diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/65896-h/65896-h.htm')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65896-h/65896-h.htm | 1776 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 1776 deletions
diff --git a/old/65896-h/65896-h.htm b/old/65896-h/65896-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index c63852f..0000000 --- a/old/65896-h/65896-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1776 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of So Many Worlds Away..., by Dwight V. Swain. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -.blockquot { - margin-left: 5%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -.ph1 { text-align: right; text-indent: 0em; } -.ph1 { font-size: medium; margin: .83em auto; } - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - -<div style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of So Many Worlds Away..., by Dwight V. Swain</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: So Many Worlds Away...</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Dwight V. Swain</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: July 22, 2021 [eBook #65896]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SO MANY WORLDS AWAY... ***</div> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>SO MANY WORLDS AWAY....</h1> - -<h2>By Dwight V. Swain</h2> - -<p>Horning's married life was unbearable so<br /> -he sought peace in another dimension. But was<br /> -his past somehow linked with other worlds?...</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy<br /> -July 1952<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>It was nearly four o'clock in the windowless basement laboratory when -Horning screwed tight the last connection.</p> - -<p>He straightened, shrugged the kinks from his back and shoulders, and -wiped his hands clean on a wad of waste. Crossing to the battered desk -in the corner, he pushed back Margaret's picture, got out pen and -paper, and wrote briefly:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p><i>Dear Myrtle</i>,</p> - -<p><i>It's time we faced facts. I never should have married you after -Margaret died. My work means everything to me; I can't give it up. But -you detest the whole business of being a scientist's wife. Knowing how -you feel about the "shame" of divorce, I won't ask you to let me leave -you legally. There's a better way out. By the time you read this, -I'll either have breached and bridged the space-time continuum to -another plane, or I'll be dead. In either case, you'll be happier with -me gone. My patent royalties and insurance will take care of you as -long as you live.</i></p> - -<p><i>Good luck, and I'm sorry it didn't work out.</i></p> - -<p class="ph1"><i>Raymond.</i></p></div> - -<p>Horning weighted the letter down in the center of the desk. Then, -pushing back his chair, he picked up Margaret's picture.</p> - -<p>She smiled up at him as always, so real the sight of her brought a -tightness to his throat. When he closed his eyes, he could almost hear -her voice, rippling with gay, gentle laughter. He felt her lips on -his ... her dark, silken hair against his cheek.</p> - -<p>Only Margaret had lain in her grave for three years now....</p> - -<p>Horning drew a quick, shallow breath. Sliding the photo from its frame, -he tucked it into the breast pocket of his shirt.</p> - -<p>Back at the workbench, he heaved up the bulky transdimensional -registration unit, strapped it on and adjusted the scanning scope to -the proper angle against his chest. Dial by dial, circuit by circuit, -he checked the light-loop's control panel.</p> - -<p>Everything was ready.</p> - -<p>This was the moment he'd worked for ... the great gamble, the final -test. Not even Myrtle could stop him now.</p> - -<p>Palm slick with sweat, he gripped the master switch and shoved it shut.</p> - -<p>Purple light flared in the tubes set in the light-loop's door-like -metal frame. The blank wall behind it took on the familiar translucent -glow.</p> - -<p>Horning opened the intensifier channels and increased the alpha and -gamma readings.</p> - -<p>The light turned silver. The wall behind the framework disappeared.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Horning stepped onto the ramp that led up to the frame. In the humming -stillness he could hear the sound of his own heartbeat, drumming faster -and faster. The sharp, chlorine-like smell of ozone filled the air.</p> - -<p>For an instant, then, he hesitated, acutely conscious of an -uncontrollable trembling. Sweat drenched him; the sour stench of it cut -through the ozone.</p> - -<p>He thought: <i>Maybe they're right. Maybe I'm crazy to think I can cross -the barrier between the worlds.</i></p> - -<p>Upstairs, the front door slammed. The house echoed with the thud of -heavy footsteps.</p> - -<p>Myrtle's footsteps—!</p> - -<p>Horning sucked in one final, desperate breath and stepped through the -light-loop's frame.</p> - -<p>It was so simple, really. Just like going out a doorway, into a -limitless expanse of shining silver plain. He felt no pain, no shock, -not even slight discomfort.</p> - -<p>Swiftly, skillfully, he adjusted the transdimensional registration -unit's dials.</p> - -<p>Light flickered on the scanning scope's screen, a shapeless blur.</p> - -<p>Horning twisted the focussing knob. The blur resolved. A scene took -form.</p> - -<p>Taut with excitement, Horning stared for the first time into another -world.</p> - -<p>The place was an apartment, he decided. But what an apartment! It -shimmered like a modernist's sparkling dream. The decor was brilliant, -unique in style. Metal and plastic combined in sleek, functional forms.</p> - -<p>Nor was this all. A man stood by a table, back to the screen, mixing a -drink. While Horning watched, he restoppered the bottle and stepped out -a door to the right.</p> - -<p>Horning frowned. He had a strange feeling, somehow, that he'd seen the -man somewhere before.</p> - -<p>Shrugging it off, he lined up the crosshairs on the screen with -infinite care and switched the projector drive to high.</p> - -<p>Before his very eyes, the shining silver plain dissolved. The shadowy -walls of the room on the screen rose about him. Furnishings appeared in -misty outline.</p> - -<p>Horning pressed the reintegrator button.</p> - -<p>The walls lost their shadow. The furnishings took on solid form.