knows what he did himself. Let's put it all together from the
first. We got into a first-class smoker, that's clear, ain't
it? Then we began to quarrel over friend Challenger's letter in
the Times."

"Oh, you did, did you?" rumbled our host, his eyelids beginning
to droop.

"You said, Summerlee, that there was no possible truth in his
contention."

"Dear me!" said Challenger, puffing out his chest and stroking
his beard. "No possible truth! I seem to have heard the words
before. And may I ask with what arguments the great and famous
Professor Summerlee proceeded to demolish the humble individual
who had ventured to express an opinion upon a matter of
scientific possibility? Perhaps before he exterminates that
unfortunate nonentity he will condescend to give some reasons
for the adverse views which he has formed."

He bowed and shrugged and spread open his hands as he spoke with
his elaborate and elephantine sarcasm.

"The reason was simple enough," said the dogged Summerlee. "I
contended that if the ether surrounding the earth was so toxic
in one quarter that it produced dangerous symptoms, it was
hardly likely that we three in the railway carriage should be
entirely unaffected."

The explanation only brought uproarious merriment from