his
pipe.

"As to you, Lord John Roxton," he creaked, "your opinion upon a matter of
science is of as much value in my eyes as my views upon a new type of
shot-gun would be in yours. I have my own judgment, sir, and I use it in
my own way. Because it has misled me once, is that any reason why I
should accept without criticism anything, however far-fetched, which this
man may care to put forward? Are we to have a Pope of science, with
infallible decrees laid down _ex cathedra_, and accepted without question
by the poor humble public? I tell you, sir, that I have a brain of my
own and that I should feel myself to be a snob and a slave if I did not
use it. If it pleases you to believe this rigmarole about ether and
Fraunhofer's lines upon the spectrum, do so by all means, but do not ask
one who is older and wiser than yourself to share in your folly. Is it
not evident that if the ether were affected to the degree which he
maintains, and if it were obnoxious to human health, the result of it
would already be apparent upon ourselves?" Here he laughed with
uproarious triumph over his own argument. "Yes, sir, we should already
be very far from our normal selves, and instead of sitting quietly
discussing scientific problems in a railway train we should be showing
actual symptoms of the poison which was working within us. Where do we
see any signs of this poisonous cosmic disturbance? Answer me that, sir!
Answer me that! Come, come, no evasion! I pin you to an answer!"

I felt more and more angry. There was something very irritating and
aggressive in Summerlee's demeanour.

"I think that if you knew more about the facts you might be less positive
in your opinion," said I.

Summerlee took his pipe from his mouth and fixed me with a stony stare.

"Pray what do you mean, sir, by that somewhat impertinent observation?"

"I mean that when I was leaving the office the news editor told me that a
telegram had come in confirming the general illness of the Sumatra
natives, and adding that the lights had not been lit in the Straits of
Sunda."

"Really, there should be some limits to human folly!" cried Summerlee in
a positive fury. "Is it possible that you do not realize that ether, if
for a moment we adopt Challenger's preposterous supposition, is a
universal substance which is the same here as at the other side of the
world? Do you for an instant suppose that there is an English ether and
a Sumatran ether? Perhaps