</p> - -<p>Horning came to rest with a heavy thud, sprawled in the center of the -floor.</p> - -<p>Behind him, there was a stir of sudden movement; a choked exclamation.</p> - -<p>Before he could turn or regain his feet, a man's tight voice clipped, -"Don't move—or you die!"</p> - -<p>Horning froze. "There's no need to be frightened," he said quickly. -"I'm merely a—a traveler. I've come here from another plane—"</p> - -<p>"I understand perfectly!" the voice snapped back. "I happen to be an -authority on such matters. That's why I say—if you move, you die!"</p> - -<p>Horning's spine prickled. Just as he'd had the feeling he'd seen the -man on the screen before, now it came to him that the voice, too, was -strangely familiar.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Behind him, shoes scraped the floor. Fingers probed warily at his -pockets, his belt, his armpits. Then they went away again and the voice -said, "All right. Now take off that outfit."</p> - -<p>Wordless, wooden-fingered, Horning unstrapped the transdimensional -registration unit's harness.</p> - -<p>"Get up!" the voice commanded.</p> - -<p>Horning obeyed.</p> - -<p>"Now sit down on that lounge in front of you, with your hands on the -arms."</p> - -<p>Horning crossed to the divan and turned around. For the first time, he -faced his captor.</p> - -<p>It was the same man Horning had seen on the screen. He stood poised, -cat-footed, back against the gleaming metaloid wall. An ugly, -snub-nosed pistol of strange design was in his hand.</p> - -<p>And his face was Horning's face.</p> - -<p>Horning went rigid—shocked, half unbelieving.</p> - -<p>"Down!" rapped his counterpart.</p> - -<p>Horning sank numbly to the seat.</p> - -<p>"Who are you? Why did you come here?"</p> - -<p>Some of the numbness left Horning. Cold anger came in its place. "Why -ask me?" he lashed back. "I thought you knew all the answers."</p> - -<p>The man's knuckles whitened on the pistol. "I want the truth!"</p> - -<p>Horning laughed. Of a sudden he felt bold and reckless. "I told you the -first time. I came from another world, a different plane—"</p> - -<p>The gun moved in a flat, incisive gesture. "I know all that! The -parallel worlds, the Worlds of 'If'. Parmenides and his theory of the -Eternal Now. The idea that life's a book with an infinity of pages; -that every event automatically creates coexisting planes, one for each -possible outcome—" Horning's captor broke off. "But <i>why</i>? What drove -you to cross the barrier?"</p> - -<p>Horning shrugged. "It was Myrtle—" he began wryly.</p> - -<p>The other started; fell back a step. "<i>Myrtle—?</i>"</p> - -<p>"My wife. I wanted to leave her."</p> - -<p>"You mean—you breached the continuum for no better reason...?"</p> - -<p>Horning laughed curtly. "For my part, I found it a very adequate -reason."</p> - -<p>For a long moment the other stared at him. Then, abruptly, he, too, -laughed. The snub-nosed gun's muzzle lowered.</p> - -<p>"You amaze me," his captor chuckled. He bowed. "Permit me to introduce -myself. I'm Doctor Raymond X. Horning."</p> - -<p>"My coexisting counterpart on this plane—?"</p> - -<p>"Of course. The alter ego is bound to serve as a focal point when you -cross the barrier." The man pocketed his gun and walked over to the -table. "Let me mix you a drink. After such an experience, you need a -pickup."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Horning leaned back, studying the other obliquely and trying to fathom -the sudden change in his attitude.</p> - -<p>Too, he still marveled at the similarity between them. They were so -alike they could pass as twins, he decided. Identical twins. The only -difference between them lay in details of expression—the sardonic -twist to the other's mouth; the chill, penetrating gleam in the -deep-set eyes.</p> - -<p>His counterpart handed him a glass. "You amuse me, my friend. But I'm -afraid you don't realize the full implications of what you've done."</p> - -<p>"Such as—?" Horning queried, sipping at the drink and finding it good.</p> - -<p>"Such as the fact that interdimensional transit is not only a logical -impossibility, but a very practical menace."</p> - -<p>Horning frowned. "Why?"</p> - -<p>"Because it puts two identical personalities on one plane." The man -with Horning's face dropped into a chair and hunched forward. "Take our -own situation as an example. You're married to a shrew, a termagant. -You want to leave her."</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"I, on the other hand, have a young and charming wife who holds a -considerable fortune in her own right. Consequently, it would be -ever so much to your advantage to switch places with me." Horning's -counterpart brought up one square-knit hand in an expressive gesture. -"What's to prevent your murdering me and moving in?"</p> - -<p>Horning nodded slowly. "I see what you mean."</p> - -<p>"I'm convinced it's actually happened a few times already," the other -asserted. "Though of course it's not generally known. Fortunately, -we've never worked out the principle on this plane." He paused to -drink, then set down his glass. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully, and -he nodded in the direction of the transdimensional registration unit. -"Just how does it work, Doctor? I've always wondered where my own -experiments went wrong."</p> - -<p>For a moment Horning hesitated, then shrugged. "See for yourself." -Kneeling, he unsnapped the unit's back plate and exposed the circuits. -"The registration dials are set with my own world as zero. You pick -up others in the scanning scope as you go, within the limits of the -projector drive. After that, it's just a problem of reintegration."</p> - -<p>Beside him, the man who was his coexisting self craned. "So that's it! -I never dreamed it could be so simple."</p> - -<p>"I used a light-loop to help break through the barrier," Horning -explained, sketching out a hasty diagram. "It helps to increase the -power output—"</p> - -<p>"Of course." The other was down on the floor now, probing into the -unit's workings. "I've developed all the component elements at one -time or another, but when it came to combining them properly, I always -managed to miss out."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Horning rose and drained his glass. "Well, you know now," he observed. -"For my part, I'm ready to start work on some other project, now that -I've gotten to this world."