Short Fiction · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Short Fiction by H. G. Wells.
Chapter 1
In the Modern Vein
Aubrey Vair, a minor poet and literary critic, becomes infatuated with Miss Smith, a mysterious and intelligent young woman, while trapped in a stifling marriage. Their intellectual and romantic affair culminates in a dramatic confession and a failed elopement proposal, ending with Miss Smith's departure and Vair's return to domestic banality.
Chapter 2
The Triumphs of a Taxidermist
A taxidermist, in a drunken confidence, boasts to the narrator about his fraudulent and creative exploits in taxidermy, including forging extinct birds like the great auk and moa, creating a nonsensical bird called the Anomalopteryx Jejuna, and even stuffing a human being for use as a hat-rack. He defends taxidermy as a superior alternative to burial or cremation and reveals the dark arts of the collector trade.
Chapter 3
The Stolen Bacillus
A bacteriologist shows a visitor a deadly cholera culture, which the visitor—an anarchist—steals with the intent to poison London's water supply. After swallowing the culture during a chase, the anarchist believes he has unleashed a plague, but the bacteriologist reveals it was actually a harmless blue dye meant for monkeys.
Chapter 4
The Hammerpond Park Burglary
Mr. Teddy Watkins, a burglar posing as a landscape artist named Smith, plans to steal Lady Aveling's diamonds during her honeymoon at Hammerpond Park. He sets up an easel as a cover, but his scheme goes awry when he and his assistant are mistaken for burglars by Lord Aveling and the police. In a twist, Watkins is hailed as a hero for supposedly foiling the burglary, and he ends up inside the house, where he later escapes with the jewels.
Chapter 5
The Jilting of Jane
The narrator recounts the story of their maid Jane's three-year engagement to William, a draper's porter who rises in social status and eventually jilts her for a milliner who can play the piano. Jane's determined but ultimately futile efforts to hold onto him culminate in a dramatic confrontation at his wedding, where she throws a boot at the couple.
Chapter 6
The Flowering of the Strange Orchid
Winter Wedderburn, a shy and ineffectual man with a passion for orchids, buys a strange plant at auction. As it grows, its unusual aerial rootlets and leaves intrigue him, but his housekeeper finds them unsettling. When the orchid finally blooms, its overpowering scent overwhelms Wedderburn, causing him to collapse in the greenhouse.
Chapter 7
In the Avu Observatory
Woodhouse, alone at night in the Borneo observatory, is attacked by a large, bat-like creature. After a violent struggle in the dark, he wounds the beast with a broken bottle. He is found injured by his colleague Thaddy and a Dyak servant, and later recounts the encounter, speculating on the identity of the mysterious creature.
Chapter 8
The Diamond Maker
The narrator encounters a ragged, destitute man on the Embankment who claims to have invented a process for making diamonds. Despite his appearance, the man speaks of high ambitions and a great business. He shows the narrator a large, diamond-like stone and offers to sell it for a hundred pounds. He explains his years of secret research, his near-success, and his current plight after being suspected of anarchist bomb-making. The narrator is skeptical but intrigued, gives him a half-crown and a card, but never sees him again, left to wonder if he missed a fortune.
Chapter 9
The Treasure in the Forest
Evans and Hooker, two British wastrels, navigate a canoe to a remote island following a map obtained from a Chinese man named Chang-hi. They seek buried treasure—gold ingots hidden for two centuries. After landing, they trek through a dense, shadowy forest to locate the site. They find the treasure and the corpse of Chang-hi, who had grinned mysteriously. As they attempt to move the ingots, both men succumb to poisoned thorns placed as a trap, dying in the forest.
Chapter 10
Through a Window
Bailey, recovering from a leg injury, is confined to a couch by a window overlooking a river. He becomes an avid observer of the daily river traffic and the lives of those who pass by. One morning, he witnesses a dramatic manhunt when a Malay servant from a nearby estate goes mad with a kris, pursued by armed men. The chase culminates in the Malay swimming across the river, disappearing from Bailey's view, leaving him frustrated and longing for resolution.
