Gold Dust and Star Dust by Cyril G Read online

  connected in such a way that under normal

  “Oh, come, Hil!” I cried, laughing.

  conditions they are balanced with respect to

  “That’s going a bit too far! The Fourth

  the receivers, in which case no sound can be

  Dimension is all very well as a subject for

  heard. When the two coils on the handle are

  imaginative fiction, but you can hardly expect brought in proximity with any considerable

  to convince me or anyone else that such a

  mass of metal, the balance is disturbed and

  thing really exists.”

  current flows in the receivers, producing an

  “I was never more serious in my life,

  audible sound which becomes louder as the

  Frank,” said Corwin.

  coils approach the metal.

  “But how can you prove the existence

  “I will admit that when we went to the

  of a Fourth Dimension?” I objected.

  hangars I entertained the idea that the gold

  “The shoe is on the other foot, Frank.

  had been concealed somewhere in the vicinity; How can you prove that there is no Fourth

  buried under the floor, perhaps. A casual Dimension, or Fifth or Sixth or Twelfth inspection put that theory out of court. Dimension for that matter?”

  Nevertheless, I determined to try the Balance For a moment I was nonplussed and

  and was somewhat surprised to find that the

  before I could think of a logical answer,

  loud whistle indicated that the gold was still in Corwin went on.

  the center of the room. Since it was apparent

  “Let me ask you a few questions,

  to neither sight nor touch, it was obvious that Frank. How do you know that there are more

  in some way it had become both invisible and

  than two dimensions?”

  intangible, or, to put it more accurately, that

  “Why, by seeing them, of course,” I

  the gold was both there and not there. Perhaps answered. “Take that box over there for

  I shall make myself clearer by saying that it example. You can see that it has length,

  was there electrically, but not there to the

  breadth and height. But you can’t see that it human senses.

  has—whatever you call distance—in the

  “The sergeant’s story confirmed my

  Fourth Dimension.”

  suspicions. Note that at the instant of the

  disappearance, the guards received the

  “THAT’S where you make a very

  impression that the oak cases were common mistake, Frank,” said Corwin. “I transparent. They seemed to move and yet

  mean in supposing that you can see in three

  seemed to be stationary. Possibly, to you, that dimensions. If you think for a moment you

  sounded like nonsense. To me it was an exact

  will realize that you can see in only two

  description of what took place. The beam of

  dimensions; in the flat, as it were. It is true light across the sky which I recognized that for very near objects we have a sense of immediately as the effect of the new Beam

  solidity due to the fact that we have two eyes, Station furnished the only missing link in the which gives us the stereoscopic parallax as I chain of logic.”

  may call it, but everything beyond a certain

  Gold Dust and Star Dust

  11

  distance, say a hundred feet, we see

  “No, you are right,” replied Corwin.

  practically in the flat and we owe our “We cannot feel in four dimensions for the knowledge of the third dimension, not to the

  simple reason that there is nothing to feel. As sense of sight, but to another of the senses.”

  far as we know, solid objects have no

  “Do you mean the sense of touch?” I

  extension in the Fourth Dimension. Imagine a

  asked, doubtfully, after a moment’s thought.

  man who had spent all his life on a flat desert,

  “Certainly!” said Corwin. “Suppose extending in all directions to the horizon.

  you pick up a cube—a child’s building block,

  Never having had any training in more than

  for example—in such a manner that your two dimensions, it is conceivable that if he thumb and fingers touch three adjacent sides

  were suddenly brought face to face with a

  simultaneously, you are conscious through mountain, he would not know what he was your sense of touch of three dimensions. Our

  looking at. It would be meaningless to him.

  impression that we see in three dimensions is He could not grasp it any more than we can purely an illusion. The sight has to be grasp the possibility of a four dimensional educated by touch before we can learn to

  object.”

  judge distances.”

  “But you say that there is nothing in

  I sat silently, turning over Corwin’s

  the Fourth Dimension,” I said. “How can you

  arguments in my mind. Seeing that I was not

  know that?”

  quite satisfied, he picked up a book from the

  “By a simple analogy,” Corwin

  table with an impatient gesture.

  answered. “Take the case of our imaginary

  “Have you read this?” he asked desert dweller. If a mountain were suddenly abruptly.

  dumped down in the middle of his desert, he

  “What is it?” I returned.

  could not see it, because he would not have

  “Can’t you read?” he demanded.

  the necessary training to see in three

  “Of course I can, but you’re holding

  dimensions, but he would certainly be aware

  the wrong face of the book towards me.” I

  of it, because he would find an impassable

  said.

  barrier blocking his way to an area, which he

  “What difference does that make?” he

  was formerly able to reach without difficulty.

  asked, with a quizzical twinkle in his eyes. “If Similarly, if four-dimensional objects existed you can see in three dimensions, as you in our part of space, we should constantly find contend, you should be able to see all sides of ourselves confronted by invisible and yet

  the book at once.”

  impassable barriers.”