</p> - -<p>"I was afraid you'd say that," the other Doctor Raymond X. Horning -remarked. Straightening, he snapped shut the back panel of the -transdirectional registration unit. "But ... it's not easy."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?"</p> - -<p>Horning's counterpart got up. "I mean you can't stay in this world. -You're going to have to leave again."</p> - -<p>"To leave—!" Horning turned sharply.</p> - -<p>"Yes." Beneath the blandness of the other's manner, a new note rang, -grim and unyielding. "As I pointed out, interdimensional transit's a -logical impossibility. There's no way of integrating two identical -personalities, two selves of the same man, into a highly organized -society such as this one."</p> - -<p>"And for a reason like that you'd try to force me out—?" Horning took -an angry step forward.</p> - -<p>But his counterpart jumped back, out of the way. His hand darted to his -pocket, whipping out the snub-nosed pistol.</p> - -<p>Horning came to an abrupt halt.</p> - -<p>The blandness was gone from the other's face now. The deep-set eyes -were cold, the sardonic lines set.</p> - -<p>He said: "There's another reason, Doctor. I like my life; I like my -wife. And I'm afraid the temptation to relieve me of both might prove -too great for you."</p> - -<p>"You're being absurd," Horning snapped. "Not to mention insulting."</p> - -<p>"Am I?" His counterpart smiled thinly. "I doubt that, my friend. You -see, we're one, really. Though we live on separate planes, we both feel -the same drives, the same tensions, the same impulses."</p> - -<p>"You're talking nonsense!"</p> - -<p>"No nonsense, Doctor." The pistol in his counterpart's hand was very -steady. "Given the proper pressure, a strong enough motive, I know that -even I could kill. In your situation, I'd certainly feel justified in -murdering you. So I have no intention of giving you the chance to make -me your victim."</p> - -<p>"So—?" snapped Horning.</p> - -<p>"So, you're going to leave now," his coexisting self answered bluntly. -"You can be thankful I'll even let you go alive." He gestured with the -pistol. "Strap on your unit. And be assured I'd have no hesitancy about -shooting you if I have to."</p> - -<p>Horning clenched his fists, caught up in a churning sea of fury. "So -help me—!"</p> - -<p>The gun centered on his belly. "I'll give you till I count ten," his -counterpart clipped tightly.</p> - -<p>Horning bit down hard. Pivoting, he hoisted the transdimensional -registration unit from the floor and strapped it into position.</p> - -<p>"In case you have any foolish ideas of coming back, let me warn you -that I intend to set up a force barrier around this place," the man -with his face observed with grim malice. "If you try to breach it, I'll -kill you on sight."</p> - -<p>Wordless, still seething, Horning switched the projector drive to -reverse.</p> - -<p>The room grew shadowy about him. His counterpart faded.</p> - -<p>Horning pressed the disintegrator button.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Of a sudden, room and counterpart were gone. Once more Horning stood -alone in the vastness of the shining silver plain. His head throbbed -dully; he felt incredibly tired and drained.</p> - -<p>For a moment he almost considered going back to his own world ... back -to Myrtle.</p> - -<p>But nightmare memories of the empty, bitter life they'd led rose up -to steel him, all hatred, conflict, tension ... so different from the -happiness of the other days, the days with Margaret.</p> - -<p>Margaret.... He touched her picture, still safe in his pocket.</p> - -<p>There were other worlds—an infinity of them. Somewhere, sometime, he'd -find the one world he sought.</p> - -<p>Again, he turned the transdimensional registration unit's dials.</p> - -<p>Light flashed on the scanning scope's screen. Stiff-fingered, Horning -focussed.</p> - -<p>Here the scene was one of bleak desolations, painted in a hundred -drab shades of grey. A murky sky pressed down on sullen hills, thick -underfoot with powdery, ash-dry dust. Seared shafts that might once -have been trees thrust up here and there like skeletal fingers. In the -foreground rose the crumbling corner of a ruined building, base buried -deep in rubble.</p> - -<p>A man crouched there—ragged, bone-gaunt, grey as the shattered walls -at his back. He clutched a club in one claw-like hand, and the strain -of utter panic, despair, stood out in every taut, harsh-drawn line.</p> - -<p>Before the man, hemming him in, ranged a dozen great, six-legged, -wolfish beasts of a fearsome genus Horning had never seen before. -Snarling, slavering, they crowded in closer and closer, huge fangs -bared.</p> - -<p>With a chill of horror, Horning flipped the magnifier across the -scanning scope's screen.</p> - -<p>The beleagured man's face leaped up at him, sharp and clear.</p> - -<p>"No—!" Horning choked. "No!"</p> - -<p>For the other's fear-blanched face was his face, too ... the face of -another coexisting self, doomed to live and die in this grey, desolate -world.</p> - -<p>Even as Horning cried out, one of the great wolf-things sprang.</p> - -<p>The man jerked back and lashed out with his club. The beast fell short, -battered down.</p> - -<p>But in the same instant, another of the creatures lunged, from the -other side. Its hideous, slashing fangs closed on the man's club arm.</p> - -<p>The impact bore the man to his knees. Before he could recover, a third -of the wolf-things was at his throat. Blood gushed, a sharp scarlet -accent in a world of grey.</p> - -<p>Horning squeezed his eyes tight shut in a frenzied effort to shut out -the horror. Spasmodically, he spun the transdimensional registration -unit's dials.</p> - -<p>Again there was a flicker of light. Hands still atremble, Horning -focussed on it.</p> - -<p>A new world came alive before him.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>This time, the scene was laid in what appeared to be a cheap cafe. A -throng of loungers lined the bar set against the far wall. But their -shabby clothes were of a cut and material unknown to Horning. The -grimed, poorly-executed murals struck a note of jangling discord, as if -even the arts here were keyed to a different plane.</p> - -<p>In the foreground, a man gone flabby with fat slumped on his arms at a -table, a bottle half full of greenish liquor before him.