Chapter 11
The Lord of the Dynamos
James Holroyd, a brutish Yorkshire electrician, and his assistant Azuma-zi, a superstitious immigrant from the East, work in the roaring dynamo shed at Camberwell. Holroyd bullies Azuma-zi, who begins to worship the largest dynamo as a god. After Holroyd forbids him from approaching it, Azuma-zi sacrifices Holroyd to the dynamo by pushing him into its machinery. The death is ruled a suicide, and Azuma-zi remains, now contemplating a further sacrifice of the scientific manager.
Chapter 12
Aepyornis Island
A scarred man recounts his adventure on a desert island where he discovered and hatched a giant Aepyornis egg, only to be later dominated and tormented by the ungrateful, extinct bird.
Chapter 13
A Deal in Ostriches
A taxidermist recounts a story from his youth about a diamond swallowed by an ostrich aboard an East Indiaman. The gem belonged to Sir Mohini Padishah, a wealthy Hindu. A series of bids, sales, and dissections ensue as passengers gamble on which bird holds the diamond, culminating in a suspicious friendship between Padishah and the opportunistic Potter.
Chapter 14
The Flying Man
An ethnologist interviews a lieutenant about a local legend of a flying man. The lieutenant recounts a military expedition during the Lushai campaign where his unit was ambushed and forced to retreat. Trapped on a cliff ledge, he improvised a parachute from a tent and jumped, surviving the fall and inadvertently creating the myth of a flying man among the local Chin people.
Chapter 15
The Temptation of Harringay
Artist R. M. Harringay struggles to paint a portrait of an Italian organ-grinder, but the canvas seems to take on a life of its own, developing a sinister, diabolical expression. As he tries to correct it, the painting speaks to him, criticizing his artistic process and offering a Faustian bargain: masterpieces in exchange for his soul. Harringay fights back by painting over the demonic figure with enamel, ultimately covering the canvas entirely, though he later regrets not photographing the devil first.
Chapter 16
The Moth
The chapter recounts the bitter scientific feud between Hapley and Pawkins, which culminates in Pawkins's death after a brutal critique by Hapley. Haunted by guilt and obsession, Hapley retreats to a village but begins to hallucinate a moth that he associates with Pawkins, leading to a struggle with his sanity.
Chapter 17
The Remarkable Case of Davidson's Eyes
Sidney Davidson, a young scientific assistant, suffers a bizarre accident during a lightning strike that causes his vision to be displaced to the other side of the world, specifically to an island near Antarctica. While his body remains in London, his eyes perceive a desolate, icy landscape with penguins and strange creatures. After several days, his sight gradually returns to normal, leaving him with only a lingering memory of the experience.
Chapter 18
I
Captain Gerilleau and Holroyd journey up the Amazon to deal with a plague of ants. The oppressive heat and isolation highlight humanity's insignificance against nature. Gerilleau's mission seems absurd, but reports of the ants' intelligence and deadliness grow more ominous.
Chapter 19
II
The gunboat monitor approaches Badama, encountering a derelict cuberta named Santa Rosa with two dead crew members. Lieutenant da Cunha boards the vessel despite the presence of giant, organized ants that have killed the men. After being stung, da Cunha dies, and the ants display coordinated, intelligent behavior, suggesting a new and dangerous form of life.
Chapter 20
III
Captain Gerilleau and Holroyd grapple with the threat of giant ants after the death of the lieutenant. Gerilleau's indecision leads him to fire the gunboat's cannon ineffectually, then burn the abandoned canoe Santa Rosa. They return to Badama to find it deserted, with only a human skeleton and ants visible, leaving Gerilleau paralyzed by the question of what to do next.
Chapter 21
IV
Holroyd returns to England with alarming news about intelligent ants in South America that are systematically conquering territory, using poison, and threatening human civilization. He believes they will eventually dispossess humans from tropical South America and potentially reach Europe by 1950-60.
Chapter 22
V
The war correspondent, after a series of misadventures including stealing a horse, being thrown, and losing his way, surrenders to the enemy forces. He observes the defeated cavalry and reflects on the triumph of mechanized warfare over traditional military prowess, contrasting the 'manhood' of the soldiers with the 'ironmongery' of the land ironclads and cyclists.
Chapter 23
A Catastrophe
Winslow, a struggling shopkeeper, faces financial ruin as he realizes his business is failing and a debt of eighty pounds is due to Messrs. Helter, Skelter & Grab. His despair is interrupted by a letter announcing the death of his wife's uncle and family in a chimney collapse, which unexpectedly leaves them as next of kin, potentially inheriting property.
