The Secret Places of the Heart

The maid was a young woman of great natural calmness; she was accustomed to let in visitors who had this air of being annoyed and finding one umbrella too numerous for them. It mattered nothing to her that the gentleman was asking for Dr. Martineau as if he was asking for something with an unpleasant taste. Almost imperceptibly she relieved him of his umbrella and juggled his hat and coat on to a massive mahogany stand. "What name, Sir?" she asked, holding open the door of the consulting room. "Hardy," said the gentleman, and then yielding it reluctantly with its distasteful three-year-old honour, "Sir Richmond Hardy."

Hebert George Wells, known as H. G. Wells, was a British author born in 1866. He was a prolific writer, publishing works in many genres, from short stories to social commentaries. However, he is best known for his science fiction novels, leading some to call him the "father of science fiction," or even the "Shakespeare of science fiction!" Wells is known as a futurist, meaning that much of his fiction foresaw changes that have now happened in world. Wells was a socialist and a member of the Fabian society and this political background can be found in his work.