</p> - -<p>A sudden commotion stirred at the far end of the room. The loungers -milled and drew back.</p> - -<p>Four men in sack-like purple uniforms pushed through the crowd with -cold arrogance. Their features had an oriental cast, and they carried -drawn swords of strange design.</p> - -<p>The first of the quartet came abreast the table in the foreground. -Stepping aside, he gestured contemptuously towards the man slumped -there.</p> - -<p>The other three troopers swaggered up and jerked the man bodily from -his chair.</p> - -<p>For the first time, Horning saw the sodden man's face.</p> - -<p>Again, as in the other worlds, it was his own.</p> - -<p>Now, the fat man shook his head blearily, as if trying to blink the -haze of drink from his eyes.</p> - -<p>The leader of the four uniformed men slapped him savagely, first on one -side of the face and then the other.</p> - -<p>Horning's coexisting self sagged to his knees.</p> - -<p>The leader of the men in purple kicked him in the stomach.</p> - -<p>Horning's counterpart vomited.</p> - -<p>The men in purple laughed and threw their prisoner down at full length -on the floor with all their might. Then, catching him by the feet, they -dragged him bodily out of both drinking house and range of the scanning -scope's screen.</p> - -<p>Shuddering, Horning stared off across the shining silver plain. Of a -sudden he had no heart for searching through other worlds; knew that he -would not have till time had dimmed the memory of this day.</p> - -<p>It left him no choice but to go back to his own plane ... back to -Myrtle.</p> - -<p>And if she'd found his note.... He shook his head in wry dismay.</p> - -<p>But he had no other course left open. Carefully, he turned the -transdimensional registration unit's calibrated dials back to zero ... -manipulated the controls.</p> - -<p>The light-loop's tubes blazed and pulsated on the scanner screen, so -bright they obscured everything beyond. The frame materialized before -him, rising like a shimmering, translucent gateway amid the empty -vastness of the silver plain.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Heavy-footed, heavy-hearted, Horning stepped through it, back to the -basement laboratory that lay in his own world.</p> - -<p>And there was Myrtle. Head thrust forward, one thick arm belligerently -akimbo, she stood by the desk, reading Horning's note.</p> - -<p>Horning stopped short.</p> - -<p>Myrtle's glance flicked to him. Her eyes, black and beady, drew to -fury-glinting, fat-rimmed slits.</p> - -<p>Horning stumbled from the ramp, fumbling at the transit unit's harness.</p> - -<p>But Myrtle was upon him in three walloping strides—clutching his -shirt-front, shoving her face close to his. An aura of cheap perfume, -stale face powder, clothes that could have done with more frequent -laundering, washed over Horning in unpleasant waves.</p> - -<p>"You—!"</p> - -<p>She spat the word with such venom that her face shook.</p> - -<p>Horning tried to speak, but no words came.</p> - -<p>"Leave me, will you—!"</p> - -<p>"Myrtle—"</p> - -<p>She struck him across the mouth.</p> - -<p>Horning's head reeled. He tried to twist free.</p> - -<p>But Myrtle's hand was still locked in his shirt-front. Savagely, she -jerked him back and hit him again.</p> - -<p>Horning staggered. His shirt ripped. Margaret's portrait fluttered from -his pocket to the floor.</p> - -<p>Myrtle went rigid. Eyes dilating, she stared at the fallen picture.</p> - -<p>Horning tore loose her hand and scooped the photo from the floor.</p> - -<p>Teeth bared, nostrils flaring, Myrtle closed in upon him. "So that's -it!" she cried shrilly.</p> - -<p>"What—?"</p> - -<p>"So you thought you'd go back to her, that's what! You figured you'd -find her in another world—"</p> - -<p>A chill ran up and down Horning's spine. He tucked the picture back in -his pocket. "Myrtle, you don't know what you're saying—"</p> - -<p>"Oh, don't I?" His wife laughed wildly. Grey hair fell across her -forehead in snarled disarray. "Maybe I know more than you think, -Doctor Raymond X. Horning! I've read those things you wrote—all that -craziness about the other worlds. But I didn't know <i>why</i> you wanted to -go there till now."</p> - -<p>Horning fumbled with the transdimensional registration unit's straps. -Unslinging the bulky case, he lowered it to the floor. He dared not -trust himself to speak.</p> - -<p>But Myrtle closed in upon him, clawing at him. "Admit it!" she -shrieked. "Go ahead! Tell me to my face you'd rather have that—that -slut than me—"</p> - -<p>Horning wheeled. His hands shook. "Myrtle, I've taken every word from -you that I intend to," he said tightly. "Get out of my laboratory! Now! -This instant!" Myrtle's nails raked at his eyes.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Before he could recover from fending off the blow, she had snatched -Margaret's picture from his pocket.</p> - -<p>"I'll show you!" she cried, shrill and strident. "I'll let you see what -I think of her, the dirty little tramp!"</p> - -<p>She spat full in the face of the picture.</p> - -<p>Horning hit her.</p> - -<p>She lurched back two tottering steps, tripped, and sprawled on the -floor.</p> - -<p>Horning strode to her, jerked Margaret's photo from her hand, and wiped -it clean.</p> - -<p>He said: "I'm through. Whether you like it or not, I'm filing for -divorce tomorrow."</p> - -<p>His wife dragged herself up to a sitting position, her face a mask of -hate and cunning.</p> - -<p>"Go ahead," she goaded. "Go <i>right</i> ahead, Doctor Raymond X. Horning." -Her voice rose, took on new and even more bitter overtones of malice. -"But ... just don't blame anyone but yourself for whatever happens to -your precious apparatus."</p> - -<p>Heaving herself to her feet, she stomped out of the laboratory and off -up the basement stairs.</p> - -<p>Fists clenched, Horning watched her go. Then, wearily, he crossed to -his ancient desk and dropped down in the chair.</p> - -<p>As always, Myrtle had won. The first time he left the house she'd be -at work here—breaking down the door, smashing his equipment and his -dreams.</p> - -<p>And as for Margaret.... He smoothed her picture. But the features -blurred and his eyes began to burn, till at last he pushed the -photograph back in his pocket and slumped forward on his arms.