Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 46 — page 86: what you’re looking at

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

OUTSIDE—LOOKING IN **No, dear,” she laughed. “‘I mean at home.” Influence is a fine thing, even at P.P., and anyhow, I was beginning to think of settling down, so I said ““O.K.”’ Doctor Jameson, F.R.S., wasn’t at all a bad old stick. Apart from being a Chelsea supporter, he was almost human. “‘Come round, by all means, laddie,”’ said he. “‘Drop in any time you feel like it.”’ And that’s how the Thursday discussion group began. Thursday being Browneyes’ night for her Amateur Theatri- cals, the discussion group con- sisted of: (a) Doc Jameson, speaker, and (b) me, audience. I'll make this clear now. Although ’m a member— was a member—of P.P.— “Products. of the Future, Today’—Im a_warehouse- man. One of the boys in the basement, who pack the fin- ished article for delivery. When IJ visit the Labs it’s with a brush in my hand to sweep up. My scientific knowledge consists of two things—H,O, and CO,. When I’ve said those, scientifically that’s my lot. I’m a science fiction fan and have been for years, but purely of the B.E.M. group. When somebody starts in to describe the overdrive, or to 85 work out the Nth Power of something or other, I skip that bit, and carry on with the story when it comes back to my level. So most of what the Doc said was way over my head. I gathered, quite early in the proceedings, however, that his heart wasn’t in Plastics, and that he had a lab. of his own, in the house. The plot thickens. Then, one Thursday night, I got what he was talking about. ’d formed the habit of listening with one ear, while pursuing my own train of thought, and every time he paused I’d make some non- committal sort of noise and off he’d go again. This night I was playing centre forward for the Rangers and had just scored the winning goal at Wembley when [I caught the words “space-time continuum.” This, being science fiction stuff, was more or less up my street, so, telling the vice- captain to look after the cup, I came back to earth. *‘_was beyond all reason- able doubt,’ he was saying. ‘So it remained only to see if the same applied to living organisms. My first attempt, with a mouse, was successful at twenty seconds, and...” comiclooks.conrn