"Just a minute," the Banker interjected. "Do I understand you to imply that you actually saw all this? It was not a vision, or an electrical picture of some sort that you were reproducing?" "No, they mean it was an actual scene," the Big Business Man put in. "They were seeing New York City at some other time. Isn't that so?" Rogers nodded. "Exactly. And while I was sick, Loto went ahead and--" "Was it the past?" the Doctor interposed. "Were you looking back into the past?" "We were looking across countless centuries into the future," said Loto. "The future!" "Yes," declared Rogers. "Must you always think of the future as a wonderful civilization of marvelous inventions, mammoth buildings and airplanes like ocean steamships? All that lies ahead of us, no doubt. A hundred years--two hundred--a thousand--will bring all that. But further on? What about then, gentlemen? Ten thousand years from now? Or fifty thousand? Do you anticipate that civilization will always climb steadily upward? You are wrong. There must be a peak, and then a down grade--the decadence of mankind." "Please, let me go on," Loto said eagerly. "I need not tell you all now exactly how we knew we were looking into the future, and not the past. We, ourselves, did not know it that first evening. But later, when I studied the scene more closely, I could tell easily." "How?" the Banker demanded. "By the details I saw. The type of building. That animal that looked like a dog. The sun--I'll tell you about that in a moment. An artificial light in the house--I saw it once or twice when it was night there. And the girl. Her manner of dress--" "There was a girl?" said George quickly. "A girl! Tell us about her, Loto. Was she pretty? Was she--" "Go on, boy," growled the Banker. "Tell it from where you left off." "Yes, she was very pretty," said Loto gravely. "She--" He stopped suddenly, his gaze drifting off into distance. "Oh boy!" breathed George, but at the Banker's glare he sat back, abashed. Loto went on after a moment: "I won't go into details now. While my father was sick, I was able to examine the scene many times. I even think I--well, I sat watching it most of the time for a week at least. "The house had a sort of stable--or a kennel, if you want to call it that--behind it. And there was an open space, like a garden, with a wall around it. There was a little tree in the garden; a tree all covered with snow. But after a few days the sun came out and melted the snow on the tree branches. "The girl was a captive. I guess they were bringing her in on that sled the night we first saw them. There was another woman about the place, and an old man. And a younger man--the one who was holding the girl a prisoner." "You said the house looked about a quarter of a mile away," the Banker declared. "How could you see all these details?" "I had a small telescope, sir."