«Nothing.»
«Of course,» said Shea, «you’d never have stood the physical end of it.»
Chalmers sighed. «I suppose not.»
Shea went on: «It checked your theory of paraphysics all right. In that universe the laws of similarity and contagion held good — at least, the magic spells I figured out with their help worked.»
Chalmers brushed his grey mop out of his eyes. «Amazing! I asserted that the transfer of the physical body, to another spacetime frame by symbolic logic — what did you call it? A syllogismobile! was possible. But it is a shock to have so — uh — far-fetched a deduction confirmed by experimental proof.»
Shea said: «Sure, we’ve got something all right. But what are we going to do with it?»
Chalmers frowned. «It is rather obscure. Presents a whole new world-picture, unlike anything but some of the Oriental religions. An infinity of universes, moving along parallel but distinct space-time vectors. But, as you put it, what can be done with it? If I publish the results of your experiment they’ll simply say poor old Chalmers has. uh. a tile loose, and in any case an experimental psychologist has no business venturing into physics. Think of Oliver Lodge!» He shuddered. «The only satisfactory proof would be to send some of the doubters to another universe. Unfortunately, we could hardly count on their encountering Grua with a handful of enchanted snow. They would be unable to return, and the doubters left behind would be doubters still. You perceive the difficulty.»
«Huh-uh. Wonder how the fight came out? It might be worth while going back to see.»
«It would be inadvisable. The Ragnarok was only beginning when you left. You might return to find the giants had won and were in charge. If you wish adventure, there are plenty of other and less —» The voice trailed off.
«Other what?»
«Well, perhaps nothing of importance. I was about to say — systematic attainable universes. Since you left I have been engaged in the development of the structural theory of a multiple-universe cosmology, and —»
Shea interrupted. «Listen, Dr. Chalmers. We both know too much psychology to kid each other. Something’s eating you besides paraphysical mathematics.»
«Harold» — Chalmers gave a sigh — «I’ve always maintained that you’d make a better. uh. salesman or politician than psychologist. You’re weak on theory, but in offhand, rule-of-thumb diagnosis of behaviour patterns, you are incomparable.»
«Don’t evade, Doctor.»
«Very well. Were you perhaps thinking of making another journey soon?»
«Why, I just got back and haven’t had time to think. Say! You aren’t suggesting you’d like to go along, are you?»
Reed Chalmers rolled a fragment of bread into a precise grey pill. «As a matter of fact that’s what I was suggesting, Harold. Here I am, fifty-six years old, without family or intimate friends — except you young men of the Garaden Institute. I have made — or believe I have — the greatest cosmological discovery since Copernicus, yet its nature is such that it cannot be proved, and no one will credit it without the most exhaustive proof.» He shrugged slightly. «My work is done, but to a result that will afford me no appreciation in this world. May I not. uh. be permitted the foible of seeking a fuller life elsewhere?»
* * *
Back in Shea’s room and seated in the best armchair, Chalmers stretched his legs and meditatively sipped a highball. «I’m afraid your suggestion of Cuchulainn’s Ireland does not meet with my approval. An adventurous life, no doubt — but culturally a barbarism, with an elaborate system of taboos, violations of which are punished by the removal of heads,»
«But the girls —» protested Shea. «Those piano-legged Scowegian blondes — they all reminded me of Gertrude —»
«For a person of my age amorous adventure has few attractions. And as my partner in this enterprise I must ask you to remember that while you have. uh. certain physical skills that would be useful anywhere, I am limited to fields where intellectual attainments would be of more value than in ancient Ireland. The only non- warriors who got anywhere in those days were minstrels — and I can neither compose lays nor play the harp.»
Shea grinned maliciously. «All right, you leave the girls to me, then. But I guess you’re right; we’ll have to drop Queen Maev and Ossian.» He peered around the bookshelves. «How about this?»
Chalmers examined the volume he handed down. «Spenser’s
«But,» protested Shea, «if you’re going adventuring you can’t avoid —» and then stopped, his mouth open.
«You were about to say ‘danger’, were you not?» said Chalmers, with a smile. «I confess —»
Shea got to his feet. «Doctor. Doc —» he burst out. «Listen: why shouldn’t we jump right into that last part of the
«You are immodest, Harold,» replied Chalmers, but he was leaning forward. «Still, it is an. uh. attractive plan; to look in another world for the achievement denied in this. Suppose you fill my glass again while we consider details.»
«Well, the first detail I’d like to know something about is what new wrinkles in theory you have in mind.»
Chalmers settled himself and took on his lecture-room manner. «As I see it, our universes have a relation analogous to that of a pencil of parallel vectors,» said he. «The vectors themselves represent time, of course. That gives us a six-dimensional cosmos — three in space, one in time, and two which define the relationships of one universe of the cosmos to another.»
«You know enough mathematics to be aware that the ‘fourth dimension’, so called, is only a dimension in the sense of a measurable quality, like colour or density. The same applies for the interuniversal dimensions. I maintain —»
«Whoa!» said Shea. «Is there an infinite number of universes?»
«Ahem — I wish you would learn to avoid interruptions, Harold. I used to believe so. But now I consider the number finite, though very large.»
«Let me continue. I maintain that what we call ‘magic’ is merely. the physics of some of these other universes. This physics is capable of operating along the interuniversal dimensions —»
«I see,» Shea interrupted again. «Just as light can operate through interplanetary space, but sound requires some such conducting medium as air or water.»
«The analogy is not perfect. Let me continue. You know how the theme of conjuring things up and making them disappear constantly recurs in fairy tales. These phenomena become plausible if we assume the enchanter is snatching things from another universe or banishing them to one.»
Shea said: «I see an objection. If the laws of magic don’t operate in the conducting medium of our universe, how’s it possible to learn about them? I mean, how did they get into fairy stories?»
«The question is somewhat obvious. You remember my remarking that dements suffered hallucinations because their personalities were split between this universe and another? The same applies to the composers of fairy stories, though to a lesser degree. Naturally, it would apply to any writer of fantasy, such as Dunsany or Hubbard. When he describes some strange world, he is offering a somewhat garbled version of a real one, having its own set of dimensions quite independent of ours.»
Shea sipped his highball in silence. Then he asked: «Why can’t we conjure things into and out of this universe?»
«We can. You successfully conjured yourself out of this one. But it is probable that certain of these parallel