</p> - -<p>How long he lay there he never knew. Later, sometimes, he thought -perhaps he'd slept.</p> - -<p>Then, dimly, he became conscious of a sound ... a humming, persistent -vibrance that grew steadily louder. It dawned on him that he'd -forgotten to turn off the light-loop's master switch.</p> - -<p>He got up and started towards the control panel.</p> - -<p>In the same instant, he glimpsed a shadowy figure, framed in the -door-like scaffolding of tubes and metal that formed the gateway to the -shining silver plain that lay like a shimmering no-man's land between -the parallel worlds.</p> - -<p>Horning came up short, staring.</p> - -<p>The figure outlined in the light-loop grew sharper. A man lurched -through the frame, into the room. His face was Horning's face, and he -staggered under the weight of a transdimensional registration unit, -plus a great, bulging, cumbersome bundle slung across his shoulder.</p> - -<p>Horning started forward.</p> - -<p>His visitor said, "Hold it!" sharply and brought a snub-barreled, -too-familiar pistol into view.</p> - -<p>Horning stopped in his tracks.</p> - -<p>"You mean—it's you—?"</p> - -<p>The man from beyond the barrier laughed and spilled the bulky bundle -off his shoulder, down onto the floor. "Of course, Doctor! I thought -I'd return your visit." He prodded the bundle with his toe. "I even -brought you a present."</p> - -<p>"But ... I thought you said you'd never developed a successful transit -unit...."</p> - -<p>"I hadn't, till you came along and showed me how. As I told you, I'd -worked out the components. Once I had a chance to look over your unit, -integrating them was no job at all."</p> - -<p>"But why...?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The man with Horning's face laughed again. "That comes later, my -friend. After you've admired the present I brought you."</p> - -<p>Horning eyed the bundle. Limp and bulky, it was nearly six feet long -and wrapped loosely in a covering of some greenish plastic.</p> - -<p>"Go ahead. Look it over," his visitor invited, gesturing with the gun. -"It's all yours."</p> - -<p>New uneasiness crept through Horning. Slowly, he came forward and, -kneeling, started to untie the cords that held the bundle closed.</p> - -<p>"You're too slow," the man said. "Here. Let me do it."</p> - -<p>He tugged at one corner of the covering. The plastic tore away.</p> - -<p>Feminine hair came into view. A head lolled over, exposed.</p> - -<p>Horning found himself staring down into a nightmarish, waxen face. A -thin breath bubbled the lips. He leaped back, choking.</p> - -<p>"Myrtle—!"</p> - -<p>"Correct," his counterpart chuckled. "Or perhaps I should say—<i>my</i> -Myrtle."</p> - -<p>"<i>Your</i> Myrtle—?" A convulsive tremor shook Horning. "But I -thought...."</p> - -<p>"You thought I had a charming wife who held a fortune in her own name," -the other retorted coolly. "The part about the fortune was true. As -for the rest"—he shrugged—"well, you can see that I, too, married a -wasp-tongued shrew named Myrtle—the coexisting counterpart of your own -trouble."</p> - -<p>With an effort, Horning stilled his trembling. "Then why lie to me?" he -demanded in sudden, flaring anger. "What possible reason—"</p> - -<p>"I was afraid to let you know. And ... I needed time to work out a -plan." The sardonic lines about his alter ego's mouth etched deeper. -"I've taken care of that detail now."</p> - -<p>Horning drew back another step. "I don't think I care to hear about -it," he clipped tightly.</p> - -<p>"Oh, but you must!" his counterpart retorted. "You see, you're vital -to it."</p> - -<p>"I don't care for that, either."</p> - -<p>The other's deep-set eyes glinted. "Not even if it would enable you to -get rid of your own wife in perfect safety?"</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"It's a wonderful plan. So simple...."</p> - -<p>Horning cut him off with a short, decisive gesture. "I don't want to -hear it."</p> - -<p>The man with Horning's face took one fast step forward. His head seemed -to draw down between his shoulders. "And I say you're going to hear it, -whether you want to or not!" he snapped harshly. He swung the gun in a -threatening arc. "I don't intend to have gone through all of this for -nothing."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Horning hooked his thumbs in his belt and met the other's cold eyes -with all the bravado he could muster. He said nothing.</p> - -<p>"I merely propose that we switch wives," his counterpart clipped.</p> - -<p>"Switch wives—!" Shock startled the words from Horning.</p> - -<p>"Could anything be simpler? Here are two women, completely identical. -Both are stupid, both termagants in their own right. So, each falls -asleep tonight in her own world. In the morning, she wakes up in -another."</p> - -<p>Horning twisted at his belt. Narrow-eyed, frowning, he stared at his -visitor. "But why—?"</p> - -<p>The man's thin lips parted in a mirthless grin. "How would you feel -if, stupid and knowing nothing of transdimensional transit, you were -suddenly to awaken in a completely strange world? What would be your -chances of making a successful adjustment?"</p> - -<p>"I ... I don't know...."</p> - -<p>"Adjustment to environment is the key to integration of personality. -When anyone loses touch with his world, the background he knows as -reality, he can no longer adjust." Horning's counterpart paused. His -voice dropped a note. "Every plane has facilities to take care of such -unfortunates."</p> - -<p>The skin along the back of Horning's neck prickled. "You mean ... -Myrtle would go mad?" he whispered hoarsely.</p> - -<p>"That's what the psychiatrists would say, at least."</p> - -<p>A new tremor shook Horning. Unsteadily, he made his way to the chair by -the desk and slumped into it.</p> - -<p>His other self chuckled. "It's beautiful, isn't it? All you need to -do is call the authorities in the morning. They'll take Myrtle to the -nearest mental hospital for observation—and that's the last you'll -ever see of her."</p> - -<p>Horning's collar was all at once too tight. His palms grew wet with icy -sweat.</p> - -<p>His coexisting self leaned back against the light-loop's control -panel. The pistol hung loose at his side.</p> - -<p>"We have an undetectable anesthetic in my world," he observed. "A few -drops of it on a handkerchief, pressed over your Myrtle's face tonight, -will make her sleep as soundly as my wife is sleeping over there." He -nodded to the still figure on the floor.