Tales of Space and Time — Herbert George Wells

There was until a year ago a little and very grimylooking shop near Seven Dials over which in weather worn yellow lettering the name of ldquo C Cave Naturalist and Dealer in Antiquities rdquo was inscribed The contents of its window were curiously variegated They comprised some elephant tusks and an imperfect set of chessmen beads and weapons a box of eyes two skulls of tigers and one human several moth eaten stuffed monkeys one holding a lamp an oldfashioned cabinet a flyblown ostrich egg or so some fishing tackle and an extraordinarily dirty empty glass fish tank There was also at the moment the story begins a mass of crystal worked into the shape of an egg and brilliantly polished And at that two people who stood outside the window were looking one of them a tall thin clergyman the other a blackbearded young man of dusky complexion and unobtrusive costume