Chapter 24
Pollock and the Porroh Man
Pollock, a member of an expedition in West Africa, kills a woman who turns out to be the wife of a Porroh man, a powerful witch-doctor. After a violent confrontation, the Porroh man escapes and begins a campaign of revenge against Pollock, using both physical attacks and psychological terror. Despite attempts to flee, Pollock finds himself increasingly isolated and haunted by the threat.
Chapter 25
The Cone
Raut and Mrs. Horrocks are caught in a clandestine moment by her husband, the ironmaster Horrocks. Horrocks, suspicious and simmering with rage, insists on taking Raut on a tour of the industrial works. The tour culminates at the top of a blast furnace, where Horrocks describes the lethal heat of the cone, suggesting a deadly intent.
Chapter 26
The Argonauts of the Air
Monson, a wealthy inventor, builds a flying machine despite public mockery and financial strain. After years of experimentation and being dismissed as 'Monson's Folly,' he launches the machine with his assistant Woodhouse. It briefly soars before crashing, marking a failed but pioneering attempt at flight.
Chapter 27
A Slip Under the Microscope
Hill, a working-class student, struggles with his conscience after cheating in an exam, confesses to Professor Bindon, and faces failure. His rivalry with the privileged Wedderburn over Miss Haysman intensifies, highlighting class tensions and personal insecurities.
Chapter 28
Under the Knife
The narrator contemplates his own mortality while walking home from Dr. Haddon's, reflecting on the numbness of his emotions and the isolation he feels as death approaches. He experiences a vivid dream of floating through space, witnessing the universe shrink to a point, and encountering a giant shadowy hand. After waking, he undergoes surgery, during which a vein is accidentally cut, leading to his death. His consciousness then ascends from his body, rising through the atmosphere into outer space, where he observes the Sun and stars in a new, terrifying light.
Chapter 29
The Red Room
A skeptical young man arrives at Lorraine Castle, determined to spend the night in the legendary haunted Red Room despite the warnings of three aged, eerie custodians. He dismisses their ominous hints and makes his way through the dark, echoing corridors to the room, where he lights numerous candles to dispel the shadows. As the night progresses, his rational confidence erodes under the pressure of the room's oppressive silence, shifting shadows, and his own growing fear, culminating in a mysterious extinguishing of the lights and a frantic struggle against an unseen presence.
Chapter 30
The Plattner Story
Gottfried Plattner, a schoolmaster, disappears for nine days after a chemical explosion in his classroom. He returns with his left and right sides transposed, a phenomenon that mathematical theory suggests can only occur by moving out of our space into the Fourth Dimension. Plattner recounts his experiences in a strange dark world with green illumination and shadowy Watchers of the Living, culminating in a vision of a deathbed scene. The narrative is presented as a factual account, with evidence including photographs, witnesses, and the physical inversion of his body.
Chapter 31
The Story of the Late Mr. Elvesham
Edward George Eden, a young medical student, is approached by the elderly philosopher Egbert Elvesham, who offers him a lavish dinner and a mysterious powder in a liqueur. After drinking it, Eden experiences a disorienting mental shift and later realizes that his consciousness has been swapped into Elvesham's aged body, while Elvesham has taken over Eden's youthful form. Trapped and disbelieved, Eden desperately searches for a way to reverse the exchange, finding only a phial labeled 'Release' that may be poison.
Chapter 32
In the Abyss
Elstead descends in a steel sphere to the ocean floor, where he discovers a city of deep-sea creatures who worship him as a divine being. After three hours of adoration, his sphere is released and he ascends back to the surface, recounting his extraordinary experience.
Chapter 33
The Apple
Mr. Hinchcliff, a newly matriculated student traveling to his teaching post at Holmwood Grammar School, meets a mysterious stranger in a train carriage. The stranger claims to possess the actual Apple of the Tree of Knowledge, obtained from an Armenian refugee who found it near the legendary Eden. After a tense philosophical exchange about the burdens of knowledge, the stranger forces the fruit into Mr. Hinchcliff's hands as the train departs, leaving him bewildered and clutching the glowing fruit.
Chapter 34
The Purple Pileus
Mr. Coombes, a small shopkeeper trapped in an unhappy marriage, walks into the woods in despair after a Sunday row with his wife and her friend Jennie. Contemplating suicide, he notices a strange purple fungus, eats it on a rash impulse, and experiences a sudden, euphoric transformation. He resolves to return home and share the fungus with his family, leading to a decisive change in his life.
