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Was　she　leading　him　on　and　on　nowhere　deliberately？　Or　was　it　the　sweet　and　innocent　simplicity　it　seemed？　He　could　not　tell。　　He　would　have　broken　the　charm　and　put　the　matter　to　the　test　had　he　not　been　afraid　of　the　consequences。　　What　had　he　to　fear？　　Was　she　not　in　his　power？　　Was　she　not　his；　whenever　he　should　stretch　forth　his　hand　and　claim　her？　　Yesno　doubt　not　the　slightest　doubt。　　But　　He　was　afraid　to　break　the　charm；　it　was　such　a　satisfying　charm。

Thenthere　was　her　father。

Men　who　arrive　anywhere　in　any　direction　always　have　the　habit　of　ignoring　the　nonessential　more　or　less　strongly　developed。　　One　reasonperhaps　the　chief　reasonwhy　Norman　had　got　up　to　the　high　places　of　material　success　at　so　early　an　age　was　that　he　had　an　unerring　instinct　for　the　essential　and　wasted　no　time　or　energy　upon　the　nonessential。　　In　his　present　situation　Dorothy's　father；　the　abstracted　man　of　science；　was　one　of　the　factors　that　obviously　fell　into　the　nonessential　class。　　Norman　knew　little　about　him；　and　cared　less。　　Also；　he　took　care　to　avoid　knowing　him。　　Knowing　the　father　would　open　up　possibilities　of　discomfort　　But；　being　a　wise　young　man；　Norman　gave　this　matter　the　least　possible　thought。

Still；　it　was　necessary　that　the　two　men　see　something　of　each　other。　　Hallowell　discovered　nothing　about　Norman；　not　enough　about　his　personal　appearance　to　have　recognized　him　in　the　street　far　enough　away　from　the　laboratory　to　dissociate　the　two　ideas。　Human　beingsexcept　his　daughterdid　not　interest　Hallowell；　and　his　feeling　for　her　was　somewhat　in　the　nature　of　an　abstraction。　　Norman；　on　the　other　hand；　was　intensely　interested　in　human　beings；　indeed；　he　was　interested　in　little　else。　　He　was　always　thrusting　through　surfaces；　probing　into　minds　and　souls。　　He　sought　thoroughly　to　understand　the　living　machines　he　used　in　furthering　his　ambitions　and　desires。　　So　it　was　not　long　before　he　learned　much　about　old　Newton　Hallowelland　began　to　admire　himand　with　a　man　of　Norman's　temperament　to　admire　is　to　like。

He　had　assumed　at　the　outset　that　the　scientist　was　more　or　less　the　crank。　　He　had　not　talked　with　him　many　times　before　he　discovered　that；　far　from　being　in　any　respect　a　crank；　he　was　a　most　able　and　well…　balanced　mentalitya　genius。　　The　day　came　when；　Dorothy　not　having　returned　from　a　shopping　tour；　he　lingered　in　the　laboratory　talking　with　the　father；　or；　rather；　listening　while　the　man　of　great　ideas　unfolded　to　him　conceptions　of　the　world　that　set　his　imagination　to　soaring。

Most　of　us　see　but　dimly　beyond　the　ends　of　our　noses；　and　visualize　what　lies　within　our　range　of　sight　most　imperfectly。　　We　know　little　about　ourselves；　less　about　others。　　We　fancy　that　the　world　and　the　human　race　always　have　been　about　as　they　now　are；　and　always　will　be。　　History　reads　to　us　like　a　fairy　tale；　to　which　we　give　conventional　acceptance　as　truth。　　As　to　the　future；　we　can　conceive　nothing　but　the　continuation　of　just　what　we　see　about　us　in　the　present。　　Norman；　practical　man　though　he　was；　living　in　and　for　the　present；　had　yet　an　imagination。　　He　thought　Hallowell　a　kind　of　fool　for　thinking　only　of　the　future　and　working　only　for　itbut　he　soon　came　to　think　him　n　divine　fool。　　And　through　Hallowell's　spectacles　he　was　charmed　for　many　an　hour　with　visions　of　the　world　that　is　to　be　when；　in　the　slow　but　steady　processes　of　evolution；　the　human　race　will　become　intelligent；　will　conquer　the　universe　with　the　weapons　of　science　and　will　make　it　over。

When　he　first　stated　his　projects　to　Norman；　the　young　man　had　difficulty　in　restraining　his　amusement。　A　new　idea；　in　any　line　of　thought　with　which　we　are　not　familiar；　always　strikes　us　as　ridiculous。　　Norman　had　been　educated　in　the　ignorant　conventional　way　still　in　high　repute　among　the　vulgar　and　among　those　whose　chief　delight　is　to　make　the　vulgar　gape　in　awe。　　He　therefore　had　no　science；　that　is；　no　knowledgeoutside　his　professionbut　only　what　is　called　learning；　though　tommyrot　would　be　a　fitter　name　for　it。　　He　had　only　the　most　meager　acquaintance　with　that　great　fundamental　of　a　sound　and　sane　education；　embryology。　　He　knew　nothing　of　what　science　had　already　done　to　destroy　all　the　still　current　notions　about　the　mystery　of　life　and　birth。　　He　still　laughed；　as　at　a　clever　bit　of　legerdemain；　when　Hallowell　showed　him　how　far　science　had　progressed　toward　mastery　of　the　life　of　the　lower　forms　of　existencehow　those　〃worms〃　could　be　artificially　created；　could　be　aged；　made　young　again；　made　diseased　and　decrepit；　restored　to　perfect　health；　could　be　swung　back　and　forth　or　sideways　or　sinuously　along　the　span　of　existencecould　even　be　killed　and　brought　back　to　vigor。

