第1章

Thereadershouldgraspclearlythedateatwhichthisbookwaswritten。Itwasdonein1907:itappearedinvariousmagazinesasaserialin1908anditwaspublishedintheFallofthatyear。Atthattimetheaeroplanewas，formostpeople，merelyarumourandthe"Sausage"heldtheair。Thecontemporaryreaderhasalltheadvantageoftenyears’experiencesincethisstorywasimagined。Hecancorrecthisauthoratadozenpointsandestimatethevalueofthesewarningsbythestandardofadecadeofrealities。Thebookisweakonanti—aircraftguns，forexample，andstillmorenegligentofsubmarines。Much，nodoubt，willstrikethereaderasquaintandlimitedbutuponmuchthewritermaynotunreasonablyplumehimself。TheinterpretationoftheGermanspiritmusthavereadasacaricaturein1908。Wasitacaricature？PrinceKarlseemedafantasythen。RealityhassincecopiedPrinceCarlwithanastonishingfaithfulness。Isittoomuchtohopethatsomedemocratic"Bert"maynotultimatelygetevenwithhisHighness？

Ourauthortellsusinthisbook，ashehastoldusinothers，moreespeciallyinTheWorldSetFree，andashehasbeentellingusthisyearinhisWarandtheFuture，thatifmankindgoesonwithwar，thesmash—upofcivilizationisinevitable。ItischaosortheUnitedStatesoftheWorldformankind。Thereisnootherchoice。Tenyearshavebutaddedanenormousconvictiontothemessageofthisbook。Itremainsessentiallyright，apamphletstory——insupportoftheLeaguetoEnforcePeace。

K。

THEWARINTHEAIR

CHAPTERI

OFPROGRESSANDTHESMALLWAYSFAMILY

1

"ThishereProgress，"saidMr。TomSmallways，"itkeepson。

"You’dhardlythinkitcouldkeepon，"saidMr。TomSmallways。

ItwasalongbeforetheWarintheAirbeganthatMr。Smallwaysmadethisremark。HeassittingonthefenceattheendofhisgardenandsurveyingthegreatBunHillgas—workswithaneyethatneitherpraisednorblamed。Abovetheclusteringgasometersthreeunfamiliarshapesappeared，thin，wallowingbladdersthatflappedandrolledabout，andgrewbiggerandbiggerandrounderandrounder——balloonsincourseofinflationfortheSouthofEnglandAeroClub’sSaturday—afternoonascent。

"TheygoesupeverySaturday，"saidhisneighbour，Mr。Stringer，themilkman。"It’sonlyyestiday，sotospeak，whenallLondonturnedouttoseeaballoongoover，andnoweverylittleplaceinthecountryhasitsweekly—outings——uppings，rather。It’sbeenthesalvationofthemgascompanies。"

"LarstSatidayIgotthreebarrer—loadsofgraveloffmypetaters，"saidMr。TomSmallways。"Threebarrer—loads！Whattheydroppedasballase。Someoftheplantswasbroke，andsomewasburied。"

"Ladies，theysay，goesup！"

"Isupposewegottocall’emladies，"saidMrTomSmallways。

"Still，itain’thardlymyideaofalady——flyingaboutintheair，andthrowinggravelatpeople。Itain’twhatIbeenaccustomedtoconsiderladylike，whetherorno。"

Mr。Stringernoddedhisheadapprovingly，andforatimetheycontinuedtoregardtheswellingbulkswithexpressionsthathadchangedfromindifferencetodisapproval。

Mr。TomSmallwayswasagreen—grocerbytradeandagardenerbydisposition;hislittlewifeJessicasawtotheshop，andHeavenhadplannedhimforapeacefulworld。UnfortunatelyHeavenhadnotplannedapeacefulworldforhim。Helivedinaworldofobstinateandincessantchange，tandinpartswhereitsoperationswereunsparinglyconspicuous。Vicissitudewasintheverysoilhetilled;evenhisgardenwasuponayearlytenancy，andovershadowedbyahugeboardthatproclaimeditnotsomuchagardenasaneligiblebuildingsite。Hewashorticultureundernoticetoquit，thelastpatchofcountryinadistrictfloodedbynewandprbaathings。Hedidhisbesttoconsolehimself，toimaginemattersneartheturnofthetide。