Chapter 35
The Sea Raiders
A terrifying account of a swarm of aggressive, unknown sea creatures attacking humans along the coast, causing panic and death before mysteriously disappearing.
Chapter 36
I
Captain Gerilleau and Holroyd journey up the Amazon to deal with a plague of ants. The oppressive heat and isolation highlight humanity's insignificance against nature. Gerilleau's mission seems absurd, but reports of the ants' intelligence and deadliness grow more ominous.
Chapter 37
II
The gunboat monitor approaches Badama, encountering a derelict cuberta named Santa Rosa with two dead crew members. Lieutenant da Cunha boards the vessel despite the presence of giant, organized ants that have killed the men. After being stung, da Cunha dies, and the ants display coordinated, intelligent behavior, suggesting a new and dangerous form of life.
Chapter 38
III
Captain Gerilleau and Holroyd grapple with the threat of giant ants after the death of the lieutenant. Gerilleau's indecision leads him to fire the gunboat's cannon ineffectually, then burn the abandoned canoe Santa Rosa. They return to Badama to find it deserted, with only a human skeleton and ants visible, leaving Gerilleau paralyzed by the question of what to do next.
Chapter 39
The Crystal Egg
Mr. Cave, a struggling shopkeeper, discovers that a mysterious crystal egg in his shop provides a window into a strange Martian landscape. Despite pressure from his wife and stepchildren to sell it for five pounds, he secretly obsesses over the visions, which reveal a vast plain, reddish cliffs, and strange structures. The chapter follows his attempts to hide the crystal and his growing fascination, while the narrator speculates on the egg's extraterrestrial origin and its connection to Mars.
Chapter 40
The Lost Inheritance
A man with a glass eye recounts to the narrator the story of his eccentric uncle, a failed author who inherited a fortune but wasted it on writing unreadable edifying literature. Despite expecting to inherit everything, the narrator discovers that the uncle's only valid will leaves the money elsewhere, resulting in his own poverty.
Chapter 41
A Story of the Stone Age
This chapter depicts the early struggles and survival of primitive humans, focusing on Ugh-lomi and Eudena as they navigate a harsh prehistoric world, facing threats from wild animals and rival tribes.
Chapter 42
Ugh-Lomi and Uya
Ugh-lomi and Eudena, a young couple, flee from their tribe after Ugh-lomi kills the tribe's leader, Uya, with a primitive axe he invented. They live in hiding, but Uya's spirit haunts Ugh-lomi's dreams, driving him to return and kill Uya again. Eudena waits anxiously, and when Ugh-lomi returns with Uya's white Fire Stone, they are pursued by the entire tribe. A desperate chase ensues, with Ugh-lomi and Eudena using their speed and wits to escape.
Chapter 43
II: The Cave Bear
Ugh-lomi and Eudena, having fled from Uya's tribe, take refuge on a chalk ledge in a gorge. Their fire attracts the attention of Andoo, a massive cave bear, who descends the cliff to investigate. Trapped between Andoo above and his mate below, Ugh-lomi makes a desperate attack, climbing onto the bear's back and striking it with the first stone axe, causing the bear to fall from the cliff.
Chapter 44
III: The First Horseman
Ugh-lomi, after observing horses from a tree, leaps onto the back of the Master Horse and experiences the first ride. He is thrown off but survives, returning to the tribe of the Sons of Uya, who tell him that Uya has returned as a lion. Ugh-lomi hesitates to cross the river to them.
Chapter 45
IV: Uya the Lion
The tribe is terrorized by an old lion that kills several members. The fire-minder interprets the attacks as punishment from the spirit of Uya for not hunting down Ugh-lomi and Eudena. The men capture Eudena, but Ugh-lomi kills the lion, ending its reign.
Chapter 46
V: The Fight in the Lion’s Thicket
Ugh-lomi recovers from a severe thigh wound while hiding with Eudena in a thicket after killing the lion. Eudena protects him, fends off hyenas, and spies on the tribe, which mistakenly believes Ugh-lomi is dead and leaves food offerings to the lion. Eudena eventually takes the food, and Ugh-lomi, realizing the tribe fears him as a lion-god, crafts a new club embedded with lion's teeth and claws, planning revenge.