</p> - -<p>Horning scrubbed the sweat from his hands against his pant-legs. -Shivering, he ran his fingers through his hair.</p> - -<p>"You'll be free to follow your research, wherever it leads you," his -counterpart murmured dreamily. "For me, I'll have my Myrtle's fortune -to console me." He laughed softly. "What could be simpler, or sweeter?"</p> - -<p>Horning slumped deeper into the chair. He rubbed at his cheek; squeezed -his eyes tight shut and then opened them again. The skin across his -forehead seemed to draw tighter and tighter, like a band of steel, -till it was all he could do to keep from screaming aloud. He twisted, -shifted, slid down further.</p> - -<p>His counterpart stretched. The dreamy look left the deep-set eyes.</p> - -<p>"We're dawdling too long. It's time we got started." He straightened. -"Come on."</p> - -<p>"No," said Horning.</p> - -<p>The man from across the barrier between the parallel worlds half -turned, head tilted, brows suddenly knitting. "What—?"</p> - -<p>"I said no," Horning answered through dry lips. "I'm not going to do -it."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The other's lean face went blank, incredulous. He came a step towards -Horning. "Do you know what you're saying, man? Would you actually pass -up a chance like this to rid yourself of that harridan you married?"</p> - -<p>Horning shifted in his seat. He dodged the other's eyes, not speaking.</p> - -<p>"But why? Why won't you? You'll never have another chance like this."</p> - -<p>"I don't know why," said Horning. "Or ... maybe I do...." His voice -trailed off.</p> - -<p>The other took a stand directly before him—feet spread apart, face -cold and rocky. "Don't give me that! We're really one—remember? I know -how you feel. You want to do it!"</p> - -<p>The fury in the man's voice struck an answering spark in Horning. He -came up from the chair. "I want to—but I'm not going to! Now get out! -And take her"—he gestured towards the other's unconscious wife—"with -you!"</p> - -<p>His counterpart seemed to grow suddenly taller. "When I'm ready to go, -I'll tell you!"</p> - -<p>"You'll go now!"</p> - -<p>"No!"</p> - -<p>Horning started forward.</p> - -<p>The other whipped up his gun. "I've come too far to quit now," he -clipped tightly. "If you're too much of a fool or a coward to go -along, then that's your bad luck. I'll handle things a different way." -His lips twisted. "Back up against the wall!"</p> - -<p>For the fraction of a second, Horning hesitated. But the gun in his -alter ego's hand stayed steady.</p> - -<p>Horning backed away.</p> - -<p>"Maybe this way is better, after all," his counterpart said. "Maybe I -should have planned it like this from the start."</p> - -<p>New lines of strain slashed his lean, sardonic face. The deep-set eyes -took on a light almost of madness.</p> - -<p>Then—lightning fast; without warning—he pivoted. The pistol in his -hand made flat, clicking sounds. There was no report, no muzzle flare.</p> - -<p>Three times he fired—straight at the limp form of his bound, drugged -wife.</p> - -<p>Dust leaped from the plastic wrapper as the slugs smashed home. The -woman's body jerked convulsively.</p> - -<p>Horning gave a hoarse cry and leaped forward.</p> - -<p>His counterpart jumped aside. He hit Horning hard on the back of the -neck with the pistol.</p> - -<p>Horning slammed to the floor. The room rocked about him.</p> - -<p>As from afar, he heard his alter ego's voice: "Get up!"</p> - -<p>Horning dragged himself to his knees, choking and gasping. He caught -a blurred glimpse of the limp figure of the woman who had been his -counterpart's wife. A thin trickle of blood was seeping from her -mouth....</p> - -<p>"Get up, I said!" the killer cried in a tight terrible voice.</p> - -<p>He kicked Horning in the side.</p> - -<p>Horning rolled away, pain stabbing through him. He scrambled to his -feet.</p> - -<p>"Climb onto the desk!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Shaking, Horning clambered up, standing half-crouched with the top of -his head pressing the ceiling. A water pipe lay like a cold knife-blade -against the back of his neck.</p> - -<p>His counterpart dragged a coil of insulated wire from the workbench and -threw it to Horning. "Here! Tie a noose!"</p> - -<p>In aching silence, Horning looped and twisted the wire.</p> - -<p>"You know what happens now, don't you?" The murderer from another world -leered up at him, rocking with laughter, and this time there was no -mistaking the madness in the deep-set eyes. "You're going to anchor -that wire to the water pipe, and put the noose around your scrawny -neck, and jump off the desk! After that"—he laughed again—"I'll take -your wife and go back to my own plane. When they find you here, with my -Myrtle and my gun, they'll say you murdered her and hanged yourself!"</p> - -<p>"They wont believe it!" Horning blurted. He groped desperately. -"They—they'll know from the gun. There's no other like it on this -plane—"</p> - -<p>"—So, they'll say it's a new development by the renowned scientist, -Doctor Raymond X. Horning—" Abruptly, the man who was Horning's -counterpart broke off. His mirth vanished, replaced by cold, gun-backed -menace. "You're stalling! Anchor that wire!"</p> - -<p>A knot of black fear drew tight in Horning's midriff. Numbly, he -fumbled with wire and pipe.</p> - -<p>"Anchor it!"</p> - -<p>Horning sucked in air.</p> - -<p>"Hurry up!"</p> - -<p>Horning let the wire drop.</p> - -<p>The coil hit the edge of the desk, hung for a moment, and then rolled -off onto the floor.</p> - -<p>The other's eyes flicked down to it. He cursed and took one short step -forward, hand outstretched.</p> - -<p>Horning dived off the desk, straight at him.</p> - -<p>The man from beyond the barrier started back. He jerked up the gun.</p> - -<p>His shot went wild. Horning landed on him with bone-crushing impact. -The gun skated off across the room. They crashed to the floor together, -rolling over and over till they hit the workbench. It rocked wildly. -Tools cascaded over them.</p> - -<p>Twisting, Horning drove a blow at his counterpart's face.</p> - -<p>The other writhed away. His elbow jabbed into Horning's throat.</p> - -<p>Horning choked. Before he could recover, a knee found his belly. The -wind went out of him. His adversary broke free and scrambled away, -clawing for the gun.