世界·大師·原典·文庫(kù):時(shí)間機(jī)器(中文導(dǎo)讀插圖版)
《世界·大師·原典·文庫(kù):時(shí)間機(jī)器(中文導(dǎo)讀插圖版)》出版于1895年的小說至今還被人閱讀,且被視為經(jīng)典之作,至少有三方面的原因。第一,作者對(duì)他所處時(shí)代的批判精神及其真知灼見,至今還具有振聾發(fā)聵的作用,值得我們進(jìn)一步深思和探討;第二,作者所開創(chuàng)的“時(shí)間旅行”(timetravel),在科學(xué)領(lǐng)域至今仍然是人們心向往之并且還在孜孜不倦地進(jìn)行著探索的科學(xué)現(xiàn)象;第三,作品本身是科幻作品的先驅(qū)者之一,為后來科幻小說成為重要的和獨(dú)特的文學(xué)形態(tài)作出了貢獻(xiàn)。
赫伯特·喬治·威爾斯(1866-1946),英國(guó)著名小說家,尤以科幻小說創(chuàng)作聞名于世。威爾斯一生創(chuàng)作了一百多部作品,內(nèi)容涉及科學(xué)、文學(xué)、歷史、社會(huì)、政治等各個(gè)領(lǐng)域,是最多產(chǎn)的現(xiàn)代作家之一。他還是一位社會(huì)改革家和預(yù)言家,會(huì)晤過羅斯福和斯大林。威爾斯最重要的作品有《時(shí)間機(jī)器》、《隱形人》和《世界史綱》等。
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Appendix
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Chapter 5 The Burglary at the Vicarage
The facts of the burglary at the vicarage came to us chiefly through the medium of the vicar and his wife.It occurred in thesmall hours of Whit-Monday-the day devoted in Iping to the Club festivities.Mrs.Bunting,it seems,woke up suddenly in the stillness that comes before the dawn,with the strong impression that the door of their bedroom had opened and closed.She did not arouse her husband at first,but sat up in bed listening.She then distinctly heard the pad,pad,pad of bare feet coming out of the adjoiningdressing room and walking along the passage towards the staircase.As soon as she felt assured of this,she aroused the Rev Mr.Buntingas quietly as possible.He did not strike a light,but putting on hisspectacles,her dressing gown,and his bath slippers,he went out onthe landing to listen.He heard quite distinctly a fumbling going on at his study desk downstairs,and then a violent sneeze.
At that he returned to his bedroom,armed himself with themost obvious weapon,the poker,and descended the staircase as noiselessly as possible.Mrs.Bunting came out on the landing.
The hour was about four,and the ultimate darkness of the nightwas past.There was a faint shimmer oflight in the hall,but the studydoorway yawned impenetrably black.Everything was still except thefaint creaking of the stairs under Mr.Bunting's tread,and the slightmovements in the study.Then something snapped,the drawer wasopened,and there was a rustle of papers.Then came an imprecation,and a match was struck and the study was flooded with yellow light.Mr.Bunting was now in the hall,and through the crack of the doorhe could see the desk and the open drawer and a candle burning onthe desk.But the robber he could not see.He stood there in the hallundecided what to do,and Mrs.Bunting,her face white and intent,crept slowly downstairs after him.One thing kept up Mr.Bunting'scourage; the persuasion that this burglar was a resident in thevillage.
They heard the chink of money,and realised that the robberhad found the housekeeping reserve of gold-two pounds ten in half sovereigns altogether.At that sound Mr.Bunting was nerved toabrupt action.Gripping the poker firmly,he rushed into the room,closely followed by Mrs.Bunting.“Surrender!”criedMr.Bunting,fiercely,and then stooped amazed.Apparently the room wasperfectly empty.
Yet their conviction that they had,that very moment,heard somebody moving in the room had amounted to a certainty.For half a minute,perhaps,they stood gaping,then Mrs.Bunting went across the room and lookedbehind the screen,while Mr.Bunting,by a kindred impulse,peered under the desk.Then Mrs.Bunting turned back the window-curtains,and Mr.Bunting looked up the chimney and probedit with the poker.Then Mrs.Bunting scrutinised the waste-paper basketand Mr.Bunting opened the lid of the coal-scuttle.Then they came to a stop and stood with eyes interrogating each other.
“I could have sworn-”said Mr.Bunting.
“The candle!”said Mr.Bunting.“Who lit the candle?”
“The drawer!”said Mrs.Bunting.“And the money's gone!”
She went hastily to the doorway.
“Of all the extraordinary occurrences-”
There was a violent sneeze in the passage.They rushed out,and as they did so the kitchen door slammed.“Bring the candle,”said Mr.Bunting,and led the way.They both heard a sound of boltsbeing hastily shot back.
As he opened the kitchen door he saw through the scullery thatthe back door was just opening,and the faint light of early dawndisplayed the dark masses of the garden beyond.He is certain thatnothing went out of the door.It opened,stood open for a moment,and then closed with a slam.As it did so,the candle Mrs.Buntingwas carrying from the study fiickered and flared.It was a minute ormore before they entered the kitchen.
The place was empty.They refastened the back door,examinedthe kitchen,pantry,and scullery thoroughly,and at last went downinto the cellar.There was not a soul to be found in the house,searchas they would.
Daylight found the vicar and his wife,a quaintly-costumedlittle couple,still marvelling about on their own ground floor by theunnecessary light of a guttering candle.Chapter 6The Furn,iture That Went Mad,
Now it happened that in the early hours of Whit-Monday,before Millie was hunted out for the day,Mr.Hall and Mrs.Hallboth rose and went noiselessly down into the cellar.Their businessthere was of a private nature,and had something to do with thespecific gravity of their beer.They had hardly entered the cellarwhen Mrs.Hall found she had forgotten to bring down a bottle ofsarsaparilla from their jointroom.As she was the expert and principaloperator in this affair,Hall very properly went upstairs for it.
On the landing he was surprised to see that the stranger's doorwas ajar.He went on into his own room and found the bottle as hehad been directed.
But returning with the bottle,he noticed that the bolts of thefront door had been shot back,that the door was in fact simply onthe latch.And with a flash of inspiration he connected this with thestranger's room upstairsandthe suggestions of Mr.Teddy Henfrey.He distinctly remembered holding the candle while Mrs.Hall shotthese bolts overnight.At the sight he stopped,gaping,then with thebottle stillin his hand went upstairs again.He rapped at the stranger'sdoor.There was no answer.He rapped again; then pushed the doorwide open and entered.
It was as he expected.The bed,the room also,was empty.Andwhat was stranger,even to his heavy intelligence,on the bedroomchair and along the rail of the bed were scattered the garments,theonly garments so far as he knew,and the bandages of their guest.
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