintheforest. FromitssummitIcouldnowmakeoutthroughahazeofsmokethePalaceofGreenPorcelain,andfromthatIcouldgetmybearingsfortheWhiteSphinx. Andso,leavingtheremnantofthesedamnedsoulsstillgoinghitherandthitherandmoaning,asthedaygrewclearer,Itiedsomegrassaboutmyfeetandlimpedonacrosssmokingashesandamongblackstems,thatstillpulsatedinternallywithfire,towardsthehiding-placeoftheTimeMachine. Iwalkedslowly,forIwasalmostexhausted,aswellaslame,andIfelttheintensestwretchednessforthehorribledeathoflittleWeena. Itseemedanoverwhelmingcalamity. Now,inthisoldfamiliarroom,itismorelikethesorrowofadreamthananactualloss. Butthatmorningitleftmeabsolutelylonelyagain—terriblyalone. Ibegantothinkofthishouseofmine,ofthisfireside,ofsomeofyou,andwithsuchthoughtscamealongingthatwaspain.
‘ButasIwalkedoverthesmokingashesunderthebrightmorningsky,Imadeadiscovery. Inmytrouserpocketwerestillsomeloosematches. Theboxmusthaveleakedbeforeitwaslost.
