Latest / Classic Science Fiction Books / 05 - The Invisible Man - H G Wells

Transcript

05 - The Invisible Man - H G Wells · Classic Science Fiction Books

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Chapter eleven in The Coach and Horses. Now, in order
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: to clearly understand what had happened in the Inn, it
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: is necessary to go back to the moment when mister
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Marvell first came into view of mister Hucks's window. At
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: that precise moment, mister Cuss and mister Bunting were in
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: the parlor. They were seriously investigating the strange occurrences of
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: the morning, and were, with mister Hall's permission, making a
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: thorough examination of the invisible man's belongings. Jaffers had partially
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: recovered from his fall and had gone home in charge
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: of his sympathetic friends. The stranger's scattered garments had been
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: removed by Missus Hall, and the room tidied up, and
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: on the table under the window where the stranger had
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: been wont to work, Cuss had hit almost at once
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: on three big books in manuscript labeled Diary. Diary, said Cuss,
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: putting the three books on the table. Now, at any
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: rate we shall learn something. The vicar stood with his
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: hands on the table, Diary repeated Cuss, sitting down, putting
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: two volumes to support the third and opening it. Hum
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: no name on the fly leaf. Bother cipher and figures.
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: The vicar came round to look over his shoulder. Cuss
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: turned the pages over with a face suddenly disappointed. I'm
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: dear me, it's all Cipher Bunting. There are no diagrams,
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: asked mister Bunting, no illustrations throwing light. See for yourself,
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: said mister Cuss. Some of it's mathematical, and some of
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: its Russian or some such language to judge by the letters,
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: and some of its Greek. Now the Greek, I thought you,
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: of course, said mister Bunting, taking out and wiping his
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: spectacles and feeling suddenly very uncomfortable, for he had no
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: Greek left in his mind worth talking about. Yes, the Greek,
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: of course, may furnish a clue. I'll find you a place.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: I'd rather glance through the volumes first, said mister Bunting,
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: still wiping. General impression, first, Cuss, and then you know
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: we can go looking for clues. He coughed, put on
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: his glasses, arranged them fastidiously, coughed again, and wished something
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: would happen to avert the seemingly inevitable exposure. Then he
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: took the volume Cuss handed him in a leisurely manner,
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: and then something did happen. The door opened suddenly. Both
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: gentlemen started violently, looked around and were relieved to see
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: a sporadically rosy face beneath a furry silk hat. Tap
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: asked the face and stood staring. No, said both gentlemen
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: at once. Over the other side, my man, said mister Bunting,
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: and please shut that door, said mister Cuss irritably. All right,
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: said the intruder, as it seemed, in a low voice,
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: curiously different from the huskiness of its first inquiry. Right
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: you are, said the intruder in the former voice. Stand clear,
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: and he vanished and closed the door. A sailor, I
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: should judge, said mister Bunting, amusing fellows, they are stand clear.
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: Indeed a nautical term referring to his getting back out
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: of the room. I suppose I dare say so, said Cus.
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: My nerves are all loose to day. It made me
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: quite jump the door opening like that. Mister Bunting smiled
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: as if he had not jumped. And now he said,
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: with a sigh, these books someone sniffed as he did. So.
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: One thing is indisputable, said Bunting, drawing a chair up
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: next to that of mister Cuss. There certainly have been
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: very strange things happening and iping during the last few days,
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: very strange. I cannot, of course, believe in this absurd
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: invisibility story. It's incredible, said Cuss. Incredible, but the fact
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: remains that I saw. I certainly saw right down his sleeve.
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: But did you Are you sure suppose a mirror? For instance?
