“, asourmathematicianshaveit, isspokenofashavingthreedimensions, whichonemaycallLength, Breadth, andThickness, andisalwaysdefinablebyreferencetothreeplanes, —whynotanotherdirectionatrightanglestotheotherthree?—, whichhasonlytwodimensions, wecanrepresentafigureofathree-dimensionalsolid, andsimilarlytheythinkthatbymodelsoftheedimensionstheycouldrepresentoneoffour—?”
“Ithinkso,”murmuredtheProvincialMayor; and, knittinghisbrows, helapsedintoanintrospectivestate, hislipsmovingasonewhorepeatsmysticwords.“Yes, IthinkIseeitnow,”hesaidaftersometime, brighteninginaquitetransitorymanner.
“Well, , hereisaportraitofamanateightyearsold, anotheratfifteen, anotheratseventeen, anotherattwenty-three, , asitwere, Three-DimensionalrepresentationsofhisFour-Dimensionedbeing, whichisafixedandunalterablething.”
“Scientificpeople,”proceededtheTimeTraveller, afterthepauserequiredfortheproperassimilationofthis, “, , yesterdaynightitfell, thenthismorningitroseagain, ? Butcertainlyittracedsuchaline, andthatline, therefore, wemustconcludewasalongtheTime-Dimension.”
“But,”saidtheMedicalMan, staringhardatacoalinthefire, “ifTimeisreallyonlyafourthdimensionofSpace, whyisit, andwhyhasitalwaysbeen, regardedassomethingdifferent? AndwhycannotwemoveinTimeaswemoveaboutintheotherdimensionsofSpace?”
TheTimeTravellersmiled.“AreyousurewecanmovefreelyinSpace? Rightandleftwecango, backwardandforwardfreelyenough, ? Gravitationlimitsusthere.”
“Notexactly,”saidtheMedicalMan.“Thereareballoons.”
