And the City man had grown old; and his son was the City man now. And on
the morning of Monday he would arise from bed and shave, and wash, and
dress; and when he had done these things it was Monday night, and he sat
down and ate his breakfast; and when he had finished his breakfast and
drawn on his boots, it was Tuesday morning; and when he had hurried to
town, it was Tuesday night; and when he had opened one letter and one
telegram, and said ten words to his clerk, it was Wednesday night; and
when he had dashed back home, it was Thursday morning; and when he had
eaten his dinner, it was Friday morning; and then a short glance at the
newspaper brought him to Friday night; and then into bed by Saturday
morning, to sleep until Monday morning.
And he became an elderly man; and now he would arise from bed on the
Monday morning, and when he had washed and dressed, it was Tuesday
morning; and when he had eaten his breakfast, it was Wednesday morning;
so he could not go to town, as there was not time in the week. And men
sat down dazed and paralyzed, for there was no time to do anything. And
each week they enlarged the hole in the water-clock; and at the end of
each week it dripped too slowly, and fell behind.
And a new Astronomer-Royal was appointed; and in him was the soul,
re-incarnated, of him who had fashioned the clock in the dusk of
pre-historic ages; and at last he could tell what he knew.
[Illustration]
And he told all men that the thing they had felt was true: he told them
how, for many thousands of years, the earth and all the universe had
revolved ever faster and faster; all with proportionate increase of
velocity, so that the circuit of the moon kept its wonted time with the
revolution of the earth; and the comets came and went at their expected
seasons, as also occurred the eclipses; so that no man could know that
which was taking place, but only guess. And now each day they enlarged
the hole in the water-clock; until the bowl was growing to be _all_
hole; and now they could not bore fast enough in the hard stone; and
now----