〃We've　been　at　this　sort　of　thing　only　a　few　years；〃　said　Hallowell。　　〃I　rather　think　it　will　not　be　many　years　now　before　we　shall　not　even　need　the　initial　germ　of　life　to　enable　us　to　create　but　can　do　it　by　pure　chemical　means；　just　as　a　taper　is　lighted　by　holding　a　match　to　it。〃

Norman　ceased　to　think　of　sleight…of…hand。

〃Life；〃　continued　the　juggler；　transformed　now　into　practical　man；　leader　of　men；　〃life　has　been　demonstrated　to　be　simply　one　of　the　forms　of　energy；　or　one　of　the　consequences　of　energy。　　The　final　discovery　is　scientifically　not　far　away。　　Then〃　　His　eyes　lighted　up。

〃Then　what？〃　asked　Norman。

〃Then　immortalityin　the　body。　　Eternal　youth　and　health。　　A　body　that　is　renewable　much　as　any　of　our　inanimate　machines　of　the　factory　is　renewable。　Why　not？　　So　far　as　we　know；　no　living　thing　ever　dies　except　by　violence。　　Diseaseold　agethey　are　quite　as　much　violence　as　the　knife　and　the　bullet。　　What　science　can　now　do　with　these　‘worms；'　as　my　daughter　calls　themthat　it　will　be　able　to　do　with　the　higher　organisms。〃

〃And　the　world　would　soon　be　jammed　to　the　last　acre；〃　objected　Norman。

Hallowell　shrugged　his　shoulders。　　〃Not　at　all。　There　will　be　no　necessity　to　create　new　people；　except　to　take　the　place　of　those　who　may　be　accidentally　obliterated。〃

〃But　the　world　is　dyingthe　earth；　itself；　I　mean。〃

〃True。　　But　science　may　learn　how　to　arrest　that　cooling　processor　to　adapt　man　to　it。　　Or；　it　may　be　that　when　the　world　ceases　to　be　inhabitable　we　shall　have　learned　how　to　cross　the　star　spaces；　as　I　think　I've　suggested　before。　　Thenwe　should　simply　find　a　planet　in　its　youth　somewhere；　and　migrate　to　it；　as　a　man　now　moves　to　a　new　house　when　the　old　ceases　to　please　him。〃

〃That　is　a　long　flight　of　the　fancy；〃　said　Norman。

〃Longbut　no　stronger　than　the　telegraph　or　the　telephone。　　The　trouble　with　us　is　that　we　have　been　long　stupefied　by　the　ignorant　theological　ideas　of　the　universeideas　that　have　come　down　to　us　from　the　childhood　of　the　race。　　We　haven't　got　used　to　the　new　erathe　scientific　era。　　And　that　is　natural。　　Why；　until　less　than　three　generations　ago　there　was　really　no　such　thing　as　science。〃

〃I　hadn't　thought　of　that；〃　admitted　Norman。　〃We　certainly　have　got　on　very　fast　in　those　three　generations。〃

〃Rather　fast。　　Not　so　fast；　however；　as　we　shall　in　the　next　three。　　Sciencechemistryis　going　speedily　to　change　all　the　conditions　of　life　because　it　will　turn　topsy…turvy　all　the　ways　of　producing　thingsfood；　clothing；　shelter。　　Less　than　two　generations　ago　men　lived　much　as　they　had　for　thousands　of　years。　　But　it's　very　different　to…day。　　It　will　be　inconceivably　different　to…morrow。〃

Norman　could　not　get　these　ideas　out　of　his　brain。　He　began　to　understand　why　Hallowell　cared　nothing　about　the　active　life　of　the　dayabout　its　religion；　politics；　modes　of　labor；　its　habits　of　one　creature　preying　upon　another。　　To…morrow；　not　religion；　not　politics；　but　chemistry；　not　priests　nor　politicians；　but　chemists；　would　change　all　thatand　change　it　by　the　only　methods　that　compel。　　An　abstract　idea　of　liberty　or　justice　can　be　rejected；　evaded；　nullified。　　But　a　telephone；　a　steam　engine；　a　mode　of　prolonging　lifethose　realizations　of　ideas　COMPEL。

When　Dorothy　came；　Norman　went　into　the　garden　with　her　in　a　frame　of　mind　so　different　from　any　he　had　ever　before　experienced　that　he　scarcely　recognized　himself。　　As　the　influence　of　the　father's　glowing　imagination　of　genius　waned　before　the　daughter's　physical　loveliness　and　enchantment　for　him；　he　said　to　himself；　〃I'll　keep　away　from　him。〃　　Why？　　He　did　not　permit　himself　to　go　on　to　examine　into　his　reasons。　　But　he　could　not　conceal　them　from　himself　quickly　enough　to　hide　the　knowledge　that　they　were　moral。

〃What　is　the　matter　with　you　to…day？〃　said　Dorothy。　　〃You　are　not　a　bit　interesting。〃

〃Interested；　you　mean；〃　he　said　with　a　smile　of　raillery；　for　he　had　long　since　discovered　that　she　was　not　without　the　feminine　vanity　that　commands　the　centering　of　all　interest　in　the　woman　herself　and　resents　any　wandering　of　thought　as　a　slur　upon　her　own　powers　of　fascination。

〃Well；　interested　then；〃　said　she。　　〃You　are　thinking　about　something　else。〃

〃Not　now；〃　he　assured　her。

But　he　left　early。　　No　sooner　had　he　got　away　from　the　house　than　the　scientific　dreaming　vanished　and　he　wished　himself　back　with　her　againback　where　every　glance　at　her　gave　him　the　most　exquisite　sensations。　And　when　he　came　the　following　day　he　apparently　had　onc