Austin Hall

“ Perhaps he will grant you what he has denied to me.
"' "Had it not been for Sora I would have driven the comet through the Universe long ago. But my child came first. Love is greater than all. I have the love of a father. Had I been alone I would have gone to the other side—perhaps perished. But at least, I would have seen."
"' "How is it possible," I asked, "to drive this comet out of the Universe?"
"' "It is easily possible. Have you seen the rim of the nucleus?"
"' "Only as I came through. Sora has kept me away from it, since. She swears it is death." ”

“ I do not understand."
"' "Yet you would solve the Universe," he answered. "You would go into Infinity before you have solved yourself. You have placed your finger on the secret of all matter, and you have not guessed it. You say that my hand is cold. Do you know the reason? You can see that I am old, dying. Why?"
"'I did not answer.
"' "Simply," he went on, "because of this—the ions are going, passing out. I am old, worn; the cohesive forces of my body are slipping away; and as they pass away the atoms fall apart, one by one. I have been a strong man. Now I am an old one. ”

“ He lived all his life without doing what he dreamed of doing. All because of me. And you are an astronomer like Zin, my father. Love is sacrifice. I love you. You wish to solve the stars! I want to see them! I hate this old comet! Let us go into the house and do as father said. Let us take the vials!"
"'It was a lurid moment.
"'The nucleus had become a solid wall of crimson. The coma above us was as thick as blood. We were in the center of a thing that had never been in the memory of man. The comet was running mad. We were riding a thing as swift as thought, There was no time to lose. ”

“ Every man likes to have his own theory justified. But for all that, unless we can prove it, our argument remains, after all, nothing but subtle sophistry. Talk is talk, no matter how lofty. Is there any way of proving that a comet is an ion? Take, for instance, this comet. ”

“ I am old because the ions that hold the atoms have been expelled in the struggle of life. When the ions go the atoms have nothing to hold them together: they pass out to form new combinations—perhaps new life. Next to the atoms the molecules break down, the flesh cells shrivel and we lose strength—hence, old age—weakness—death. We die by ions. When the spirit goes, all goes; the center fountain of the ion has dried up. ”

“ Our solar system is nothing but an atom. I am an astronomer. On the Earth, I held that we would never solve Infinity through our telescopes. Better, I said, that we study our own atom. Afterward, we might be able to find our way out. I held that a comet is but an ion of cohesion or adhesion, as the case may be, with a function exactly analogous to the ions that hold together the atoms of this pencil. I would solve the comet and get at its secret. I came in an ether ship. When I reached the nucleus I found the gap in the rim. ”

“ The comet is an ion; your solar system is an atom; the stars are all atoms, all moving according to atomic laws, vibrating, revolving, crossing, holding together, each in its place, apparently unending."
"' "How would I see the other side of the Universe?" ”

“ By simply pressing a lever you will loosen an atomic current that will blow out the channel. The lake will drop down and rush into the rim. That will be all. The comet will no longer be cohesive. It will be a mad ion, a bit of heat, energy. It will pass to the surface of the substance, to the outside of the Universe.
"' "But the heat?" I asked, "such a speed is unknown. The nucleus would burn."
"' "Not at all. You cannot destroy an ion. You merely loosen it. The nucleus will be protected by its own coma. You will not notice its speed." ”

“ And that must be the first duty of your life. It was mine. But, for all that, you have a right to my secret. As a young man I set out to solve the riddle of the stars. I have not done it. But God has sent you to take up and follow my work. ”

“ It feeds it just so fast or just so slowly. It regulates the speed of the comet. When it approaches a solar system, or atom, it feeds faster, answering the natural law, and imparts its peculiar quality of cohesion. The faster it feeds, the greater the speed of the comet.
"' "I would let the whole lake into the rim of the nucleus at one time. The comet would still be an ion, but it would be an ion gone wild, what you call energy—heat. It would pass through the substance to the surface and into the super ether. ”

“ Their curiosity had been excited by our interest in their telescope. They spoke and rumbled together; and gesticulated with their hands. At last they seemed to come to an agreement. The hand that held us conveyed us, as tenderly as possible, back to the table.
"'Then one of them stretched a white substance, much like parchment, out at my feet. He placed a long cane in my hand. The cane was a pencil. The great eyes were watching, wondering if I could understand. Then I realized what was wanted. I could not speak nor explain
with my eyes. ”

“ It comes from the life of the parent, from the Soul, which is a sort of amoeba. Science teaches that the amoeba subdivides always; and goes on unending. Religion tells you that the Soul is immortal. Both are true. Only they are one and the same thing. The Soul is an amoeba, subdividing always, passing on, eternal. I have spent my years upon the comet, experimenting with life. ”

“ At the very rim I stopped and looked back. The roof sank down, lower, lower, until it lay under our feet and, in stead of being a roof, became a floor that ran out like a vast plateau.
"I looked down into the gulf where we had stopped. I shuddered; it was like gazing down into chaos! Rover that I was, and adventurer, it gave me a chill that I shall never forget. I felt Sora's arm tighten about my neck. We were growing.
"'There was nothing to do but seek the plateau of flat substance. I was afraid of the rim. I planted my feet upon the smooth surface and ran for the center. ”

“ The atoms below us are revolving at an incredible speed. Each revolution about the atomic nucleus represents a year. A minute in our plane is equal to millions within the atom. And so it is in the upper plane. It is a question of relativity. I was outside our Universe a few minutes. ”

“ You will protect her and care for her. You are chosen by One higher than myself. Tell me now, how you came here."
"' "I am an astronomer,” 1 answered. "I am an astronomer who lived upon the Earth, a scientific king of the Sansars. I was interested in comets. Upon the Earth we know practically nothing about comets, we know nothing about their laws, nor of their relation to Infinity, We only know that they are not planetary, and that they are seemingly interstellar. We know nothing of the why of a comet." ”

“ The old man placed his finger upon the third dot from the center. Then he looked up. He pointed to the clock. It was a minute before I could comprehend. When I did I was astounded.
"'He was pointing out the Earth! The track upon the wall was but a clock-work that followed the course of the comet! This marvelous man had ridden the comet on its journey through infinity! ”

“ To do that I have had to get at the center force of the ion, the spirit, life, or what you will. You understand the ovum, the first form of life—the germ in the egg sac?"
"' "Yes, to a certain point; it is the meaning of all life, the nucleus that splits and becomes two, four, eight, protoplasmic cells, called blastomeres, and each one containing a nucleus like the original. They multiply by division; they are the secret of all life—and the mystery." ”

“ The indicator was just at the dot that Sora had marked upon my arrival.
"'That is about all.
"'We rushed out to the ether ship, stored up what data we could gather and discarded all inside of the ship that we could dispense with. Then we set sail from the comet.
"'We had an uneventful trip. We have just landed. We saw this light and we came to it. This is our Earth. I have told you our story.'"
"He stopped," said Professor Mason, "and waited for me to speak. I watched them—the man and the maiden. They were beautiful beyond anything I had ever seen. ”