CHAPTER XX. THE END OF THIS REMARKABLE STORY.

 “Barbicane? Nicholl?”

 

“Maston!”

 

“You?”

 

“We!”

 

And in that pronoun, spoken simultaneously¹ by the two in a singular tone, there was everything that could be said in the way of irony² and reproach.

 

J. T. Maston passed his iron hook across his forehead. Then in a voice that hissed³ between his lips he asked,—

 

“Your gallery at Kilimanjaro was two thousand feet long and ninety in diameter?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Your projectile⁴ weighed one hundred and eighty thousand tons?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“And you used two thousand tons of meli-melonite?”

 

“Yes.”

 

The three yes’s fell like blows of a sledge-hammer on J. T. Maston’s occiput.

 

“Then I conclude—” he said.

 

“What?” asked Barbicane.

 

“—That, as the experiment failed, the explosive did not give the projectile the necessary initial velocity⁵!”

 

“Indeed!” said Captain Nicholl.

 

“And that your meli-melonite is only fit for pop-guns!”

 

Captain Nicholl started at the insult.

 

“Maston!” he exclaimed.

 

“Nicholl!”

 

“Will you fight me with meli-melonite?

 

“No; with fulmi-cotton. It is surer!”

 

Mrs. Scorbitt hastened to interfere⁶.

 

“Gentlemen! Gentlemen!” she said. “Between friends!”

 

Then Impey Barbicane put in a word very quietly,—

 

“What is the use of abusing each other? It is certain that the calculations of our friend Maston were correct, and it is certain that the explosive of our friend Nicholl was sufficient! We followed exactly the teachings of science! And we failed! For what reasons? Probably we shall never know!”

 

“Well,” said the secretary of the Gun Club; “we will try it again!”

 

“And the money which has been lost?” observed Captain Nicholl.

 

“And public opinion, which will not permit you to again risk the fate of the world?” added Mrs. Scorbitt.

 

“What will become of the North Pole?” asked Nicholl.

 

“What is the value of the shares in the North Polar Practical Association?” asked Barbicane.

 

Oh, what a fall there had been thereof! The certificates could be bought at waste-paper prices.

 

Such was the memorable⁷ fiasco of the gigantic project of Barbicane & Co.

 

If ever unfortunate engineers were overwhelmed with ridicule⁸, if ever there were amusing articles in the newspapers, caricatures, comic songs, parodies—it was then. Barbicane, the director of the Association, the members of the Gun Club, were literally⁹ covered with scorn. The storm of contempt was so thoroughly¹⁰ American that it was untranslatable even in Volapuk. And Europe joined in with such vigour¹¹ that at last America was scandalized. And then remembering that Barbicane, Nicholl, and Maston were of American birth, and belonged to the famous club of Baltimore, a reaction in their favour set in, which was almost strong enough to make the United States declare war against the Old World.

 

But was it ever to be known why the enterprise failed? Did the failure prove that the project was impossible, that the forces of which man disposes will never be sufficient to bring about a change in the Earth’s diurnal¹² movement, that never would the Polar regions be displaced in latitude¹³ to such an extent that their icy mantle¹⁴ will be melted by the solar rays?

 

That this was the case appeared undoubted a few days after the return of Barbicane and Nicholl to the United States.

 

A letter appeared in the Parisian Temps of the 17th of October, which did mankind a service in confirming it in its feeling of security.

 

The letter was the following:—

 

“The abortive¹⁵ attempt to furnish the Earth with a new axis¹⁶ is now known. Nevertheless, the calculations of J. T. Maston were correctly founded, and would have produced the desired results if by some inexplicable¹⁷ distraction¹⁸ they had not been nullified by an error at the outset.

 

“In fact, the celebrated¹⁹ secretary of the Gun Club took for his basis the circumference²⁰ of the terrestrial spheroid at forty thousand metres instead of forty million metres—and that nullified the solution.

 

“How came he to make such an error? What could have caused it? How could so remarkable²¹ a mathematician²² have made such a mistake? Conjecture²³ is vain.

 

“There is no doubt that the problem of the change of the terrestrial axis was correctly stated, and it should have been correctly worked out. But the initial error of three noughts²⁴ produced an error of twelve noughts in the final result.

 

“It is not a cannon²⁵ a million times as large as a four hundred pounder, but a million million million such cannons²⁶, hurling²⁷ a million million million projectiles²⁸ of one hundred and eighty thousand tons, that would displace the Pole 23° 28′, supposing that meli-melonite has the expansive power attributed to it by Captain Nicholl.

 

“In short, the discharge of the projectile at Kilimanjaro has been to displace the Pole three microns—that is, thousandths of a millimetre, and the maximum effect on the level of the sea must have been just nine-thousandths of a micron.

 

“The projectile has become a small planet, and henceforth belongs to our system, in which it is retained by the solar attraction.

 

“Alcide Pierdeux.”

So it was some distraction of J. T. Maston’s, an error of three noughts at the beginning of his calculations, that had brought this humiliating disaster on Barbicane & Co.

 

The members of the Gun Club were furious, but among the general public a reaction arose in favour of the poor fellow. After all, it was this mistake which had caused all the evil—or rather all the good, for it saved the world from ruin.