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: Hallucinations are so easily produced. I don't know if you've
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: ever seen a really good conjurer. I won't argue again,
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: said Cuss. We've thrashed that out, Bunting. And just now
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: there's these books. Ah, here's some of what I take
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: to be Greek Greek letters. Certainly, he pointed to the
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: middle of the page. Mister Bunting flushed slightly and brought
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: his face nearer, apparently finding some difficulty with his glasses. Suddenly,
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: he became aware of a strange feeling at the nape
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: of his neck. He tried to raise his head and
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: encountered an immovable resistance. The feeling was a curious pressure,
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: the grip of a heavy, firm hand, and it bore
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: his chin irresistibly to the table. Don't move, little men,
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: whispered a voice, or I'll brain you both. Mister Bunting
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: looked into the face of cuss close to his own,
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: and each saw a horrify reflection of his own, sickly astonishment.
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: I'm sorry to handle you so roughly, said the voice,
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: but it's unavoidable. Since when did you learn to pry
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: into an investigator's private memoranda? Said the voice, and two
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: chins struck the table simultaneously, and two sets of teeth rattled.
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: Since when did you learn to invade the private rooms
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: of a man in misfortune? And the concussion was repeated.
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: Where have they put my clothes? Listen? Said the voice.
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: The windows are fastened, and I've taken the key out
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: of the door. I am a fairly strong man, and
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: I have the poker handy. Besides being invisible, there's not
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: the slightest doubt that I could kill you both and
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: get away quite easily if I wanted to. Do you
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: understand very well? If I let you go, will you
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: promise not to try any nonsense and do what I
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: tell you? The vicar and the doctor looked at one another,
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: and the doctor pulled a face. Yes, said mister bunting,
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: and the doctor repeated it. Then the pressure on the
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: next relaxed, and the doctor and the vicar sat up,
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: both very red in the face and wriggling their heads.
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: Please keep sitting where you are, said the invisible man.
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: Here's the poker, you see when I came into this room,
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: continued the invisible Man, after presenting the poker to the
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: tip of the nose of each of his visitors. I
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: did not expect to find it occupied, and I expected
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: to find, in addition to my books of memoranda, an
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: outfit of clothing. Where is it No, don't rise, I
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: can see it's gone now, just at present. Though the
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: days are quite warm enough for an invisible man to
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: run about stark, the evenings are quite chilly. I want
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: clothing and other accommodation, and I must also have those
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: three books. Chapter the Invisible Man loses his temper. It
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: is unavoidable that at this point the narrative should break
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: off again for a certain, very painful reason that will
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: presently be apparent. While these things were going on in
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: the parlor, and while mister Huckster was watching mister Marvell
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: smoking his pipe against the gate not a dozen yards away,
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: mister Hall and Teddy Henry were discussing in a state
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: of cloudy puzzlement the one eyping topic. Suddenly there came
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: a violent thud against the door of the parlor, a
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: sharp cry, and then silence. Ullo, said Teddy Henry, ULLO
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: from the tap. Mister Hall took things in slowly, but
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: surely that ain't right, he said, and came round from
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: behind the bar towards the parlor door. He and Teddy
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: approached the door together with intent faces, their eyes considered
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: somewhat wrong, said Hall, and Henry nodded agreement. Whiffs of
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: an unpleasant chemical odor met them. There was a muffled
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: sound of conversation, very rapid and subdued. You are right there,
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: asked Hall, rapping. The muttered conversation ceased abruptly for a
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: moment silence. Then the conversation was resumed in hissing whispers,
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: then a sharp cry of no, no, you don't. There
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: came a sudden motion and the oversetting of a chair,
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: a brief struggle, silence again, what the deuce, exclaimed Henry
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: sotto vatching you all right there, asked mister Hall, sharply.
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: Again the vicar's voice answered with a curious jerking intonation. Cool, cool,
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: quite right. Please don't interrupt, odd, said mister Henfrey. Odd,
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: said mister Hall says, don't interrupt, said Henry. I heard,
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: said Hall, and a sniff, said Henfrey. They remained listening.
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: The conversation was rapid and subdued. I can't, said mister Bunting,
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: his voice rising, I tell you, sir, I will not.