  “I give in!” I exclaimed, laughing.

  “But I don’t quite understand what you are

  “YOUR arguments are difficult to contradict,”

  driving at.”

  I admitted, “but all this is theory and I cannot

  “Simply this, Frank,” he said. “That

  see what practical application the theories

  you must not expect to be conscious of the

  have to the present case.”

  Fourth Dimension through the sense of sight,

  “Look here!” explained Corwin,

  since you cannot see even in three dimensions.

  jumping up and running over to a blackboard,

  If we ever come to know anything about the

  where he made a rapid sketch.

  Fourth Dimension at all, it will be through the

  “These are supposed to be four bars,”

  sense of touch.”

  he explained, pivoted at the ends and having

  “But we can’t feel in four dimensions,

  the centres joined by rubber bands. The thick can we?” I demanded.

  lines are the bars and the thin lines represent

  Amazing Stories

  12

  the rubber bands. You must try to imagine that Second Dimension and produced a (wo-the bars have no thickness and that the bands dimensional outline—a sq
uare.

  simply represent forces which are tending to

  “Now take a step further. Here are six

  pull the centers of the bars towards one squares, their centers joined by rubber bands another. In other words, the whole thing has

  as before—

  one dimension only—length. The bars would

  (See Figure 3)

  remain in the position shown, because the pull

  “They are in a state of equilibrium

  of the bands is lengthways, in which direction until you tilt one of them ever so little out of the bars are rigid.

  the plane of the others. What will happen?”

  (See Figure 1)

  “They will form a cube!” I answered.

  “Now suppose that we tilt one of the

  “Precisely!” assented Corwin, “and it

  bars ever so slightly out of line with the will look like this,” and he drew another others, what will happen?”

  outline.

  “The bars will be drawn into a square

  “We have taken six two-dimensional

  by the rubber bands,” I replied.

  objects—squares—applied a tractive force as

  “Exactly! Like this,” and he made a

  before, given them a slight tilt in the Third drawing.

  Dimension and presto! We have a three-

  dimensional outline—a cube.

  (See Figure 4)

  “Note, Frank, that objects in each

  dimension form the boundaries of objects in

  the next higher dimension. Thus we can make

  a little table like this:” and he wrote on the board:

  Two Points (no dimension) bound a

  Line (one dimension)

  Four Lines (one dimension) bound a

  Square (two dimensions)

  Six Squares (two dimensions) bound a

  Cube (three dimensions)

  Eight Cubes (three dimensions) bound

  a Tesseract (four dimensions)

  “Here are the eight cubes.”

  With surprising facility, he produced

  the following drawing on the board:

  (See Figure 5)

  “The centers of the cubes are supposed

  to be attracted by forces,” Corwin explained.

  “We cannot use rubber bands as before,

  because the cubes are solid, therefore we must (See Figure 2)

  imagine some force like magnetic attraction.

  “You see,” he went on, “we have taken

  The cubes will remain immovable, that is to

  four one-dimensional objects—lines—applied

  say in stable equilibrium, unless we give one a tractive force, given them a slight tilt in the of them a slight tilt out of line with the others

  Gold Dust and Star Dust

  13

  in the Fourth Dimension. Then they will be

  it,” I said. Now tell me how all this applies to drawn into the form of a Tesseract, as a four-the gold.”

  dimensional object is called. The faces which

  “I have explained the Fourth

  bear similar figures will come into contact;

  Dimension at some length, Frank, to show you

  number 1 with number 1, and so on.”

  that there is nothing so very mysterious about

  “But what would it look like?” I asked,

  it. Picture those oak cases of gold coins piled somewhat staggered by Corwin’s

  one on top of another. Enormously heavy.

  unanswerable demonstration.

  Acted upon by we can’t say what forces,

  “If we could see it at all,” he replied,

  gravitational or electrical in the Fourth

  “it would look something like this:” and he

  Dimension. All they needed was that tiny tilt produced another sketch.

  out of line to cause them to fall a short

  (See Figure 6)

  distance in that Fourth Dimension. The

  “Well, but that simply represents a distance they fell would not need to be very small cube inside a large one. The original

  great for the chests and their contents to pass cubes were all the same size.”

  entirely beyond our ken.”