</p> - -<p>Horning lunged after him. He caught a foot ... jerked and twisted with -all his might.</p> - -<p>The killer sprawled, flat on his face. But his outstretched hand -clutched the pistol.</p> - -<p>Horning snatched a Stillson wrench from the litter of tools fallen from -the workbench.</p> - -<p>His counterpart rolled, whipping round the gun.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Horning lashed out with the wrench, straight at the other's head. It -struck home with a sound like that of a dropped watermelon bursting on -a concrete sidewalk.</p> - -<p>The killer went limp.</p> - -<p>Horning sagged back, panting. After a moment, he saw that his -counterpart had stopped breathing.</p> - -<p>Horning staggered to his feet. His stomach churned. He lurched to the -wastebasket beside the desk and vomited.</p> - -<p>Then a dull, shuffling sound impinged upon him. Swaying, Horning came -erect and peered round behind him.</p> - -<p>Myrtle stood in the doorway, eyes blacker and beadier than ever. Her -jaw was set, her greying hair loose and disheveled. She wore a frayed, -ancient kimona and dirty white mules.</p> - -<p>Horning choked, "Myrtle, get back—!" and tried to move round between -her and the bodies. But she pushed past without speaking, straight to -his fallen counterpart, and bent as swiftly as her bulk would allow. -When she straightened, she held the murderer's pistol in her hand.</p> - -<p>"Myrtle, be careful—!"</p> - -<p>She shoved him back with a meaty hand, blocking him with her body, the -gun held behind her. He could not read her expression. When she spoke, -her voice was flat and without feeling, no longer strident: "I heard it -all, Raymond—all the conniving ... how you hate me ... that monster's -scheme to steal his wife's fortune...."</p> - -<p>Horning shrugged, not bothering to answer. Squatting down, he began -gathering together the tools spilled from the workbench.</p> - -<p>"Raymond...."</p> - -<p>Horning glanced up, then stiffened.</p> - -<p>Myrtle had brought round the pistol. She was pointing it at him.</p> - -<p>In the same flat voice she said: "Put on that outfit, Raymond. That -transdimensional whatever-you-call-it."</p> - -<p>Horning let the tools fall. "Are you out of your mind, woman? In this -shambles, with two corpses...." He choked, unable to go on.</p> - -<p>Myrtle said: "Put it on." Her face was a mask, an enigma. Her voice -stayed low, completely devoid of emotion. "I'll kill you if you don't."</p> - -<p>Horning stared into his wife's eyes. They were inscrutable, hard and -blank and black as twin balls of polished onyx.</p> - -<p>Myrtle's lips parted. Her jowls quivered. She steadied the pistol.</p> - -<p>Very slowly, very wearily, Horning rose. Wordless, he crossed to the -transdimensional registration unit and strapped it on.</p> - -<p>"Go over in the corner," his wife ordered. "Stand with your face -against the wall."</p> - -<p>Horning obeyed. He wondered whether Myrtle intended to shoot him in the -back.</p> - -<p>Or maybe she'd just gone mad.</p> - -<p>Whatever it was, he decided, he didn't much care.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Metal scraped on metal. Something thudded on the floor. The hoarse -wheeze of Myrtle's breathing, the slap and shuffle of her mules, -sounded loud in the stillness.</p> - -<p>After another moment, Myrtle said, "Turn around."</p> - -<p>Horning pivoted, then stared.</p> - -<p>His wife now wore the other transit unit, the one by means of which -Horning's counterpart had crossed the barrier between the parallel -worlds.</p> - -<p>"All right, Raymond." She gestured to the light-loop's glowing, -door-like frame. "Go through."</p> - -<p>"Go <i>through</i>—?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. Ahead of me. I'll follow."</p> - -<p>"No." Horning put flat finality into his voice. "You don't understand -what that frame is for, Myrtle—what lies on the other side—"</p> - -<p>"Don't tell me what I don't understand!" For an instant the old -stridency rang in Myrtle's words. "I've read those things you -wrote—remember? Your notes, too. I know what I'm doing!" She thrust -the pistol forward. "Go on! Go through!"</p> - -<p>Once again, Horning studied his wife's face, to no avail. He made a wry -mouth. Then, turning, he walked up the ramp, and stepped through the -light-loop's pulsating, tube-laden frame.</p> - -<p>The silver plain stretched endlessly before him ... infinitely vast, -infinitely lonely.</p> - -<p>Horning shivered a little and swung about.</p> - -<p>A bulky figure loomed close at hand, framed in the light-loop's glow. -A moment later, Myrtle was beside him, staring across the shimmering -wastes wide-eyed. She cringed before the immensity and desolation of -it, knuckles white, face slack and waxy grey. Horning could almost -taste her fear.</p> - -<p>He prodded her: "What now?"</p> - -<p>She shook as with a chill, not answering. Then, peering down into the -scanner screen, she fumbled with the calibrated knobs that shifted the -scene from plane to plane.</p> - -<p>Horning began, "If you'd only tell me what you want—"</p> - -<p>"Shut up."</p> - -<p>The seconds ticked into minutes. The minutes marched stolidly on. A -half hour dragged by. An hour. And still Myrtle spun the registration -dials.</p> - -<p>Horning shifted, closed his eyes. A haze seemed to rise about him. He -was so tired he could hardly stand.</p> - -<p>Myrtle said, "Raymond...."</p> - -<p>Horning shook away the haze.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>His wife's expression was more unfathomable than ever. She stepped -closer, and now he saw that she was holding out the pistol, -butt-foremost, as if to hand it to him.</p> - -<p>He reached up to take the weapon.</p> - -<p>But instead of releasing it, she brushed his hand aside and brought the -gun-butt down sharply on the screen of Horning's scanning scope.</p> - -<p>The scanner smashed to splinters.</p> - -<p>Horning went rigid. But before he could move, his wife had jerked back -the gun, reversed it, and leveled it at him.</p> - -<p>Horning cursed aloud.</p> - -<p>For the first time, Myrtle smiled.</p> - -<p>It reminded Horning of the grin on a bleaching skull.</p> - -<p>She said: "Set your dials at 830-X-974."</p> - -<p>For a moment Horning hesitated. But the gun was very steady. Seething, -he did as he was told.