fool."

Straightway I became conscious of a Presence in the room, and a
chilling breath thrilled through my very being. "He is no such thing,"
cried my Wife, "and you are breaking the Commandments in thus
dishonouring your own Grandson." But I took no notice of her. Looking
around in every direction I could see nothing; yet still I FELT a
Presence, and shivered as the cold whisper came again. I started up.
"What is the matter?" said my Wife, "there is no draught; what are you
looking for? There is nothing." There was nothing; and I resumed my
seat, again exclaiming, "The boy is a fool, I say; three-to-the-third
can have no meaning in Geometry." At once there came a distinctly
audible reply, "The boy is not a fool; and three-to-the-third has an
obvious Geometrical meaning."

My Wife as well as myself heard the words, although she did not
understand their meaning, and both of us sprang forward in the
direction of the sound. What was our horror when we saw before us a
Figure! At the first glance it appeared to be a Woman, seen sideways;
but a moment's observation shewed me that the extremities passed into
dimness too rapidly to represent one of the Female Sex; and I should
have thought it a Circle, only that it seemed to change its size in a
manner impossible for a Circle or for any regular Figure of which I had
had experience.

But my Wife had not my experience, nor the coolness necessary to note
these characteristics. With the usual hastiness and unreasoning
jealousy of her Sex, she flew at once to the conclusion that a Woman
had entered the house through some small aperture. "How comes this
person here?" she exclaimed, "you promised me, my dear, that there
should be no ventilators in our new house." "Nor are they any," said
I; "but what makes you think that the stranger is a Woman? I see by my
power of Sight Recognition--"

"Oh, I have no patience with your Sight Recognition," replied she,
"'Feeling is believing' and 'A Straight Line to the touch is worth a
Circle to the sight'"--two Proverbs, very common with the Frailer Sex
in Flatland.

"Well," said I, for I was afraid of irritating her, "if it must be so,
demand an introduction." Assuming her most gracious manner, my Wife
advanced towards the Stranger, "Permit me, Madam to feel and be felt
by--" then, suddenly recoiling, "Oh! it is not a Woman, and there are
no angles either, not a trace of one. Can it be that I have so
misbehaved to a perfect C