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Updated: June 12, 2025
Rooum went first, walking along the narrow strip of kerb. The lamp-standards were a little difficult to see, and when I heard Rooum stop suddenly and draw in his breath sharply, I thought he had walked into one of them. "Hurt yourself?" I said. He walked on without replying; but half a dozen yards farther on he stopped again. He was listening again. He waited for me to come up.
"You're a genius in your own way, Rooum," I said finally; "you know these things without the books we plodders have to depend on. If I'd luck like that, I think I should be content with it." But he didn't seem satisfied, though he dropped the matter for that time. But I had his acquaintance, which was more than most of us had. He asked me, rather timidly, if I'd lend him a book or two.
I made my way back to bed; but I assure you that before I did so I filled my basin with water, dipped my face into it, and then set the candlestick afloat in it, leaving the candle burning. I thought I'd like to have a light.... It had burned down by morning. Rooum, I remember, remarked on the silly practice of reading in bed. Well, it was a pretty kind of obsession for a man to have, wasn't it?
I fell on top of Rooum. The crane came to a standstill half-way down the line. I held Rooum panting. But either Rooum was stronger than I, or else he took me very much unawares. All at once he twisted clear from my grasp and stumbled on his knees to the rear door of the cab. He threw up one elbow, and staggered to his feet as I made another clutch at him. "Keep still, you fool!" I bawled.
Over the head of my own bed the ceiling was cut away, following the roof-line; and the wallpaper was perfectly shocking faded bouquets that made V's and A's, interlacing everywhere. The other bed was made up, and lay across the room. I think I only spoke once while we were making ready for bed, and that was when Rooum took from his black hand-bag a brush and a torn nightgown.
"Frightened, what? Well, I don't blame you. But what would you do?" "I should see a doctor; I'm only an engineer," I replied. "Doctors?... Bah!" he said, and spat. I hope you see how the matter stood with Rooum. What do you make of it?
Soon after that he disappeared again. I wasn't sorry. Our big contract in the West End came on. It was a time-contract, with all manner of penalty clauses if we didn't get through; and I assure you that we were busy. I myself was far too busy to think of Rooum.
Could you have believed it do you believe it?... He'd made a nearish guess when he'd said that much of our knowledge is giving names to things we know nothing about; only rule-of-thumb Physics thinks everything's explained in the Manual; and you've always got to remember one thing: You can call it Force or what you like, but it's a certainty that things, solid things of wood and iron and stone, would explode, just go off in a puff into space, if it wasn't for something just as inexplicable as that that Rooum said he felt in his own person.
And if you can swallow that, it's a relatively small matter whether Rooum's light-footed Familiar slipped through him unperceived, or had to struggle through obstinately. You see now why I said that "a queer thing overtook Rooum." More: I saw it. This thing, that outrages reason I saw it happen.
"That's what you always carry about, is it?" I remarked; and Rooum grunted something: Yes ... never knew where you'd be next ... no harm, was it? We tumbled into bed. But, for all the lateness of the hour, I wasn't sleepy; so from my own bag I took a book, set the candle on the end of the mantel, and began to read.
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