Chapter 47
A Story of the Days to Come
The chapter depicts a futuristic society where technology and social stratification dominate, following the struggles of Denton and Elizabeth as they fall into poverty and face the machinations of Bindon.
Chapter 48
I: The Cure for Love
The chapter introduces Mr. Morris, a quintessential Victorian Englishman, and traces his lineage to a descendant named Mwres in a future London. Mwres, distressed by his daughter Elizabeth's love for the unsuitable Denton, consults a hypnotist to erase her memories of Denton. Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Denton share a romantic moment on a flying stage, unaware of the plot against them. After the hypnotic suggestion, Denton searches desperately for Elizabeth, eventually finding her, but she no longer recognizes him, leaving him devastated.
Chapter 49
II: The Vacant Country
This chapter contrasts the rural past with the urbanized future, describing the transformation of society from the 19th to the 22nd century. It follows Denton and Elizabeth, a young couple trapped in a costly city life, who dream of escaping to the abandoned countryside. They secretly marry and set out to live as the old-world people did, carrying provisions and a sword, leaving the towering city behind.
Chapter 50
III: The Ways of the City
Denton and Elizabeth, having married and borrowed money, struggle to maintain an old-fashioned life in a futuristic city. After financial ruin, they are forced to join the Labour Company, enduring monotonous treadmill work and the death of their child. A visit to a flying stage prompts reflections on the transience of the city and human life.
Chapter 51
IV: Underneath
Denton, now a Labour Serf, endures brutal physical labor and social ostracism in the underways of the city. After being beaten by fellow workers, he learns to fight under the tutelage of a man named Blunt. He eventually defeats his tormentor Whitey, gaining a measure of respect and a new, more combative outlook on life. Meanwhile, Elizabeth suffers silently, and Denton reflects on the vast gulf between social classes and the savage reality beneath civilization's veneer.
Chapter 52
V: Bindon Intervenes
Bindon, a wealthy and vain man, becomes obsessed with Elizabeth after she elopes with Denton. He plots revenge by using his financial influence to ruin the couple, forcing them into poverty and the Labour Company, with the ultimate goal of coercing Elizabeth into divorcing Denton so he can marry her himself.
Chapter 53
The Star
A rogue star from outer space collides with Neptune, creating a massive incandescent body that begins hurtling toward the Sun. As it approaches, it threatens Earth with catastrophic destruction. The world reacts with a mixture of awe, denial, and panic, while a master mathematician calculates the inevitable doom. The star grows brighter and nearer, causing global climatic upheaval as it nears.
Chapter 54
The Man Who Could Work Miracles
George McWhirter Fotheringay, a skeptical clerk, discovers he can perform miracles through sheer willpower after accidentally inverting a lamp during a bar argument. He experiments privately, creating and annihilating objects, but struggles with control and secrecy, leading to a confrontation with a constable.
Chapter 55
Miss Winchelsea's Heart
Miss Winchelsea, a refined and intellectual woman, travels to Rome with her friends Fanny and Helen. On the train, she notices a scholarly young man reading poetry, and they form a connection based on shared aesthetic and intellectual interests. As their friendship deepens, Miss Winchelsea dreams of a cultured life together. However, the young man ultimately marries Fanny, leaving Miss Winchelsea heartbroken and struggling with feelings of betrayal and loneliness.
Chapter 56
Mr. Ledbetter's Vacation
Mr. Ledbetter, a mild-mannered curate on vacation, engages in a philosophical discussion about the loss of adventure and courage in modern civilization. Under the influence of whisky, he decides to test his own bravery by attempting a burglary of a villa. He is caught by a stout man who, instead of turning him in, forces him to help carry stolen goods to a waiting yacht, where he is taken aboard and treated as a burglar.
Chapter 57
The Stolen Body
Mr. Bessel, a psychical researcher, attempts to project his spirit to Mr. Vincey. He succeeds in leaving his body but finds himself in a shadowy realm filled with malignant, grasping phantoms. He tries to contact Vincey, fails, and returns to find his body has been taken over by a violent, life-craving entity that wreaks havoc in his rooms. Vincey discovers the chaos and learns from the porter that Bessel fled into the night, laughing maniacally.