 

And so compliments came in from all parts, and letters arrived in millions congratulating J. T. Maston on having forgotten his three noughts!

 

But that extraordinary man, more deeply disgusted than ever, would not listen to the congratulatory world. Barbicane, Nicholl, Tom Hunter with the wooden leg, Colonel Bloomsberry, the brisk Bilsby, and their friends, would never forgive him.

 

But at least there remained Mrs. Scorbitt!

 

At first J. T. Maston refused to admit that he had made a mistake; and set to work to check his calculations.

 

Sulphuric Alcide was, however, accurate. And that was why, when he found the error at the last moment, and had no time to reassure²⁹ his fellow-men, he so calmly sipped³⁰ his pleasant hot coffee while the spinal³¹ marrow³² was so unpleasantly cool in his fellow-men’s backs.

 

There was no disguising the fact. Three noughts had slipped out of the terrestrial waist!

 

Then it was that J. T. Maston remembered! It was at the beginning of his labours when he had shut himself up in Ballistic Cottage. He had written the number 40,000,000 on the blackboard.

 

At that moment came a hurried tinkle³³ from the telephone. He had gone to the instrument. He had exchanged a few words with Mrs. Scorbitt. There was a flash of lightning that upset him and his blackboard. He picked himself and his blackboard up. He began to write in the figures half rubbed out by the fall. He had just written 40,000—when the bell rang a second time. And when he returned to work he had forgotten the three last noughts in the measure of the Earth’s equator!

 

Now all that was the fault of Mrs. Scorbitt. If she had not bothered him he would never have been knocked down by the return shock of that electrical discharge.

 

And so the unhappy woman also received a shock when J. T. Maston told her how the mistake had been made. Yes! She was the cause of the disaster! It was her doing that J. T. Maston was now dishonoured³⁴ for the many years he had to live, for it was the general custom to die as centenarians in the Gun Club.

 

And after the interview J. T. Maston fled from the house in New Park. He went back to Ballistic Cottage. He strode about his workroom saying to himself,—

 

“Now I am good for nothing in the world!”

 

“Not even if you were to marry?” said a voice which emotion made heartrending.

 

It was Mrs. Scorbitt.

 

Tearful and distracted she had followed J. T. Maston.

 

“Dear Maston!” said she.

 

“Well! Yes!” said he; “on one condition—that I never again touch mathematics.”

 

“I abominate³⁵ them!” said the widow.

 

And thus it was that Mrs. Scorbitt became Mrs. J. T. Maston.

 

As to Alcide Pierdeux, what honour, what celebrity³⁶ that letter brought both him and his old school! Translated into all languages, copied into all newspapers, it made his name known throughout the world.

 

It happened, therefore, that the father of the pretty Provençale, who had refused him his daughter’s hand because he was too learned, came to read the famous letter in the Petit Marseillais. Without any assistance he managed to make out its meaning. And then he was seized with remorse³⁷, and, as a preliminary measure, sent Sulphuric Alcide an invitation to dinner.

 

And so the world was left as it was.

 

No attempt was made by Barbicane & Co. to resume business. Any attempt would have been futile³⁸. Alcide’s contention³⁹ was indisputable. It could be shown by mechanics that to effect a displacement⁴⁰ of 23° 28′, even with meli-melonite, so many Kilimanjaro guns or mines 143would be required, that the surface of the spheroid could not hold them.

 

The world’s inhabitants could thus sleep in peace. To modify the conditions of the Earth’s movement is beyond the powers of man. It is not given to mankind to change the order established by the Creator in the system of the Universe.

1 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

2 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

3 hissed   

发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对

参考例句：

• Have you ever been hissed at in the middle of a speech? 你在演讲中有没有被嘘过？
• The iron hissed as it pressed the wet cloth. 熨斗压在湿布上时发出了嘶嘶声。

4 projectile   

n.投射物，发射体；adj.向前开进的；推进的；抛掷的

参考例句：

• The vertical and horizontal motions of a projectile can be treated independently.抛射体的竖直方向和水平方向的运动能够分开来处理。
• Have you altered the plans of the projectile as the telegram suggests?你已经按照电报的要求修改炮弹图样了吗?

5 velocity   

n.速度，速率

参考例句：

• Einstein's theory links energy with mass and velocity of light.爱因斯坦的理论把能量同质量和光速联系起来。
• The velocity of light is about 300000 kilometres per second.光速约为每秒300000公里。

6 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

7 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

8 ridicule   

v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄

参考例句：

• You mustn't ridicule unfortunate people.你不该嘲笑不幸的人。
• Silly mistakes and queer clothes often arouse ridicule.荒谬的错误和古怪的服装常会引起人们的讪笑。

9 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

10 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

11 vigour   

（=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力

参考例句：

• She is full of vigour and enthusiasm.她有热情，有朝气。
• At 40,he was in his prime and full of vigour.他40岁时正年富力强。

12 diurnal   

adj.白天的，每日的

参考例句：

• Kangaroos are diurnal animals.袋鼠是日间活动的动物。
• Over water the diurnal change in refraction is likely to be small. 在水面上，折光的周日变化可能是很小的。

