A Journey to the Centre of the Earth

Looking back to all that has occurred to me since that eventful day, I am scarcely able to believein the reality of my adventures.

They were truly so wonderful that even now I am bewildered when Ithink of them.My uncle was a German, having married my mother's sister, an Englishwoman.

Being very muchattached to his fatherless nephew, he invited me to study under him in his home in the fatherland.This home was in a large town, and my uncle a professor of philosophy, chemistry, geology,mineralogy, and many other ologies.One day, after passing some hours in the laboratory-my uncle being absent at the time-Isuddenly felt the necessity of renovating the tissues-i.e., I was hungry, and was about to rouse upour old French cook, when my uncle, Professor Von Hardwigg, suddenly opened the street door,and came rushing upstairs.Now Professor Hardwigg, my worthy uncle, is by no means a bad sort of man; he is, however,choleric and original.

To bear with him means to obey; and scarcely had his heavy feet resoundedwithin our joint domicile than he shouted for me to attend upon him."Harry-Harry-Harry-"I hastened to obey, but before I could reach his room, jumping three steps at a time, he wasstamping his right foot upon the landing."Harry!" he cried, in a frantic tone, "are you coming up?"Now to tell the truth, at that moment I was far more interested in the question as to what was toconstitute our dinner than in any problem of science; to me soup was more interesting than soda, anomelette more tempting than arithmetic, and an artichoke of ten times more value than any amountof asbestos.But my uncle was not a man to be kept waiting; so adjourning therefore all minor questions, Ipresented myself before him.He was a very learned man.

Now most persons in this category supply themselves withinformation, as peddlers do with goods, for the benefit of others, and lay up stores in order todiffuse them abroad for the benefit of society in general.

Not so my excellent uncle, ProfessorHardwigg; he studied, he consumed the midnight oil, he pored over heavy tomes, and digested hugequartos and folios in order to keep the knowledge acquired to himself.