Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 52 — page 103: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION Lyssen’s attention was dis- tracted by the magnetic re- action motor. Its dull hum had grown louder, and the green light had winked for an instant into furious red. When he turned his head back again, the bulky figure of Del Marno had disappeared from sight. And there was literally no place he could have hidden. There was a stupefied pause while Lyssen struggled to accept the evidence of his own eyes; so this time-travel- ling nonsense was true! Shakily, he walked up to the metal grille, which seemed to be quivering with an almost invisible vibration; he was careful not to touch it. He turned and looked round the room, feeling very useless and alone. Being a loyal employee of the Consolidated Banks, he felt he could hardly leave now, with his mission un- completed. Besides, Del Marno had said .. . Curiosity mastered conscience, and he sat down on the nearest un- cluttered chair. The brittle seals on the envelope flaked off easily, and he tore open its top. Gently, he extracted a thick wad of paper and unfolded it on his lap. It was a manu- 162 script, the ink still black and fresh-looking. The script was flowing and full of loops, quite unlike modern writing, but Lyssen had had practice with old documents; this one pre- sented few difficulties. With a last, uneasy glance about the room, he commenced reading. I SWISHED THE ROD GENTLY (he read), not really caring whether the fish bit or not. It was one of the first fine days of the year, much warmer for early Spring than it should have been, and everything seemed to have sprung into life overnight. I was sitting on a secluded bank of the Thames, back propped against a tree, and had been fishing the clear, slow-moving waters for nearly three hours with- out success. The golden after- noon had induced in me a sense of timelessness, and a feeling that all things moved for my benefit and delight. The two lovers who had drifted by in a punt some time ago—the only people I had seen that afternoon—were not real, but creatures moving in my own enchanted world, tranquil and uncaring... My mood was abruptly broken by the sound of a woman’s voice close behind me. coniclooks.com