"You’dhardlythinkitcouldkeepon，"hesaid。

Mr。Smallways’agedfather，couldrememberBunHillasanidyllicKentishvillage。HehaddrivenSirPeterBoneuntilhewasfiftyandthenhetooktodrinkalittle，anddrivingthestationbus，whichlastedhimuntilhewasseventy—eight。Thenheretired。Hesatbythefireside，ashrivelled，very，veryoldcoachman，fullchargedwithreminiscences，andreadyforanycarelessstranger。HecouldtellyouofthevanishedestateofSirPeterBone，longsincecutupforbuilding，andhowthatmagnateruledthecountry—sidewhenitwascountry—side，ofshootingandhunting，andofcachesalongthehighroad，ofhow"wherethegas—worksis"wasacricket—field，andofthecomingoftheCrystalPalace。TheCrystalPalacewassixmilesawayfromBunHill，agreatfacadethatglitteredinthemorning，andwasaclearblueoutlineagainsttheskyintheafternoon，andofanight，asourceofgratuitousfireworksforallthepopulationofBunHill。Andthenhadcometherailway，andthenvillasandvillas，andthenthegas—worksandthewater—works，andagreat，uglyseaofworkmen’shouses，andthendrainage，andthewatervanishedoutoftheOtterbourneandleftitadreadfulditch，andthenasecondrailwaystation，BunHillSouth，andmorehousesandmore，moreshops，morecompetition，plate—glassshops，aschool—board，rates，omnibuses，tramcars——goingrightawayintoLondonitself——bicycles，motor—carsandthenmoremotor—cars，aCarnegielibrary。

"You’dhardlythinkitcouldkeepon，"saidMr。TomSmallways，growingupamongthesemarvels。

Butitkepton。Evenfromthefirstthegreen—grocer’sshopwhichhehadsetupinoneofthesmallestoftheoldsurvivingvillagehousesinthetailoftheHighStreethadasubmergedair，anairofhidingfromsomethingthatwaslookingforit。WhentheyhadmadeupthepavementoftheHighStreet，theylevelledthatupsothatonehadtogodownthreestepsintotheshop。Tomdidhisbesttosellonlyhisownexcellentbutlimitedrangeofproduce;butProgresscameshovingthingsintohiswindow，Frenchartichokesandaubergines，foreignapples——

applesfromtheStateofNewYork，applesfromCalifornia，applesfromCanada，applesfromNewZealand，"prettylookin’

fruit，butnotwhatIshouldcallEnglishapples，"saidTom——

bananas，unfamiliarnuts，grapefruits，mangoes。

Themotor—carsthatwentbynorthwardandsouthwardgrewmoreandmorepowerfulandefficient，whizzedfasterandsmeltworse，thereappearedgreatclangorouspetroltrolleysdeliveringcoalandparcelsintheplaceofvanishinghorse—vans，motor—omnibusesoustedthehorse—omnibuses，eventheKentishstrawberriesgoingLondonwardinthenighttooktomachineryandclatteredinsteadofcreaking，andbecameaffectedinflavourbyprogressandpetrol。

AndthenyoungBertSmallwaysgotamotorbicycle……

2

Bert，itisnecessarytoexplain，wasaprogressiveSmallways。

NothingspeaksmoreeloquentlyofthepitilessinsistenceofprogressandexpansioninourtimethanthatitshouldgetintotheSmallwaysblood。ButtherewassomethingadvancedandenterprisingaboutyoungSmallwaysbeforehewasoutofshortfrocks。Hewaslostforawholedaybeforehewasfive，andnearlydrownedinthereservoirofthenewwater—worksbeforehewasseven。Hehadarealpistoltakenawayfromhimbyarealpolicemanwhenhewasten。Andhelearnttosmoke，notwithpipesandbrownpaperandcaneasTomhaddone，butwithapennypacketofBoysofEnglandAmericancigarettes。Hislanguageshockedhisfatherbeforehewastwelve，andbythatage，whatwithtoutingforparcelsatthestationandsellingtheBunHillWeeklyExpress，hewasmakingthreeshillingsaweek，ormore，andspendingitonChips，ComicCuts，AllySloper’sHalf—holiday，cigarettes，andalltheconcomitantsofalifeofpleasureandenlightenment。Allofthiswithouthindrancetohisliterarystudies，whichcarriedhimuptotheseventhstandardatanexceptionallyearlyage。ImentionthesethingssothatyoumayhavenodoubtatallconcerningthesortofstuffBerthadinhim。

