The Seeds of Time

I began to feel a little foolish-and a trifle mean, too. Indeed, their business was none of mine, and there was nothing whatever clandestine about them now. I had just made up my mind to back out when I caught my first good look at the man’s face, in one of the wall-mirrors. There was something quite startlingly familiar about it, yet I failed to place it immediately: in fact, several seconds must have elapsed before I realized that it was the face I was accustomed to see every morning while I shaved.

The likeness was so exact that I sat down on the nearest chair, with an odd weakness in my knees, and feeling, for some reason I didn’t understand, a little scared.

He was still looking over the other people. If he had seen me through the looking-glass he’d not been interested. They both walked slowly on up the room, searching it as they went. Finally, they left by the door at the other end. I slipped back by the door behind me, and worked round the outside of the building. They had come to a stop on the gravel spread, a few yards from the door, and were deep in discussion.

I was tempted to go up to them, but-well, it was some time since Jean and I had been on chatting terms: and there is something rather fatuous about the idea of going up to a perfect stranger simply to announce: ‘I say, you look just like me, you know!’ So I waited.

Presently they came to a decision, and turned along the path that leads to the main gate. Jean was pointing things out, and seemed amused by them, though I couldn’t see why they should amuse her. She moved closer to him, and linked her arm in his as they walked along.

I must say I considered that unwise. The Pleybell Research Institute holds together one of those intra-regarding, not to say ingrowing, communities where nothing is missed. The unemployed wives can follow scents that would baffle a bloodhound, and the turn of an eye, let alone a hand on the arm, is enough to start people building law courts in the air.

The gesture, though possibly innocent, became almost flamboyant bravado in our milieu. I was not the only one to observe it. Indeed, people seemed to be in a rather observing mood that afternoon: several of them gave me an intense and rather puzzled look as we met.

Outside the gates the pair turned left, and I let them get a little further ahead-not that it greatly mattered, for even if Jean should look back and notice me, what more natural than that I should be found on a part of my regular homeward route? They had just turned the second corner to the right, which is that of the road in which my house stands, when there came a thudding of feet behind me, and a voice gasping: ‘Mr Ruddle! Mr Ruddle, sir!’ I turned to find one of the lab. messengers. Through gasps he said:

‘The Director saw you leaving, sir. He sent me to remind you that he must have your figures for the final coordination by five. He thought you might have forgotten it, sir.’

Which was what I had done. I looked at my watch, and saw that it was getting on for four-thirty already. That drove Jean and her friend out of my mind, and I hurried back towards the Institute.

There were only a couple of minor calculations to finish off, and I had the results in the Director’s office by four fifty-five. He looked at me rather hard.

‘I am sorry to intrude business upon your-ah-domestic arrangements, Ruddle, but it is quite necessary that all these findings should be assembled tonight,’ he said, rather coldly, I thought.

I apologized for leaving it until the last minute. He received that somewhat coldly, too, considering that I was the right side of the last minute. It was not until I was outside his room that a possible explanation occurred to me. Even I had been surprised by the extraordinary likeness of Jean’s companion to myself: it was scarcely a matter where I could make a mistake as to which was which, but others might… I recalled the arm-in-arm progress in full public view….

The best thing to do seemed to be to get home as quickly as possible, hoping to put my word in before gossip said hers….

There was only another twenty yards before I should reach my house, when I encountered Jean and her companion turning out of my own gateway, and we came face to face. Jean was looking flushed and embarrassed, and he was looking embarrassed and angry. Their expressions changed with astonishing speed as they recognized me.

‘Oh, there you are! Thank goodness,’ said Jean. ‘Where on earth have you been?’

It was not the kind of opening I was prepared for. After all, it was nearly three years since we had exchanged anything more than a necessary politeness. While I was trying to collect myself I took refuge in a touch of dignity.

‘I don’t think I quite understand,’ I said, and looked from her to her companion. ‘Perhaps you will introduce me to your friend ?’ I suggested.

‘Oh, don’t be so stiff and silly, Peter,’ she told me impatiently. But the man was looking at me closely. There was a rather curious expression on his face: I did not greatly wonder at it; very likely the expression on my own was no less curious. For the similarity-no, it was more than that-the duplication, was uncanny. The clothes were different, certainly. I had none like those he was wearing, but apart from that… I suddenly caught sight of his wrist-watch: it, and the metal bracelet that held it were the exact double of mine. I felt my own wrist to make sure that it hadn’t somehow got transferred. My own was still there, all right. He said: ‘I’m afraid this is a bit complicated. And we’ve both pulled a most frightful gaff in your house. Both feet, right up to the neck. I’m terribly sorry. We just didn’t know.’