I am pleased to say that my relationship with the scribe who has put down my story in the following pages has been of the most friendly description. Apart from a little tiff which we had at the outset, there has been no difference of opinion. He complained that I related things in too abstract a form. However, we got over the difficulty by a compromise; I have allowed him to place what he calls "The Scribe's Note" at the beginning of each chapter, but it will be understood clearly that these are merely convenient embellishments, and that I am responsible for the story of my own experiences. CHAPTER III THE NEW ARRIVAL _THE SCRIBE'S NOTE ON CHAPTER THREE_ It will be well to keep clearly in mind that an electron is a real particle of negative electricity. Electrons have been discovered only within recent years. No matter from what substances we take them, they are always identical in every respect. Some electrons are attached to the atoms of matter in such a way that they may be removed easily from one object to another. When a surplus of these detachable electrons is crowded on to any object, we say that it is charged with negative electricity. We speak of the other object, which has lost these same electrons, as being charged with positive electricity. In this chapter the electron refers to the old-world experiment in which a piece of amber when rubbed attracts any light object to it. For many ages man believed this to be a special property belonging to amber alone. One of Queen Elizabeth's physicians discovered that this property was common to all substances. CHAPTER III THE NEW ARRIVAL It is most amusing to me and my fellow-electrons to hear intelligent people speak of us as though we were new arrivals on this planet. Dear me! We were here for countless ages before man put in an appearance. I wonder if any man can realise that we have been on the move ever since the foundations of this world were laid. It is man himself who is the new arrival.