human
And now, she continued,
gpt
I am going to tell you the various reasons why I asked so celebrated a scientist as yourself to come here.
human
That is three years, now. And from the very beginning--from the very first day of our arrival, somehow or other I was conscious that there was something abnormal about this corner of the world.
gpt
Have you noticed, she asked,
human
Circular?
gpt
Yes. That crater is circular; so is the bottom of it; so is this plateau, and the hill; and the forests surrounding us; and the mountain ranges on the horizon.
human
But all this is natural.
gpt
Perhaps. But in those woods, down there, there are, here and there, great circles of crumbling soil--_perfect_ circles a mile in diameter.
human
Mounds built by prehistoric man, no doubt.
gpt
These are not prehistoric mounds.
human
Why not?
gpt
Because they have been freshly made.
human
How do you know?
gpt
The earth is freshly upheaved; great trees, partly uprooted, slant at every angle from the sides of the enormous piles of newly upturned earth; sand and stones are still sliding from the raw ridges.
human
More than that, she said,
gpt
What!
human
It is true. We have seen several. And it enrages father.
gpt
Enrages?
human
Yes, because it upsets the trees where he is painting landscapes, and tilts them in every direction. Which, of course, ruins his picture; and he is obliged to start another, which vexes him dreadfully.
gpt
But there is something more singular than that for you to investigate, she said calmly.
human
Look down at that circle of steam which makes a perfect ring around the bowl of the crater, halfway down. Do you see the flicker of fire under the vapour?
gpt
Yes.
human
In the fire, under the vapours, there are little animals.
gpt
What!!
human
Little beasts live in the fire--slim, furry creatures, smaller than a weasel. I've seen them peep out of the fire and scurry back into it.... _Now_ are you sorry that I wrote you to come? And will you forgive me for bringing you out here?
gpt
I thank you from the bottom of my heart! I cried;
human
Yours is the discovery, I said.
gpt
Yours shall be the glory. Fame shall crown you; and perhaps if there remains any reflected light in the form of a by-product, some modest and negligible little ray may chance to illuminate me.