The Invisible Man - by H.G. Wells 13- 14

"The Invisible Man" is a classic science fiction novel written by H.G. Wells and first published in 1897. The story revolves around the character of Griffin, a brilliant but eccentric scientist who discovers a way to become invisible. After successfully making himself invisible, Griffin quickly realizes that his newfound power comes with significant challenges and consequences.The novel explores the themes of power, morality, and the consequences of unchecked scientific curiosity. Griffin's invisible state allows him to indulge in his darker impulses, leading him down a path of cruelty and criminality. As he struggles to find a way to reverse his condition, he becomes increasingly isolated and desperate.Griffin's invisibility becomes both a physical and metaphorical representation of his detachment from society and his descent into madness. He becomes a symbol of the dangers of unchecked scientific experimentation and the potential for individuals to abuse their power.Throughout the novel, Griffin's actions create a sense of fear and unease in the townspeople who encounter him. As he becomes more unhinged, he becomes a menace, and the novel explores the efforts of those around him to stop his reign of terror."The Invisible Man" is not only a thrilling and suspenseful tale but also a thought-provoking commentary on the human condition and the consequences of playing with forces beyond one's control. It remains a seminal work in the science fiction genre and continues to be studied and adapted into various forms of media.

Episode Transcript

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Today's reading by Alex Foster www dotAlex Foster dot me dot UK.
The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells, Chapter thirteen, mister Marvel

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discusses his resignation. When the dustwas gathering, and iping was just beginning
to peep timorously forth again upon theshattered wreckage of its bank holiday, A
short, thick set man in ashabby silk hat was marching painfully through the
twilight behind the beech woods on theroad to Bramblehurst. He carried three books,

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bound together by some sort of ornamentalelastic ligature, and a bundle wrapped
in a blue tablecloth. His rubicundface expressed consternation and fatigue. He appeared
to be in some sort of spasmodichurry. He was accompanied by a voice
other than his own, and everand again he winced under the touch of

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unseen hands. If you give methe slip again, said the voice.
If you attempt to give me theslip again, Lord, said mister Marvel,
that shoulder's a mass of bruises,as it is, on my honor,
said the voice. I will killyou. I didn't try to give
you the slip, said Marvel,in a voice that was not far remote

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from tears. I swear I didn't. I didn't know the blessed turning.
That was all how the devil wasI to know the blessed turning? As
it is, I've been knocked about. You'll get knocked about a great deal
more if you don't mind, saidthe voice, and mister Marvell abruptly became
silent. He blew out his cheeks, and his eyes were eloquent of despair.

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It's bad enough to let those flounderingyokels explode my little secret without your
cutting off with my books. It'slucky for some of them they cut and
ran when they did. Here amI. No one knew I was invisible?
And now what am I to do? What am I to do?
Asked Marvel, sotto votch, it'sall about. It will be in the

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papers. Everybody will be looking forme, every one on their guard.
The voice broke off into vivid cursesand ceased the despair of mister Marvell's face.
Deepened and his pace slackened. GoOn, said the voice. Mister
Marvell's face assumed a grayish tint betweenthe ruddier patches. Don't drop those books,

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stupid, said the voice, sharply, overtaking him. The fact is,
said the voice. I shall haveto make use of you. You're
a poor tool, but I must. I'm a miserable tool, said Marvel.
You are, said the voice.I'm the worst possible tool you could
have, said Marvel. I'm notstrong, he said, after a discouraging

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silence. I'm not over strong,he repeated. No, and my heart's
weak. That little business I pulledit through, of course, but bless
you, I could have dropped.Well. I haven't the nerve and strength
for the sort of thing you want. I'll stimulate you. I wish you

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wouldn't. I wouldn't like to messup your plans, you know, but
I might out of sheer funk andmisery. You'd better not, said the
voice, with quiet emphasis. Iwish I was dead, said Marvel.
He ain't justice, he said,you must admit it seems to me I've
a perfect right. Get on,said the voice. Mister Marvell mended his

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pace and for a time they wentin silence again. It's devilish hard,
said mister Marvel. This was quiteineffectual. He tried another tack. What
do I make by it? Hebegan, and again in a tone of
unendurable wrong. Oh, shut up, said the voice, with sudden,

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amazing vigor. I'll see to you, all right. You do what you're
told. You'll do it, allright. You're a fool and all that,
but you'll do I tell you,sir, I'm not the man for
it, respectfully, but it isso. If you don't shut up,
I shall twist your wrist again,said the invisible man. I want to
think presently. Two oblongs of yellowlight appeared through the trees, and the

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square tower of a church loomed throughthe gloaming. I shall keep my hand
on your shoulder, said the voice, all through the village. Go straight
through and try no foolery. It'llbe the worse for you if you do.
I know that, sighed mister Marvell. I know all that. The