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: What was that, asked Henfrey. Says he winner, It weren't
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: speaking to us? Was he disgraceful, said mister Bunting. Within disgraceful,
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: said mister Henfrey. I heard it distinct. Who's that speaking now,
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: asked Henfrey. Mister curse, I suppose, said Hall. Can you
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: hear anything? Silence? The sounds within indistinct and perplexing, sounds
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: like throwing the tablecloth about, said Hall. Missus Hall appeared
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: behind the bar. Hall made gestures of silence and invitation.
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: This aroused Missus Hall's wifely opposite, what's you're listening there for? Hall?
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: Ain't you nothing better to do? Busy day like this?
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: Hall tried to convey everything by grimaces and dumb show,
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: but Missus Hall was obdurate. She raised her voice so Hall,
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: and Henfrey rather crestfallen, tipped her back to the bar,
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: gesticulating to explain to her. At first, she refused to
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: see anything in what they had heard at all. Then
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: she insisted on Hall keeping silence while Henfrey told her
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: his story. She was inclined to think the whole business nonsense.
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: Perhaps they were just moving the furniture about. I heard
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: and say disgraceful that I did, said Hall. I heard that,
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: Missus Hall, said Henfrey. Like as not began. Missus Hall
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: sh said, mister Teddy Henfrey. Didn't I hear the window?
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: What window, asked Missus Hall. Parlor window, said Henfrey. Everyone
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: stood listening intently. Missus Hall's eyes directly straight before her
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: saw without seeing, the brilliant oblong of the inn door,
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: the road white and vivid, and Huckster's shop front blistering
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: in the June sun. Abruptly, Huckster's door opened, and Huckster appeared,
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: eyes staring with excitement, arms gesticulating. Yap cried Hunter, stop thief,
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: and he run obliquely across the oblong towards the yard
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: gates and vanished. Simultaneously, came a tumult from the parlor
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: and a sound of windows being closed. Hall, Henfrey, and
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: the human contents of the tap rushed out at once,
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: pell mell into the street. They saw someone whisker around
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: the corner towards the road, and mister Huckster executing a
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: complicated leap in the air that ended on his face
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: and shoulder. Down the street. People were standing, astonished or
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: running towards them. Mister Huckster was stunned. Henry stopped to
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: discover this, but Hall and the two laborers from the
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: tap rushed at once to the corner, shouting incoherent things,
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: and saw mister Marvell vanishing by the corner of the
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: church wall. They appeared to have jumped to the impossible
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: conclusion that this was the invisible man suddenly become visible,
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: and set off at once along the lane in pursuit.
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: But Hall had hardly run a dozen yards before he
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: gave a loud shout of astonishment and went flying headlong sideways,
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: clutching one of the laborers and bringing him to the ground.
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: He had been charged, just as one charges a man
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: at football. The second laborer came round in a circle,
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: stared and conceiving that Hall had tumbled over of his
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: own accord turned to resume the pursuit, only to be
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: tripped by the ankle, just as Huckster had been. Then,
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: as the first laborer struggled to his feet, he was
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: kicked sideways by a blow that might have felled an ox.
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: As he went down the rush from the direction of
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: the village Green came round the corner. The first to
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: appear was the approprietor of the Cocoanut Shy, a burly
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: man in blue Jersey. He was astonished to see the
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: lane empty save for three men sprawling absurdly on the ground.
