The Time Machine - International World History Project

The Time Machinehall was dark, silent, and deserted. I slipped on the unevenfloor, and fell over one of the malachite tables, almostbreaking my shin. I lit a match and went on past the dustycurtains, of which I have told you.‘There I found a second great hall covered withcushions, upon which, perhaps, a score or so of the littlepeople were sleeping. I have no doubt they found mysecond appearance strange enough, coming suddenly outof the quiet darkness with inarticulate noises and thesplutter and flare of a match. For they had forgotten aboutmatches. ‘Where is my Time Machine?’ I began, bawlinglike an angry child, laying hands upon them and shakingthem up together. It must have been very queer to them.Some laughed, most of them looked sorely frightened.When I saw them standing round me, it came into myhead that I was doing as foolish a thing as it was possiblefor me to do under the circumstances, in trying to revivethe sensation of fear. For, reasoning from their daylightbehaviour, I thought that fear must be forgotten.‘Abruptly, I dashed down the match, and, knockingone of the people over in my course, went blunderingacross the big dining-hall again, out under the moonlight.I heard cries of terror and their little feet running andstumbling this way and that. I do not remember all I did as57 of 148