Part 27 (1/2)
”But we've done it,” said Mollie
nobody answered There did not appear to be an answer to that statement
”Have you ever heard,” Mollie said at last, speaking slowly and looking at the boys with sole called Einstein's Theory of Relatittey--I mean Rela_tiv_ity--Rel-a-_tiv_-ity?”
”Old Bibs jawed us about it one day,” dick answered, ”but he said no one could understand it except the chap himself and not always hiood job for everybody”
”That's what Aunt Mary said; I heard her talking That's why I read about it, because I'ood at maths She has it all pasted in a book I had to skip most of it, but here and there I found bits I took some notes,” Mollie drew a penny notebook from her pocket ”One ht, there would be no Time All the clocks would stop, and we'd be There as soon as ere Here Well now, that's just e did We were Here--and ere There So our time stopped and Noas Then See?”
”He says _If_ You couldn't live without Tis in or where would you be? You'd have to s all the meals of your life at one mouthful and you'd bust What comes next?”
”Another man says,” Mollie read impressively, ”that any schoolboy-- _any_ schoolboy,” she repeated, fixing a stern eye upon her brother, ”can see that, if the velocity of light has a given value with reference to the fixed stars, it cannot have the same value with reference to its source when this is moved relatively to the stars”
”Gee-whiz!” said dick ”Next, please”
”A s s measured east and west _We_ travelled north and south Perhaps we stretched back in Time all of a sudden, like elastic”
”Couldn't be done Elastic stretches both ways If _you_ tried to o off like a Christmas cracker Next”
”A ”
”Aunt Polly will agree with hier,” said dick ”Next Hurry up”
”You don't stop to _think_,” Mollie said iht just as well be a football What _I_ think is that if two un-understandable things are discovered about the sa to each other Don't you see _that_?”
”They htn't I don't think s like Ti and Relativity People like us never will”
”I don't know that,” said Jerry, who had been listening to the discussion in silence
”There's lots of things just as hard to understand, only you take theeting about, and Long John chewing and twitching, and the trees waving their branches, and you shaking your head as if it were a dinner-bell, which is about what it is--it's all life Just as hard to understand as Relativity, and a jolly sight harder if you ask , but--” Jerry broke off
Mollie frowned thoughtfully ”We don't understand it _yet_,” she said, ”but in _another_ forty years--”
They were all silent Another forty years!
”We'll be fifty-three,” dick said at last ”A jolly funny looking lot we'll be All sitting round staring at each other through specs, hite hair and no teeth worthI'll have an ear- trumpet, and Mollie ear a cap like Grannie's, and Jerry will be a blithering old idiot saying, 'Hey!' like General Dyson-Polks”
They had to laugh at this picture of the and told the story of Prue's first visit The boys were deeply interested Their own experiences had h had appeared and, like the gentleman who dealt in Relativity, they were Here and they were There ”It has taught us so about Australia anyhow,” said dick; ”that is, of course, ifthe real thing The next thing is to find out whether we did or if the whole shoas just bunkum”
”What I should like to know,” said Jerry reflectively, ”is who the Caot mixed up with your lot They must have at soraphs”