Chapter 58
Jimmy Goggles the God
A sunburnt man recounts his experience of being shipwrecked with gold from the Ocean Pioneer, salvaging a diving suit, and being mistaken for a god by natives. He rules as a tribal deity for four months, thwarting a missionary, but ultimately loses the treasure when a salvage ship arrives.
Chapter 59
Mr. Brisher's Treasure
Mr. Brisher recounts to a taproom listener his past engagement to a respectable woman named Jane, and how his discovery of a buried treasure in her father's garden ultimately led to the end of their relationship. He describes his careful planning to retrieve the coins, his constant frustration at being unable to access them without detection, and his eventual departure for London, leaving both the treasure and his fiancée behind.
Chapter 60
A Vision of Judgment
A satirical vision of the Last Judgment where the dead are resurrected and judged, revealing the absurdity and hypocrisy of human pretensions and divine justice.
Chapter 61
I
Captain Gerilleau and Holroyd journey up the Amazon to deal with a plague of ants. The oppressive heat and isolation highlight humanity's insignificance against nature. Gerilleau's mission seems absurd, but reports of the ants' intelligence and deadliness grow more ominous.
Chapter 62
II
The gunboat monitor approaches Badama, encountering a derelict cuberta named Santa Rosa with two dead crew members. Lieutenant da Cunha boards the vessel despite the presence of giant, organized ants that have killed the men. After being stung, da Cunha dies, and the ants display coordinated, intelligent behavior, suggesting a new and dangerous form of life.
Chapter 63
III
Captain Gerilleau and Holroyd grapple with the threat of giant ants after the death of the lieutenant. Gerilleau's indecision leads him to fire the gunboat's cannon ineffectually, then burn the abandoned canoe Santa Rosa. They return to Badama to find it deserted, with only a human skeleton and ants visible, leaving Gerilleau paralyzed by the question of what to do next.
Chapter 64
IV
Holroyd returns to England with alarming news about intelligent ants in South America that are systematically conquering territory, using poison, and threatening human civilization. He believes they will eventually dispossess humans from tropical South America and potentially reach Europe by 1950-60.
Chapter 65
V
The war correspondent, after a series of misadventures including stealing a horse, being thrown, and losing his way, surrenders to the enemy forces. He observes the defeated cavalry and reflects on the triumph of mechanized warfare over traditional military prowess, contrasting the 'manhood' of the soldiers with the 'ironmongery' of the land ironclads and cyclists.
Chapter 66
VI
In a celestial courtroom, the Wicked Man is humiliated as the Recording Angel reads embarrassing secrets from his life, causing laughter among the audience. The Wicked Man tries to escape God's hand but is restrained, and a new ragged creature appears for judgment.
Chapter 67
Chapter VII
A brief dialogue between two observers at a religious or celestial spectacle, questioning the existence of Hell and the nature of the afterlife, while a woman scolds them for not paying attention to a saint.
Chapter 68
VIII
A saint recounts his sufferings for God's glory, but his self-righteousness is exposed when the Recording Angel reads his record. He flees into the shadow of God's sleeve, where he sits beside the Wicked Man as brothers, stripped of all delusions.
Chapter 69
IX
God places enlightened souls in new bodies on a beautiful, waste, and wonderful planet orbiting green Sirius, urging them to try again with better understanding.
Chapter 70
A Dream of Armageddon
A man on a train recounts a series of vivid, consecutive dreams in which he lived another life in a future time, falling in love and fleeing a vast war, only to witness his beloved's death and his own demise, leaving him haunted and unable to distinguish dream from reality.
Chapter 71
The New Accelerator
Professor Gibberne has developed a revolutionary drug that accelerates human perception and movement, allowing the user to experience life at a vastly increased speed. The narrator describes the drug's effects, including a test run on the Leas where the world appears frozen, and the eventual wearing off of the substance, which nearly causes them to burst into flames due to friction.
Chapter 72
Filmer
The chapter traces the life and tragic fate of Filmer, the overlooked inventor of the flying machine. Despite his crucial breakthrough—combining balloon and aeroplane principles into a contractile apparatus—he remains a timid, obscure figure overshadowed by the popular acclaim given to others. The narrative culminates on the day of the public flight demonstration, where Filmer's personal anxieties and his unspoken feelings for Lady Mary Elkinghorn are juxtaposed against the grand spectacle.