</p> - -<p>"Now turn your projector drive to high."</p> - -<p>Horning gripped the corner of his unit's bulky case. "Where are you -sending me? Why did you smash the scanner so I couldn't see?"</p> - -<p>"We're both going. Turn it to high." Her eyes mocked him. The pistol -menaced.</p> - -<p>Horning threw the switch.</p> - -<p>"Now, reintegrate...."</p> - -<p>A wave of utter helplessness, utter hopelessness, engulfed Horning. He -pressed the button.</p> - -<p>A room materialized about him—a room almost the twin of his own -basement laboratory. There was the workbench, there the desk. A frame -close akin to that of the light-loop rose against one wall.</p> - -<p>A man sprawled on his back near the control panel. His face was -Horning's face.</p> - -<p>Horning bent over him and felt for some trace of pulse, then -straightened, to find Myrtle once more standing beside him.</p> - -<p>"He's dead," Horning said.</p> - -<p>She nodded. Her lips twitched. "Take off your unit."</p> - -<p>"My unit—?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," She gestured to the dead man. "Put it on him."</p> - -<p>"What—?"</p> - -<p>"I said, put it on him." All the flatness was back in Myrtle's voice.</p> - -<p>In a numb, aching void of silence, Horning obeyed.</p> - -<p>"Set the dials for 701-G-0060."</p> - -<p>Horning's fingers went stiff. He looked up at his wife, hardly -believing his own ears. "You mean...?"</p> - -<p>"I mean, I'm going to the world that murdering monster in our basement -came from!" Myrtle's breasts rose and fell in a sudden tempest of -emotion. She was breathing noisily, too fast. The greying hair fell -over her face, and her eyes were drawn to hot black pinpoints. "You -wanted to get rid of me, didn't you? You were ready to try anything -short of murder or sending me to the madhouse? So I'm leaving you here. -That other woman had a fortune. I'll have a better life in her place -than you ever gave me!"</p> - -<p>"But this man here...."</p> - -<p>"He died a natural death. That's all I care about. I'll be a widow—a -wealthy widow...."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The words went on, but Horning hardly heard. He sagged back against the -workbench—shaken, unable to speak. It was as if, of a sudden, he were -seeing his wife through new eyes.</p> - -<p>She crowded close to him and said, "One other thing...."</p> - -<p>Her hand darted out. She snatched Margaret's picture from Horning's -pocket—ripping it to shreds, scuffing the fragments.</p> - -<p>Horning made no effort to stop her.</p> - -<p>"I hate her!" Myrtle cried. "That woman—that creature—she could be -dead a thousand years and I'd still hate her—!"</p> - -<p>She broke off, shaking, and switched both transit units' projector -drives to high, then pressed the disintegrator buttons.</p> - -<p>In the tick of a clock, both woman and corpse had vanished.</p> - -<p>New weariness welled up in Horning ... weariness, and a sudden, -stabbing pang of pity. In the awful emptiness of losing Margaret, he'd -plunged down, all the way, till finally he'd been blinded and panicked -into marrying Myrtle. Then, climbing from the depths once more, he'd -come to hate her.</p> - -<p>Now, that, too, was past. The hate was dead; the bitterness had fallen -from him. He knew the fault lay as much with him as her. They were -simply dog and cat, not suited.</p> - -<p>He even found himself hoping she'd find happiness in the world to which -she'd fled.</p> - -<p>It made him smile a little; and he knew it was good that he <i>could</i> -smile ... that he'd grown so much in depth and understanding.</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SO MANY WORLDS AWAY... ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may -do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. -</div> - -<div style='margin:0.83em 0; font-size:1.1em; text-align:center'>START: FULL LICENSE<br /> -<span style='font-size:smaller'>THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE<br /> -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK</span> -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project -Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person -or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the -Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when -you share it without charge with others. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country other than the United States. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work -on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the -phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: -</div> - -<blockquote> - <div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most - other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions - whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms - of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online - at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you - are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws - of the country where you are located before using this eBook. - </div> -</blockquote> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project -Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg™ License. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format -other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain -Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -provided that: -</div> - -<div style='margin-left:0.7em;'> - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation.” - </div> - - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ - works. - </div> - - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - </div> - - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works. - </div> -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of -the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set -forth in Section 3 below. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right -of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™ -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, -Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up -to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread -public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state -visit <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/donate/">www.gutenberg.org/donate</a>. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. -</div> - -</div> - -</body> -</html> |