e to stretch myself at full length and the
admirable system of ventilation kept the air always fresh. Such sleep as
I had was haunted by dreams in which these four-legged human beings
figured largely. Early in the morning I rose and switched on the light,
hoping that by pacing my cell or the passage without for a few minutes I
might again induce sleep. I saw a strange sight. The silky heads of the
two plants swayed gently to and fro continuously. Their leaves rose and
fell. Somehow they seemed to suggest to me a caged lion.

"You poor devils," I said aloud.

When I had put out the light and stretched myself on the mattress again
I felt the silky head of one of these plants rubbing against my cheek.
It startled me at first. I touched it with my hand. It was about the
size of a man's fist. I felt its thousand fibres vibrating under my
touch.

In the morning another covered tray was brought me, precisely the same
as on the previous evening. A bad night gives one little appetite for
strong ale in the morning and I begged a drink of distilled water from
the Professor. I took that opportunity to explain to him the kind of
food that I should require in the future, and to beg for some facilities
by which I might cook myself a hot dish. This last he refused, but
agreed that my evening ration should be brought to me hot in the future.

I remained with the Professor for fifteen days. Every day for about an
hour he catechised me closely on the manner of life in my own
country--the old world, as he called it. His knowledge and his ignorance
alike amused me. For example, he made a drawing of a hansom-cab which
was really fairly accurate; but he was under the impression that
hansom-cabs were used in Rome at the time of Julius Caesar. All his ideas
about dates were wrong and confused, and perpetually I had to correct
him. He made notes of all that I told him with an ink pencil.

"You are writing a book on this subject?" I asked him one day.

"I am. That is my duty."

"And when will it be printed and published?"

"Upon the defeat of the democracy and the establishment of first-class
and second-class beings, the extremely wise course was taken of breaking
up all printing-machines and destroying all books, except those copies,
mostly manuscript, which were especially selected for the library of the
Central Office. We neither print nor publish."

"Why do you call this a wise course? It seems to me the wildest folly.
It is to chea