He walked up with me to the farm at ten o’clock and came into my room.
“We need not keep you out of bed, Mrs. Berridge,” he said to my flustered landlady. “I daresay we shall be up till all hours. We promise to see that the house is locked up.” Mr. Berridge stood a figure of subservience in the background.
My books were still heaped on the floor. Challis sat down on the window-sill and looked over some of them. “Many of these Master Stott probably read in my library” he remarked, “in German. Language is no bar to him. He learns a language as you or I would learn a page of history.”
Later on, I remember that we came down to essentials. “I must try and understand something of this child’s capacities,” I said in answer to a hint of Challis’s that I should leave the Wonder alone. “It seems to me that here we have something which is of the first importance, of greater importance, indeed, than anything else in the history of the world.”
“But you can’t make him speak,” said Challis.
“I shall try,” I said. “I recognise that we cannot compel him, but I have a certain hold over him. I see from what you have told me that he has treated me with most unusual courtesy. I assure you that several times when I spoke to him this morning he nodded his head.”
“A good beginning,” laughed Challis.
“I can’t understand,” I went on, “how it is that you are not more interested. It seems to me that this child knows many things which we have been patiently attempting to discover since the dawn of civilisation.”
“Quite,” said Challis. “I admit that, but ... well, I don’t think I want to know.”
“Surely,” I said, “this key to all knowledge——”