HewassixyearsyoungerthanTom，andforatimetherewasanattempttoutilisehiminthegreen—grocer’sshopwhenTomattwenty—onemarriedJessica——whowasthirty，andhadsavedalittlemoneyinservice。ButitwasnotBert’sfortetobeutilised。Hehateddigging，andwhenhewasgivenabasketofstufftodeliver，anomadicinstinctaroseirresistibly，itbecamehispackandhedidnotseemtocarehowheavyitwasnorwherehetookit，solongashedidnottakeittoitsdestination。Glamourfilledtheworld，andhestrayedafterit，basketandall。SoTomtookhisgoodsouthimself，andsoughtemployersforBertwhodidnotknowofthisstrainofpoetryinhisnature。AndBerttouchedthefringeofanumberoftradesinsuccession——draper’sporter，chemist’sboy，doctor’spage，juniorassistantgas—fitter，envelopeaddresser，milk—cartassistant，golfcaddie，andatlasthelperinabicycleshop。Here，apparently，hefoundtheprogressivequalityhisnaturehadcraved。Hisemployerwasapirate—souledyoungmannamedGrubb，withablack—smearedfacebyday，andamusic—hallsideintheevening，whodreamtofapatentleverchain;anditseemedtoBertthathewastheperfectmodelofagentlemanofspirit。HehiredoutquitethedirtiestandunsafestbicyclesinthewholesouthofEngland，andconductedthesubsequentdiscussionswithastonishingverve。Bertandhesettleddownverywelltogether。

Bertlivedin，becamealmostatrickrider——hecouldridebicyclesformilesthatwouldhavecometopiecesinstantlyunderyouorme——tooktowashinghisfaceafterbusiness，andspenthissurplusmoneyuponremarkabletiesandcollars，cigarettes，andshorthandclassesattheBunHillInstitute。

HewouldgoroundtoTomattimes，andlookandtalksobrilliantlythatTomandJessie，whobothhadanaturaltendencytoberespectfultoanybodyoranything，lookeduptohimimmensely。

"He’sago—aheadchap，isBert，"saidTom。"Heknowsathingortwo。"

"Let’shopehedon’tknowtoomuch，"saidJessica，whohadafinesenseoflimitations。

"It’sgo—aheadTimes，"saidTom。"Noopetaters，andEnglishatthat;we’llbehaving’eminMarchifthingsgoonastheydogo。

IneverseesuchTimes。Seehistielastnight？"

"Itwasn’tsuitedtohim，Tom。Itwasagentleman’stie。Hewasn’tuptoit——nottherestofhim，Itwasn’tbecoming"……

ThenpresentlyBertgotacyclist’ssuit，cap，badge，andall;

andtoseehimandGrubbgoingdowntoBrighton（andback）——headsdown，handle—barsdown，backbonescurved——wasarevelationinthepossibilitiesoftheSmallwaysblood。

Go—aheadTimes！

OldSmallwayswouldsitoverthefiremumblingofthegreatnessofotherdays，ofoldSirPeter，whodrovehiscoachtoBrightonandbackineight—and—twentyhours，ofoldSirPeter’swhitetop—hats，ofLadyBone，whoneversetfoottogroundexcepttowalkinthegarden，ofthegreat，prize—fightsatCrawley。Hetalkedofpinkandpig—skinbreeches，offoxesatRing’sBottom，wherenowtheCountyCouncilpauperlunaticswereenclosed，ofLadyBone’schintzesandcrinolines。Nobodyheededhim。Theworldhadthrownupanewtypeofgentlemanaltogether——agentlemanofmostungentlemanlyenergy，agentlemanindustyoilskinsandmotorgogglesandawonderfulcap，astink—makinggentleman，aswift，high—classbadger，whofledperpetuallyalonghighroadsfromthedustandstinkheperpetuallymade。Andhislady，astheywereabletoseeheratBunHill，wasaweather—bittengoddess，asfreefromrefinementasagipsy——notsomuchdressedaspackedfortransitatahighvelocity。