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un happy looking figure in the obsoletesilk hat passed up the street of the
little village with his burdens and vanishedinto the gathering darkness beyond the lights.
Of the Windows, Chapter fourteen.At Port Stowe, ten o'clock the next
morning found mister Marvel, unshaven,dirty and travel stained, sitting with the

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books beside him, and his handsdeep in his pockets, looking very weary,
nervous and uncomfortable, and inflating hischeeks at infrequent intervals on the bench
outside a little inn on the outskirtsof Port Stowe. Beside him were the
books, but now they were tiedwith string. The bundle had been abandoned
in the pine woods beyond Bramblehurst inaccordance with a change of plans in the

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Invisible Man. Mister Marvel sat onthe bench, and although no one took
the slightest notice of him, hisagitation remained at fever heat. His hands
would go ever and again to hisvarious pockets with a curious, nervous fumbling.
When he had been sitting for thebest part of an hour, however,
an elderly mariner carrying a newspaper cameout of the inn and sat down

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beside him. Pleasant day, saidthe mariner. Mister Marvell glanced about him
with something very like terror. Very, he said, just seasonable weather for
the time of year, said themariner, taking no denial, quite,
said mister Marvell. The mariner produceda toothpick, and, saving his regard,

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was engrossed thereby for some minutes.His eyes, meanwhile, were at
liberty to examine mister Marvell's dusty figureand the books beside him. As he
had approached mister Marvell, he hadheard a sound like the dropping of coins
into a pocket. He was struckby the contrast of mister Marvell's appearance with
this sudden suggestion of opulence. Thence, his mind wandered back again to a

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topic that had taken curiously firm holdof his imagination. Books, he said
suddenly, noisily, finishing with atuthpick. Mister Marvell started and looked at
them. Oh, yes, hesaid, Yes, they're books. There's
some extraordinary things in books, saidthe mariner. We believe you, said
mister Marvell. And some extraordinary thingsout of them, said the mariner.

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True. Likewise, said mister Marvell. He eyed his interlocutor, and then
glanced about him. There's some extraordinarythings in newspapers, for example, said
the mariner. There are in thisnewspaper, said the mariner. Ah,
said mister Marvell, there's a story, said the mariner, fixing mister Marvell

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with an eye that was firm anddeliberate. There is a story about an
invisible man. For instance, misterMarvell pulled his mouth askew and scratched his
cheek, and felt his ears glowing. What will they be writing next,
he asked, faintly. Austria orAmerica. Neither, said the mariner.

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Here, lord, said mister Marvel. Starting when I say here, said
the mariner, said mister Marvell's intenserelief, I don't, of course mean
here in this place. I meanhereabouts an invisible man, said mister Marvel.
And what's he been up to?Everything, said the mariner, controlling

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Marvel with his eye, and thenamplifying every blessed thing. I ain't seen
a paper these four days, saidMarvel. Iping's the place he started at,
said the mariner. Indeed, saidmister Marvel, he started there,
and where he came from. Nobodydon't seem to know here. It is

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peculiar story from Iping, And itsays in this paper that the evidence is
extraordinary strong, extraordinary, Lord,said mister Marvel. But then it's an
extraordinary story. There is a clergymanand a medical gent. Witnesses saw him
all right and proper at leastways didn'tsee him. He was staying it as

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at the coach and horses. Anddon't no one seem being aware of his
misfortune? Aware of his misfortune,it says, until in an altercation at
the inn. It says, hisbandages on his head was torn off.
It was then observed that his headwas invisible. Attempts were at once made
to secure him, but casting offhis garments. It says. He succeeded

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in escaping, but not until aftera desperate struggle in which he had inflicted
serious injuries. It says on herworthy and able Constable mister J. A.
Jaffers, pretty straight story ehe namesand everything, Lord, said mister
Marvell, looking nervously about him,trying to count the money in his pockets,

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by his unaided sense of touch,and full of a strange and novel
idea, it sounds most wishing,don't it extraordinary? I call it?
Never a tell of invincible men beforeI haven't, But nowadays when he hears
such a lot of extraordinary things,that that all he did, asked Marvel,

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trying to seem at his ease.It's enough, ain't it? Said
the mariner. Didn't go back byany chance, asked Marvel. Just escaped
and that's all, eh all,said the mariner. Why ain't it enough?
Quite enough? Said Marvel. Ishould think it was enough, said

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the mariner. I should think itwas enough. You didn't have any pals.
It don't say he had any pals, does it, asked mister Marvel.
Anxious? Ain't one of us sawit enough for you? Asked the
mariner. No, thank heaven,as one say he didn't. He nodded
his head slowly. It makes meregular uncomfortable the bare thought of that chap

