laughed, and when Rastin touched the button again, the
light in the glass thing vanished. I saw that there were many of these
things in the ceiling.

"They showed me also a rounded black object of metal with a wheel at the
end. A belt ran around the wheel and around smaller wheels connected to
many machines. They touched a lever on this object and a sound of
humming came from it and the wheel turned very fast, turning all the
machines with the belt. It turned faster than any man could ever have
turned it, yet when they touched the lever again, its turning ceased.
They said that it was the power of the lightning in the skies that they
used to make the light and to turn that wheel!

"My brain reeled at the wonders that they showed. One took an instrument
from the table that he held to his face, saying that he would summon the
other scientists or men of knowledge to see their experiment that night.
He spoke into the instrument as though to different men, and let me hear
voices from it answering him! They said that the men who answered were
leagues separated from him!

"I could not believe--and yet somehow I did believe! I was half-dazed
with wonder and yet excited too. The white-bearded man, Rastin, saw
that, and encouraged me. Then they brought a small box with an opening
and placed a black disk on the box, and set it turning in some way. A
woman's voice came from the opening of the box, singing. I shuddered
when they told me that the woman was one who had died years before.
Could the dead speak thus?

* * * * *

"How can I describe what I saw there? Another box or cabinet there was,
with an opening also. I thought it was like that from which I had heard
the dead woman singing, but they said it was different. They touched
buttons on it and a voice came from it speaking in a tongue I knew not.
They said that the man was speaking thousands of leagues from us, in a
strange land across the uncrossed western ocean, yet he seemed speaking
by my side!

"They saw how dazed I was by these things, and gave me wine. At that I
took heart, for wine, at least, was as it had always been.

"'You will want to see Paris--the Paris of our time, Henri?' asked
Rastin.

"'But it is different--terrible--' I said.

"'We'll take you,' Thicourt said, 'but first your clothes--'

"He got a long light coat that they had me put on, that covered my tunic
and hose, and a hat of grotesque round shape that they