SoBertgrewup，filledwithidealsofspeedandenterprise，andbecame，sofarashebecameanything，akindofbicycleengineerofthelet’s—have—a—look—at—itandenamelchippingvariety。Evenaroad—racer，gearedtoahundredandtwenty，failedtosatisfyhim，andforatimehepinedinvainattwentymilesanhouralongroadsthatwerecontinuallymoredustyandmorecrowdedwithmechanicaltraffic。Butatlasthissavingsaccumulated，andhischancecame。Thehire—purchasesystembridgedafinancialgap，andonebrightandmemorableSundaymorninghewheeledhisnewpossessionthroughtheshopintotheroad，gotontoitwiththeadviceandassistanceofGrubb，andteuf—teuffedoffintothehazeofthetraffic—torturedhighroad，toaddhimselfasonemorevoluntarypublicdangertotheamenitiesofthesouthofEngland。

"OrftoBrighton！"saidoldSmallways，regardinghisyoungestsonfromthesitting—roomwindowoverthegreen—grocer’sshopwithsomethingbetweenprideandreprobation。"WhenIwas’isage，I’dneverbeentoLondon，neverbinsouthofCrawley——neverbinanywhereonmyownwhereIcouldn’twalk。Andnobodydidn’tgo。Notunlesstheywasgentry。Noweverybody’sorfeverywhere;thewholedrattedcountrysimsflyingtopieces。

Wondertheyallgetback。OrftoBrightonindeed！Anybodywanttobuy’orses？"

"Youcan’tsay_I_bintoBrighton，father，"saidTom。

"Nordon’twanttogo，"saidJessicasharply;"creeringaboutandspendin’yourmoney。"

3

Foratimethepossibilitiesofthemotor—bicyclesooccupiedBert’smindthatheremainedregardlessofthenewdirectioninwhichthestrivingsoulofmanwasfindingexerciseandrefreshment。Hefailedtoobservethatthetypeofmotor—car，likethetypeofbicycle，wassettling—downandlosingitsadventurousquality。Indeed，itisastrueasitisremarkablethatTomwasthefirsttoobservethenewdevelopment。Buthisgardeningmadehimattentivetotheheavens，andtheproximityoftheBunHillgas—worksandtheCrystalPalace，fromwhichascentswerecontinuallybeingmade，andpresentlythedescentofballastuponhispotatoes，conspiredtobearinuponhisunwillingmindthefactthattheGoddessofChangewasturningherdisturbingattentiontothesky。Thefirstgreatboominaeronauticswasbeginning。

GrubbandBertheardofitinamusic—hall，thenitwasdrivenhometotheirmindsbythecinematograph，thenBert’simaginationwasstimulatedbyasixpennyeditionofthataeronauticclassic，Mr。GeorgeGriffith’s"ClipperoftheClouds，"andsothethingreallygotholdofthem。

Atfirstthemostobviousaspectwasthemultiplicationofballoons。TheskyofBunHillbegantobeinfestedbyballoons。

OnWednesdayandSaturdayafternoonsparticularlyyoucouldscarcelylookskywardforaquarterofanhourwithoutdiscoveringaballoonsomewhere。AndthenonebrightdayBert，motoringtowardCroydon，wasarrestedbytheinsurgenceofahuge，bolster—shapedmonsterfromtheCrystalPalacegrounds，andobligedtodismountandwatchit。Itwaslikeabolsterwithabrokennose，andbelowit，andcomparativelysmall，wasastiffframeworkbearingamanandanenginewithascrewthatwhizzedroundinfrontandasortofcanvasrudderbehind。Theframeworkhadanairofdraggingthereluctantgas—cylinderafteritlikeabrisklittleterriertowingashygas—distendedelephantintosociety。Thecombinedmonstercertainlytravelledandsteered。

