Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 46 — page 120: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

HIGHER MATHEMATICS the unidentifiable voice spoke again. “Good stuff,” it said. The Professor stepped for- ward and addressed himself to the voice. “Just what did you expect to happen?’ he enquired. “Flashes of green lightning, no doubt, or a weird violet glow? How do you think a region of negatively curved space manifests itself? You cannot see the field around a magnet, yet it is there just the same. However, if one of you will be so kind as to switch on the projector, perhaps you may see something, since light rays will be distorted in passing through the region.” After a moment, the pro- jector came on. The beam of light shone on the wall behind the Professor’sregion ofcurved space, and in the centre of the square of light appeared a vague silhouette, shapeless, refractory, like the shadow of the heat ripples above a brazier. The Professor picked up a piece of chalk and lobbed it towards the copper plate in the floor. It travelled in a high curve, fell towards the plate, and vanished about three feet above floor level. There was a short silence. Then the voice from the back 119 of the hall said: ““Good stuff,” again, but this time with quite a different tone to the statement. The Professor picked up the blackboard eraser and threw that, too. Three feet from the floor, it disappeared. A box of matches and a handkerchief, rolled into a ball, followed. In the middle of the hall, a student stood up. His comment was brief and to the point. “‘Roll up your sleeves.”’ “I beg your pardon?” “T said, roll up your sleeves, please, sir. I just don’t believe it, that’s all. It’s quite impossible.” “IT can quite understand your confusion. I suppose, to the lay mind, this experiment must be quite impossible to understand. Perhaps you would care to come down before the class and test it for yourself?’ “Well, I...’ Then, with a note of truculence: “‘Very well, then.” After some scuffling, the student reached the front of the room. *“May I have your name, please ?”’ “Layton.” “Very well, Mr. Layton. Perhaps you would select an conmicloooks.conn