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running about the country. He isat present at large, and from certain
evidence, it is supposed that hehas taken took I suppose they mean the
road to Port Stow. You see, we're right in it, none of
your American wonderers this time. Andjust think of the things he might do.
Where'd ye be if he took adrop over and above and had a

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fancy to go for you? Supposinghe wants to rob, who can prevent
him? He can trespass, hecan burgle, He could walk through the
cordon of a policeman as easy asme or you could give the slip to
a blind man easier for the easierblind chaps. Here uncommon sharp, I'm
told, and wherever there was liquor, he fancied. He's got a tremendous

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advantage, certainly, said mister Marvel. And well you're right, said the
mariner. He has. All ofthis time, mister Marvel had been glancing
about him intently, listening for faintfootfalls, trying to detect imperceptible movements.
He seemed on the point of somegreat resolution. He coughed behind his hand.

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He looked about him again, listened, bent towards the Mariner, and
lowered his voice. The fact ofit is, I happen to know just
a thing or two about this invisibleman from private sources, oh, said
the mariner. Interested you, yes, said mister Marvel. Me indeed,

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said the Mariner. And may Iask you will be astonished, said mister
Marvel behind his hand. It's tremendous, indeed, said the mariner. The
fact is, began mister Marvell eagerly, in a confidential undertone. Suddenly his
expression changed marvelously ow, he said. He rose stiffly in his seat.

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His face was eloquent of physical Wow, he said, what's up, said
the mariner. Concerned toothache, saidmister Marvell, and put his hand to
his ear. He caught hold ofhis books. You must be getting on,
I think, he edged in acurious way along the seat, away
from his interlocutor. But you wasjust a gonna tell me about this here,

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invisible man, protested the mariner.Mister Marvel seemed to consult it himself.
Hoax, said a voice. It'sa hoax, said mister Marvel.
But it's in the paper, saidthe mariner. Hoax all the same,
said Marvel. I know the chapthat started the lie. There ain't no
invisible man whatsoever, bloy me.But how about this paper? Do you

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mean to say not a word ofit? Said Marvel stoutly. The mariner
stared paper in hand. Mister Marveljerkily faced about Wait a bit, said
the mariner, rising and speaking slowly. Do you mean to say I do,
said mister Marvell. Then why doyou let me go on and tell

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you all this blasted stuff? Thenwhat do ye mean by letting a man
make a fool of himself like that? For eh? Mister Marvell blew out
his cheeks. The mariner was suddenlyvery red. Indeed, he clenched his
hands. I've been talking here,there's ten minutes, he said. And
you, your little pot bellied,leathery faced son of an old boot,
couldn't have the elementary manners. Don'tyou come bandying words with me, said

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mister Marvell, bandying words. I'vea jolly good mind. Come up,
said a voice, and mister Marvellwas suddenly whirled about and started marching off
in a curious, spasmodic manner.You'd better move on, said the mariner.
Who's moving on, said mister Marvell. He was receding obliquely with a

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curious, hurrying gait, with occasionalviolent jerks forward somewhay along the road.
He began a muttered monologue protests andrecriminations. Silly devil, said the mariner,
legs wide part elbows akimbo, watchingthe receding figure. I'll show you,
you silly ass hoaxing me. It'shere on the paper, mister Marvell

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retorted incoherently, and receding was hiddenby a bend in the road, but
the mariner still stood magnificent in themidst of the way until the approach of
a butcher's cart dislodged him. Thenhe turned himself towards Portstow. Full of
extraordinary asses, he said softly tohimself, just take me down a bit.
That was his silly game. It'son the paper. And there was

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another extraordinary thing he was presently tohear that had happened quite close to him,
And that was a vision of afistful of money, no less,
traveling without visible agency along by thewall at the corner of Saint Michael's Lane.
A brother Mariner had seen this wonderfulsight that very morning. He had
snow patched at the money forthwith andhad been knocked headlong, And when he

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got to his feet, the butterflymoney had vanished. Our Mariner was in
the mood to believe anything, hedeclared, but that was a bit too
stiff. Afterwards, however, hebegan to think things over. The story
of the flying money was true,and all about that neighborhood, even from
the August London and Country Banking Company, from the tills of shops and inns

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doors, standing that sunny weather entirelyopen, money had been quietly and dexterously
making off that day in handfuls andruleo, floating quietly along by walls and
shady places, dodging quickly from theapproaching eyes of men. And it had,
though no man had traced it,invariably ended its mysterious flight in the
pocket of that agitated gentleman in theobsolete silk hat, sitting outside the little

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inn on the outskirts of port Stow. It was ten days after, and
indeed only when the Burdock story wasalready old, that the mariner collated these
facts and began to understand how nearhe had been to the wonderful invisible Man.
Recorded in Nottingham, England, onthe fifth of April twenty o six

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by Alex Foster www dot Alex Fosterdot me dot uk.