书籍简介：
时间机器
第一章
时间游客（这样称呼他是为了方便起见）正在给我们讲解 一个深奥难懂的问题。他灰色的眼睛一眨一眨的，炯炯有神， 往常苍白的面孔此刻红光焕发。壁炉里炉火熊熊，白炽灯在银 制百合花灯盘里射出柔和的光亮，照在我们玻璃杯里跳动的气 泡上。我们坐的椅子，只有他才有，它们与其说是供我们坐的， 不如说是在拥抱我们，抚慰我们。晚饭后的气氛舒适惬意，人 们的思绪在这时候往往会不求精确，从容地驰骋奔流。他就这 样一边用纤细的食指划着要点，一边在向我们讲述这个深奥的 问题，我们都懒洋洋地坐着，钦佩他在这个新谬论上（我们是 这样认为的）表现出的认真态度和丰富的创造力。
“你们一定要仔细听我讲。我要反驳一两个几乎是公认的 观点。比如，你们在学校里学的几何就是建立在错误的概念 上的。”
“要我们从这里听起，范围不免大了点吧？”菲尔比说。他 头上长着红头发，喜欢与人争辩。
“我不是要你们接受什么无稽之谈。你们很快会承认我需 要你们承认的内容的。你们自然知道，数学上所谓的一条线， 一条宽度为零的线其实并不存在。这个你们在学校是学过的 吧？数学上所说的平面也是没有的，这些纯粹是抽象的东西。”
“不错。”心理学家说。
“仅有长、宽、高的立方体实际上也不可能存在。”
“我反对这种提法，”菲尔比说，“固体当然可以存在。一 切实在的东西……”
The Time Machine
I
The Time Traveller (for so it will be convenient to speak of him) was expounding a recondite matter to us. His grey eyes shone and twinkled, and his usually pale face was flushed and animated. The fire burned brightly, and the soft radiance of the incandescent lights in the lilies of silver caught the bubbles that flashed and passed in our glasses. Our chairs, being his patents, embraced and caressed us rather than submitted to be sat upon, and there was that luxurious after-dinner atmosphere when thought roams gracefully free of the trammels of precision. And he put it to us in this way--marking the points with a lean forefinger--as we sat and lazily admired his earnestness over this new paradox (as we thought it:) and his fecundity.
`You must follow me carefully. I shall have to controvert one or two ideas that are almost universally accepted. The geometry, for instance, they taught you at school is founded on a misconception.'
`Is not that rather a large thing to expect us to begin upon?' said Filby, an argumentative person with red hair.
`I do not mean to ask you to accept anything without reasonable ground for it. You will soon admit as much as I need from you. You know of course that a mathematical line, a line of thickness NIL, has no real existence. They taught you that? Neither has a mathematical plane. These things are mere abstractions.'
`That is all right,' said the Psychologist.
`Nor, having only length, breadth, and thickness, can a cube have a real existence.'
`There I object,' said Filby. `Of course a solid body may exist. All real things--'
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