Chapter 73
Mr. Skelmersdale in Fairyland
The narrator hears from a doctor about a local shopkeeper, Mr. Skelmersdale, who claims to have been in Fairyland. Intrigued, the narrator befriends Skelmersdale and gradually learns his story: after a quarrel with his fiancée Millie, Skelmersdale fell asleep on Aldington Knoll and woke in Fairyland, where he was greeted by a beautiful Fairy Lady. He spent days with her, enchanted but unable to forget Millie and his earthly plans. Eventually, the Fairy Lady led him to a cavern of gold, kissed him goodbye, and vanished. Skelmersdale, realizing his love for her too late, tried to follow but was held back by gnomes who threw gold at him, taunting 'Fairy love and fairy gold!' He returned to the ordinary world, haunted by regret.
Chapter 74
The Land Ironclads
A story about the development and use of armored land vehicles in warfare, highlighting the clash between traditional cavalry and modern mechanized warfare.
Chapter 75
I
Captain Gerilleau and Holroyd journey up the Amazon to deal with a plague of ants. The oppressive heat and isolation highlight humanity's insignificance against nature. Gerilleau's mission seems absurd, but reports of the ants' intelligence and deadliness grow more ominous.
Chapter 76
II
The gunboat monitor approaches Badama, encountering a derelict cuberta named Santa Rosa with two dead crew members. Lieutenant da Cunha boards the vessel despite the presence of giant, organized ants that have killed the men. After being stung, da Cunha dies, and the ants display coordinated, intelligent behavior, suggesting a new and dangerous form of life.
Chapter 77
III
Captain Gerilleau and Holroyd grapple with the threat of giant ants after the death of the lieutenant. Gerilleau's indecision leads him to fire the gunboat's cannon ineffectually, then burn the abandoned canoe Santa Rosa. They return to Badama to find it deserted, with only a human skeleton and ants visible, leaving Gerilleau paralyzed by the question of what to do next.
Chapter 78
IV
Holroyd returns to England with alarming news about intelligent ants in South America that are systematically conquering territory, using poison, and threatening human civilization. He believes they will eventually dispossess humans from tropical South America and potentially reach Europe by 1950-60.
Chapter 79
V
The war correspondent, after a series of misadventures including stealing a horse, being thrown, and losing his way, surrenders to the enemy forces. He observes the defeated cavalry and reflects on the triumph of mechanized warfare over traditional military prowess, contrasting the 'manhood' of the soldiers with the 'ironmongery' of the land ironclads and cyclists.
Chapter 80
The Valley of Spiders
Three pursuers track fugitives across a vast, still valley, only to be attacked by drifting masses of spider webs and the deadly spiders within them. The leader survives and escapes, but his companions are killed. He later sees smoke from the fugitives in the distance and reflects on the ordeal.
Chapter 81
The Truth About Pyecraft
The narrator, a club member, reveals the embarrassing secret of Pyecraft, an extremely obese man who, after taking a prescription from the narrator's Hindu great-grandmother to lose weight, becomes so light that he floats helplessly against the ceiling. The narrator recounts their acquaintance, Pyecraft's obsession with his weight, and the absurd consequences of the remedy, culminating in Pyecraft's desperate attempts to stay grounded and his pleas for secrecy.
Chapter 82
The Magic Shop
A father takes his young son Gip into a mysterious magic shop in Regent Street, where the shopkeeper performs increasingly unsettling and genuine feats of magic, leading the father to feel trapped and uneasy while Gip is delighted.
Chapter 83
The Country of the Blind
Nunez, a mountaineer from the outer world, falls into a remote valley where all inhabitants are blind. He initially believes the proverb 'In the Country of the Blind the One-Eyed Man is King' will grant him power, but the blind community regards his sight as a defect and his claims as madness. After attempting a failed rebellion, he is forced to submit, becomes a citizen, and falls in love with Medina-saroti, the youngest daughter of his master Yacob.
Chapter 84
The Obliterated Man
Egbert Craddock Cummins, a shy and sensitive man engaged to Delia, is forcibly appointed Dramatic Critic for the Fiery Cross by his editor Barnaby. Despite never having attended a theatre, he is thrust into the role and finds himself increasingly imitating the exaggerated gestures and mannerisms of the actors he reviews. This involuntary transformation begins to erode his original identity, leading him to fear that he is losing himself entirely.