13 latitude   

n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区

参考例句：

• The latitude of the island is 20 degrees south.该岛的纬度是南纬20度。
• The two cities are at approximately the same latitude.这两个城市差不多位于同一纬度上。

14 mantle   

n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红

参考例句：

• The earth had donned her mantle of brightest green.大地披上了苍翠欲滴的绿色斗篷。
• The mountain was covered with a mantle of snow.山上覆盖着一层雪。

15 abortive   

adj.不成功的，发育不全的

参考例句：

• We had to abandon our abortive attempts.我们的尝试没有成功，不得不放弃。
• Somehow the whole abortive affair got into the FBI files.这件早已夭折的案子不知怎么就进了联邦调查局的档案。

16 axis   

n.轴，轴线，中心线；坐标轴，基准线

参考例句：

• The earth's axis is the line between the North and South Poles.地轴是南北极之间的线。
• The axis of a circle is its diameter.圆的轴线是其直径。

17 inexplicable   

adj.无法解释的，难理解的

参考例句：

• It is now inexplicable how that development was misinterpreted.当时对这一事态发展的错误理解究竟是怎么产生的，现在已经无法说清楚了。
• There are many things which are inexplicable by science.有很多事科学还无法解释。

18 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。

19 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

20 circumference   

n.圆周，周长，圆周线

参考例句：

• It's a mile round the circumference of the field.运动场周长一英里。
• The diameter and the circumference of a circle correlate.圆的直径与圆周有相互关系。

21 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

22 mathematician   

n.数学家

参考例句：

• The man with his back to the camera is a mathematician.背对着照相机的人是位数学家。
• The mathematician analyzed his figures again.这位数学家再次分析研究了他的这些数字。

23 conjecture   

n./v.推测，猜测

参考例句：

• She felt it no use to conjecture his motives.她觉得猜想他的动机是没有用的。
• This conjecture is not supported by any real evidence.这种推测未被任何确切的证据所证实。

24 noughts   

零，无，没有( nought的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A million is written with six noughts. 一百万写出来有六个零。
• Using binary notation is in fact just manipulating ones and noughts. 使用二进制标号法实际上只运用1和0两个数。

25 cannon   

n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮

参考例句：

• The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。
• The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。

26 cannons   

n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cannons bombarded enemy lines. 大炮轰击了敌军阵地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One company had been furnished with six cannons. 某连队装备了六门大炮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

27 hurling   

n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• The boat rocked wildly, hurling him into the water. 这艘船剧烈地晃动，把他甩到水中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Fancy hurling away a good chance like that, the silly girl! 想想她竟然把这样一个好机会白白丢掉了，真是个傻姑娘！ 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 projectiles   

n.抛射体( projectile的名词复数 )；（炮弹、子弹等）射弹，（火箭等）自动推进的武器

参考例句：

• These differences are connected with the strong absorption of the composite projectiles. 这些差别与复杂的入射粒子的强烈吸收有关。 来自辞典例句
• Projectiles became more important because cannons could now fire balls over hundreds or yards. 抛射体变得更加重要，因为人们已能用大炮把炮弹射到几百码的距离之外。 来自辞典例句

29 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

30 sipped   

v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sipped his coffee pleasurably. 他怡然地品味着咖啡。
• I sipped the hot chocolate she had made. 我小口喝着她调制的巧克力热饮。 来自辞典例句

31 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

32 marrow   

n.骨髓；精华；活力

参考例句：

• It was so cold that he felt frozen to the marrow. 天气太冷了，他感到寒冷刺骨。
• He was tired to the marrow of his bones.他真是累得筋疲力尽了。

33 tinkle   

vi.叮当作响；n.叮当声

参考例句：

• The wine glass dropped to the floor with a tinkle.酒杯丁零一声掉在地上。
• Give me a tinkle and let me know what time the show starts.给我打个电话，告诉我演出什么时候开始。

34 dishonoured   

a.不光彩的，不名誉的

参考例句：

• You have dishonoured the name of the school. 你败坏了学校的名声。
• We found that the bank had dishonoured some of our cheques. 我们发现银行拒绝兑现我们的部分支票。

35 abominate   

v.憎恨，厌恶

参考例句：

• All the teachers abominate cheating in examinations.所有教师都憎恶考试作弊。
• It has been my tragedy that I abominate the English countryside.我不喜欢英格兰农村，这一直是我的不幸。

36 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

37 remorse   

n.痛恨，悔恨，自责

参考例句：

• She had no remorse about what she had said.她对所说的话不后悔。
• He has shown no remorse for his actions.他对自己的行为没有任何悔恨之意。

38 futile   

adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的

参考例句：

• They were killed,to the last man,in a futile attack.因为进攻失败，他们全部被杀，无一幸免。
• Their efforts to revive him were futile.他们对他抢救无效。

39 contention   

n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张

参考例句：

• The pay increase is the key point of contention. 加薪是争论的焦点。
• The real bone of contention,as you know,is money.你知道，争论的真正焦点是钱的问题。

40 displacement   

n.移置，取代，位移，排水量

参考例句：

• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
• The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。