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: And then something happened to his rearmost foot, and he
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: went headlong and rolled sideways, just in time to graze
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: the feet of his brother and partner following headlong. The
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: two were then kicked, knelt on, fallen over, and cursed
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: by quite a number of over hasty people. Now, when
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: Hall and Henry and the laborers ran out of the house,
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: Missus Hall, who had been disciplined by years of experience,
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: remained in the bar next to the till. And suddenly
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: the parlor door was opened and mister Cuss appeared, and
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: without glancing at her, rushed at once down the steps
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: round the corner. Hold him, he cried, don't let him
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: drop that parcel. He knew nothing of the existence of marvel,
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: for the invisible man had handed over the books and
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: bundle in the yard. The face of mister Cuss was
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: angry and resolute, but his costume was defective, a sort
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: of limp white kilt that could only have passed Muster
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: in Greece. Hold him, he bawled. He's got my trousers,
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: and every stitch of the Vickers clothes tend to him
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: in a minute, he cried to Henry. As he passed
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: the prostrate huckster, and coming round the corner to join
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: the tumult, was promptly knocked off his feet into an
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: indecorous sprawl. Somebody in full flight trod heavily on his finger.
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: He yelled, struggled to regain his feet, was knocked against
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: and thrown on all fours again, and became aware that
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: he was involved not in a capture but a rout.
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: Every One was running back to the village. He rose
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: again and was hit severely behind the ear. He staggered
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: and set off back to the coach and horses, forthwith
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: leaping over the deserted huckster, who was now sitting up
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: on his way behind him. As he was half way
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: up the inn steps, he heard a sudden yell of rage,
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: rising sharply out of the confusion of cries, and a
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: sounding smack in someone's face. He recognized the voice as
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: that of the Invisible Man, and the note was that
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: of a man suddenly infuriated by a painful blow. In
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: another moment, mister Cuss was back in the parlor. He's
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: coming back, Bunting, he said, rushing in, save yourself. Mister
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: Bunting was standing in the window, engaged in an attempt
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: to clothe himself in the hearth rug and a West
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: Surrey gazette who's coming, he said, so startled that his
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: costume narrowly escaped disintegration. Invisible Man, said Cuss, and rushed
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: on to the window. We'd better clear out from here.
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: He's fighting mad mad. In another moment, he was out
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: in the yard. Good heavens, said mister Bunting, hesitating between
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: two horrible alternatives. He heard a frightful struggle in the
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: passage of the inn, and his decision was made. He
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: clambered out of the window, adjusted his costume hastily and
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: fled up the village as fast as his fat little
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: legs would carry him. From the moment when the Invisible
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: Man screamed with rage and mister Bunting made his memorable
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: flight up the village, it became possible to give a
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: consecutive account of affairs in Iping. Possibly the Invisible Man's
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: original intention were simply to cover Marvel's retreat with the
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: clothes and books, but his temper at no time very
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: good seems to have gone completely At some chance blow
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: and forthwith he set to smiting and overthrowing. For the
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: mere satisfaction of hurting. You must figure the street full
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: of running, figures of doors slamming, and fights for hiding places.
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: You must figure the tumult suddenly striking on the unstable
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: equilibrium of old Fletcher's planks and two chairs with cataclysmic results.
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: You must figure an appalled couple caught dismally in a swing.
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: And then the whole tumultuous rush has passed, and the
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: Iping street, with its gourds and flags, is deserted, save
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: for the still raging, unseen and littered with cocoanuts, overthrown
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: canvas screens, and the scattered stock in trade of a
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: sweet stuff's tall. Everywhere there is a sound of closing
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: shutters and shoving bolts, and the only visible humanity is
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: an occasional flitting eye under a raised eyebrow in the
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: corner of a window pane. The invisible man amused himself
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: for a little while by breaking all the windows in
• 17:14
  Speaker 1: the coach and horses, and then he thrust a street
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: lamp through the parlor window of Missus Gribble. He it
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: must have been who cut the telegraph wire to Adeddeen,
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: just beyond Higgins's cottage on the Aderdean Road. And after that,
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: as his peculiar qualities allowed, he passed out of human
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: perceptions altogether, and he was neither heard, seen, nor felt
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: in Iping any more. He vanished absolutely, But it was
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: the best part of two hours before any human being
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: ventured out again into the desolation of an Iping street.
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: End of Chapter twelve.