Загублений світ
Question!
("Liar!")"Whosaidthat?"(Againtheinoffensiveoneplungingdesperately,waselevatedhighintotheair.)"IfIcomedownamongyou——"(Generalchorusof"Come,love,come!"whichinterruptedtheproceedingsforsomemoments,whilethechairman,standingupandwavingbothhisarms,seemedtobeconductingthemusic.TheProfessor,withhisfaceflushed,hisnostrilsdilated,andhisbeardbristling,wasnowinaproperBerserkmood.)"Everygreatdiscovererhasbeenmetwiththesameincredulity—thesurebrandofagenerationoffools.Whengreatfactsarelaidbeforeyou,youhavenottheintuition,theimaginationwhichwouldhelpyoutounderstandthem.Youcanonlythrowmudatthemenwhohaveriskedtheirlivestoopennewfieldstoscience.Youpersecutetheprophets!Galileo!Darwin,andI——"(Prolongedcheeringandcompleteinterruption.)
Allthisisfrommyhurriednotestakenatthetime,whichgivelittlenotionoftheabsolutechaostowhichtheassemblyhadbythistimebeenreduced.Soterrificwastheuproarthatseveralladieshadalreadybeatenahurriedretreat.Graveandreverendseniorsseemedtohavecaughttheprevailingspiritasbadlyasthestudents,andIsawwhite-beardedmenrisingandshakingtheirfistsattheobdurateProfessor.Thewholegreataudienceseethedandsimmeredlikeaboilingpot.TheProfessortookastepforwardandraisedbothhishands.Therewassomethingsobigandarrestingandvirileinthemanthattheclatterandshoutingdiedgraduallyawaybeforehiscommandinggestureandhismasterfuleyes.Heseemedtohaveadefinitemessage.Theyhushedtohearit.
"Iwillnotdetainyou,"hesaid."Itisnotworthit.Truthistruth,andthenoiseofanumberoffoolishyoungmen—and,IfearImustadd,oftheirequallyfoolishseniors—cannotaffectthematter.IclaimthatIhaveopenedanewfieldofscience.