  “That is an illusion of perspective,”

  “You speak of a slight tilt in the Fourth

  Corwin explained. “The cube appears smaller

  Dimension, Hil,” I commented, “but what

  because it is further away from you in the

  could possibly give the cases of gold any such Fourth Dimension, just exactly as the square

  tilt?”

  which forms the distant side of a cube appears

  “Pooh! Where’s your imagination,

  smaller than the square which forms the man?” cried Corwin. “What else could it be nearer side. Measure the front and back faces but the new Power Beam or rather the shutting of the cube in the figure and you will see what off of the Power Beam when the circuit

  I mean.”

  breaker blew. I have ascertained that the plane I looked at Corwin’s last drawing of the beam exactly intersects the center of the thoughtfully, tilting my head first one way and store-room. I have long held the theory that

  then the other.

  magnetic lines of force are actually the result

  “I’m sorry, Hilary,” I said at length. “I

  of a strain in the ether acting in the Fourth have heard your explanations. I’ll even go so Dimension. Some day I intend to publish an

  far as to say that I understand them. But,

  article on the subject.”

  somehow, I can’t seem to grasp that Tesseract

  “I can understand that the Power Beam

  of yours. Whatever way I look, it’s just a little must produce a tremendous strain in the

  cube inside a big cube.”

  ether,” I said, but why did not the gold fall

  “Of course you can’t grasp it!” replied

  into the Fourth Dimension when the Beam

  Corwin, smiling. “Neither can an Australian

  was first turned on?”

  Bushman ‘grasp’ a photograph. It’s a matter

  “Here, let me illustrate!” exclaimed

  of visual education.”

  Corwin, snatching up a rubber band from his

  desk. “Catch hold of one end of this band,

  I TURNED away from the tantalizing sketch

  which represents the ether. You understand

  with a sigh of resignation. The longer I looked that they start the Power Beam gradually by

  at it the more I felt that I was just on the point means of rheostats. I will represent the

  of seeing something, only to have it snatched condition of the ether by stretching the rubber away.

  band slowly. Now I hold it fully stretched.

  “All right. Hil, I’ll take your word for

  This is the condition with the Beam working

  Amazing Stories

  14

  at full strength.”

  Cogswell would burst a blood vessel, but

  Suddenly he released his end of the

  Corwin completely ignored the furious official band, which recoiled violently, cutting me and continued in a quiet voice: sharply across the knuckles.

  “It is two minutes to ten, gentlemen.

  “Ouch!” I cried, withdrawing my hand

  Please take your places along the north and

  with an involuntary jerk.

  south walls of the room. I would not be

  “Precisely! Ouch!” mimicked my responsible for the safety of any person in the friend. “That represents the sudden shutting

  center of the room at ten o’clock. As my

  off of the Beam. Is the demonstration clear?”

  friend here has reminded me, the Rhodesian

  I agreed that it was and, the
lecture

  gold weighs very many tons! Forty seconds

  being complete, we adjoined to Corwin’s more. At ten o’clock, Frank, the Power Beam house for dinner.

  will be turned on full strength. The sudden

  strain on the ether thus produced will, I hope, AT a quarter to ten that night, Hilary Corwin reverse the action of the previous strain and, and I alighted once more at the flying fields presto—Ah! Here comes the gold, Mr.

  where we found Cogswell, the Treasury Cogswell.”

  Official, awaiting us. It was apparent

  The room was lit by a glare of bluish

  immediately that Cogswell was in a very bad

  white light, so intense that involuntarily I

  temper, but a glance from Corwin was clapped my hand over my eyes. Then I heard a sufficient to remind him that he was likely to faint rumbling sound, seeming to come from

  get the worst of a verbal encounter with the

  an immense distance.

  scientist.

  I withdrew my hand and looked

  We walked up to the store-room which

  towards the center of the floor. There,

  was dimly lit by means of two hand-lanterns,

  hovering in the air, was a tiny opaque spot

  the electric lights having gone out of which rapidly grew larger. In a few seconds it commission at the same time that the gold

  was as large as an orange.

  disappeared.

  “Holy Moses! It’s the gold!” shouted

  “Now, Mr. Cogswell,” said Corwin, “I

  the Sergeant.

  promised to notify you when I had found the