Chapter 85
The Story of the Inexperienced Ghost
Clayton recounts his encounter with a weak, aimless ghost at the Mermaid Club. The ghost, a failed young man in life, is inept at haunting and seeks sympathy. Clayton, after a lengthy and frustrating conversation, helps the ghost perform passes to depart, reflecting on the pathetic nature of the spirit.
Chapter 86
The Door in the Wall
Lionel Wallace recounts his lifelong obsession with a mysterious green door in a wall that leads to a beautiful, idyllic garden world. First encountered in childhood, the door appears at pivotal moments in his life, offering an escape from the pressures and disappointments of reality. Wallace's inability to fully commit to the door's promise haunts him, leading to a tragic end.
Chapter 87
I
Captain Gerilleau and Holroyd journey up the Amazon to deal with a plague of ants. The oppressive heat and isolation highlight humanity's insignificance against nature. Gerilleau's mission seems absurd, but reports of the ants' intelligence and deadliness grow more ominous.
Chapter 88
II
The gunboat monitor approaches Badama, encountering a derelict cuberta named Santa Rosa with two dead crew members. Lieutenant da Cunha boards the vessel despite the presence of giant, organized ants that have killed the men. After being stung, da Cunha dies, and the ants display coordinated, intelligent behavior, suggesting a new and dangerous form of life.
Chapter 89
III
Captain Gerilleau and Holroyd grapple with the threat of giant ants after the death of the lieutenant. Gerilleau's indecision leads him to fire the gunboat's cannon ineffectually, then burn the abandoned canoe Santa Rosa. They return to Badama to find it deserted, with only a human skeleton and ants visible, leaving Gerilleau paralyzed by the question of what to do next.
Chapter 90
IV
Holroyd returns to England with alarming news about intelligent ants in South America that are systematically conquering territory, using poison, and threatening human civilization. He believes they will eventually dispossess humans from tropical South America and potentially reach Europe by 1950-60.
Chapter 91
The Empire of the Ants
A story about a new species of intelligent, organized ants that threaten human civilization in the Amazon, exploring themes of nature's power and humanity's vulnerability.
Chapter 92
I
Captain Gerilleau and Holroyd journey up the Amazon to deal with a plague of ants. The oppressive heat and isolation highlight humanity's insignificance against nature. Gerilleau's mission seems absurd, but reports of the ants' intelligence and deadliness grow more ominous.
Chapter 93
II
The gunboat monitor approaches Badama, encountering a derelict cuberta named Santa Rosa with two dead crew members. Lieutenant da Cunha boards the vessel despite the presence of giant, organized ants that have killed the men. After being stung, da Cunha dies, and the ants display coordinated, intelligent behavior, suggesting a new and dangerous form of life.
Chapter 94
III
Captain Gerilleau and Holroyd grapple with the threat of giant ants after the death of the lieutenant. Gerilleau's indecision leads him to fire the gunboat's cannon ineffectually, then burn the abandoned canoe Santa Rosa. They return to Badama to find it deserted, with only a human skeleton and ants visible, leaving Gerilleau paralyzed by the question of what to do next.
Chapter 95
IV
Holroyd returns to England with alarming news about intelligent ants in South America that are systematically conquering territory, using poison, and threatening human civilization. He believes they will eventually dispossess humans from tropical South America and potentially reach Europe by 1950-60.
Chapter 96
The Beautiful Suit
A little man, given a beautiful green and gold suit by his mother, is told to save it for rare occasions. He obeys until one moonlit night, when he impulsively dons the suit without protections and runs joyfully through the garden, pond, and road, embracing the night. He is found dead at the bottom of a stone pit, his suit soiled, but his face expressing perfect happiness.
Chapter 97
The Pearl of Love
A young Prince in North India loses his beloved Queen to a venomous sting. Overcome with grief, he resolves to build a magnificent monument, the Pearl of Love, in her honor. As years pass, his artistic vision expands and evolves, leading him to strip away earlier ornate decorations in pursuit of sublime, austere beauty. Ultimately, he orders the removal of the Queen's sarcophagus itself, as it disrupts the perfect harmony of his creation.
Chapter 98
Endnotes
The endnotes provide citations and references for the stories in the collection, including a note about the Aepyornis and entomological journal references.
