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Itwasinvain.IbroughtmyhardestrightangleintoviolentcollisionwiththeStranger,pressingonhimwithaforcesufficienttohavedestroyedanytordinaryCircle:butIcouldfeelhimslowlyandunarrestablyslippingfrommycontact;notedgingtotherightnortotheleft,butmovingsomehowoutoftheworld,andvanishingintonothing.Soontherewasablank.ButstillIheardtheIntruder'svoice.
Sphere.Whywillyourefusetolistentoreason?
Ihadhopedtofindinyou—asbeingamanofsenseandanaccomplishedmathematician—afitapostlefortheGospeloftheThreeDimensions,whichIamallowedtopreachonceonlyinathousandyears:butnowIknownothowtoconvinceyou.Stay,Ihaveit.
Deeds,andnotwords,shallproclaimthetruth.Listen,myfriend.
IhavetoldyouIcanseefrommypositioninSpacetheinsideofallthingsthatyouconsiderclosed.
Forexample,Iseeinyondercupboardnearwhichyouarestanding,severalofwhatyoucallboxes(butlikeeverythingelseinFlatland,theyhavenotopsorbottom)fullofmoney;Iseealsotwotabletsofaccounts.
Iamabouttodescendintothatcupboardandtobringyouoneofthosetablets.
Isawyoulockthecupboardhalfanhourago,andIknowyouhavethekeyinyourpossession.
ButIdescendfromSpace;thedoors,yousee,remainunmoved.
NowIaminthecupboardandamtakingthetablet.NowIhaveit.NowIascentwithit.
Irushedtotheclosetanddashedthedooropen.Oneofthetabletswasgone.
Withamockinglaugh,theStrangerappearedintheothercorneroftheroom,andatthesametimethetabletappeareduponthefloor.Itookitup.
Therecouldbenodoubt—itwasthemissingtablet.
Igroanedwithhorror,doubtingwhetherIwasnotoutofmysense;buttheStrangercontinued:"Surelyyoumustnowseethatmyexplanation,andnoother,suitsthephenomena.
WhatyoucallSolidthingsarereallysuperficial;whatyoucallSpaceisreallynothingbutagreatPlane.
IaminSpace,andlookdownupontheinsidesofthethingsofwhichyouonlyseetheoutsides.
YoucouldleavethePlaneyourself,ifyoucouldbutsummonupthenecessaryvolition.
AslightupwardordownwardmotionwouldenableyoutoseeallthatIcansee.
"ThehigherImount,andthefurtherIgofromyourPlane,themoreIcansee,thoughofcourseIseeitonasmallerscale.
Forexample,Iamascending;nowIcanseeyourneighbourtheHexagonandhisfamilyintheirseveralapartments;nowIseetheinsideoftheTheatre,tendoorsoff,fromwhichtheaudienceisonlyjustdeparting;andontheothersideaCircleinhisstudy,sittingathisbooks.NowIshallcomebacktoyou.
And,asacrowningproof,whatdoyousaytomygivingyouatouch,justtheleasttouch,inyourstomach?
Itwillnotseriouslyinjureyou,andtheslightpainyoumaysuffercannotbecomparedwiththementalbenefityouwillreceive."
BeforeIcouldutterawordofremonstrance,Ifeltashootingpaininmyinside,andademoniacallaughseemedtoissuefromwithinme.
Amomentafterwardsthesharpagonyhadceased,leavingnothingbutadullachebehind,andtheStrangerbegantoreappear,saying,ashegraduallyincreasedinsize,"There,Ihavenothurtyoumuch,haveI?
Ifyouarenotconvincednow,Idon'tknowwhatwillconvinceyou.Whatsayyou?"
Myresolutionwastaken.ItseemedintolerablethatIshouldendureexistencesubjecttothearbitraryvisitationsofaMagicianwhocouldthusplaytrickswithone'sverystomach.
IfonlyIcouldinanywaymanagetopinhimagainstthewalltillhelpcame!
OncemoreIdashedmyhardestangleagainsthim,atthesametimealarmingthewholehouseholdbymycriesforaid.
Ibelieve,atthemomentofmyonset,theStrangerhadsunkbelowourPlane,andreallyfounddifficultyinrising.
Inanycaseheremainedmotionless,whileI,hearing,asIthought,thesoundofsomehelpapproaching,pressedagainsthimwithredoubledvigor,andcontinuedtoshoutforassistance.
AconvulsiveshudderranthroughtheSphere.
"Thismustnotbe,"IthoughtIheardhimsay:"eitherhemustlistentoreason,orImusthaverecoursetothelastresourceofcivilization."
Then,addressingmeinaloudertone,hehurriedlyexclaimed,"Listen:nostrangermustwitnesswhatyouhavewitnessed.
SendyourWifebackatonce,beforesheenterstheapartment.
TheGospelofThreeDimensionsmustnotbethusfrustrated.
Notthusmustthefruitsofonethousandyearsofwaitingbethrownaway.Ihearhercoming.Back!back!
Awayfromme,oryoumustgowithme—witheryouknownot—intotheLandofThreeDimensions!"
"Fool!Madman!Irregular!"Iexclaimed;"neverwillIreleasethee;thoushaltpaythepenaltyofthineimpostures."
"Ha!Isitcometothis?"thunderedtheStranger:"thenmeetyourfate:outofyourPlaneyougo.Once,twice,thrice!'Tisdone!"
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