Itwentoverheadperhapsathousandfeetup（Bertheardtheengine），sailedawaysouthward，vanishedoverthehills，reappearedalittleblueoutlinefaroffintheeast，goingnowveryfastbeforeagentlesouth—westgale，returnedabovetheCrystalPalacetowers，circledroundthem，choseapositionfordescent，andsankdownoutofsight。

Bertsigheddeeply，andturnedtohismotor—bicycleagain。

Andthatwasonlythebeginningofasuccessionofstrangephenomenaintheheavens——cylinders，cones，pear—shapedmonsters，evenatlastathingofaluminiumthatglitteredwonderfully，andthatGrubb，throughsomeconfusionofideasaboutarmourplates，wasinclinedtoconsiderawarmachine。

Therefollowedactualflight。

This，however，wasnotanaffairthatwasvisiblefromBunHill;

itwassomethingthatoccurredinprivategroundsorotherenclosedplacesand，underfavourableconditions，anditwasbroughthometoGrubbandBertSmallwaysonlybymeansofthemagazinepageofthehalf—pennynewspapersorbycinematographrecords。Butitwasbroughthomeveryinsistently，andinthosedaysif，everoneheardamansayinginapublicplaceinaloud，reassuring，confidenttone，"It’sboundtocome，"thechancesweretentoonehewastalkingofflying。AndBertgotaboxlidandwroteoutincorrectwindow—ticketstyle，andGrubbputinthewindowthisinscription，"Aeroplanesmadeandrepaired。"ItquiteupsetTom——itseemedtakingone’sshopsolightly;butmostoftheneighbours，andallthesportingones，approvedofitasbeingverygoodindeed。

Everybodytalkedofflying，everybodyrepeatedoverandoveragain，"Boundtocome，"andthenyouknowitdidn’tcome。Therewasahitch。Theyflew——thatwasallright;theyflewinmachinesheavierthanair。Buttheysmashed。Sometimestheysmashedtheengine，sometimestheysmashedtheaeronaut，usuallytheysmashedboth。Machinesthatmadeflightsofthreeorfourmilesandcamedownsafely，wentupthenexttimetoheadlongdisaster。Thereseemednopossibletrustingtothem。Thebreezeupsetthem，theeddiesnearthegroundupsetthem，apassingthoughtinthemindoftheaeronautupsetthem。Alsotheyupset——simply。

"It’sthis’stability’does’em，"saidGrubb，repeatinghisnewspaper。"Theypitchandtheypitch，tilltheypitchthemselvestopieces。"

Experimentsfellawayaftertwoexpectantyearsofthissortofsuccess，thepublicandthenthenewspaperstiredoftheexpensivephotographicreproductions，theoptimisticreports，theperpetualsequenceoftriumphanddisasterandsilence。Flyingslumped，evenballooningfellawaytosomeextent，thoughitremainedafairlypopularsport，andcontinuedtoliftgravelfromthewharfoftheBunHillgas—worksanddropitupondeservingpeople’slawnsandgardens。TherewerehalfadozenreassuringyearsforTom——atleastsofarasflyingwasconcerned。Butthatwasthegreattimeofmono—raildevelopment，andhisanxietywasonlydivertedfromthehighheavensbythemosturgentthreatsandsymptomsofchangeinthelowersky。

Therehadbeentalkofmono—railsforseveralyears。ButtherealmischiefbeganwhenBrennanspranghisgyroscopicmono—railcarupontheRoyalSociety。Itwastheleadingsensationofthe1907soirees;thatcelebrateddemonstration—roomwasalltoosmallforitsexhibition。BravesoldiersleadingZionists，deservingnovelists，nobleladies，congestedthenarrowpassageandthrustdistinguishedelbowsintoribstheworldwouldnotwillinglyletbreak，deemingthemselvesfortunateiftheycouldsee"justalittlebitoftherail。"Inaudible，butconvincing，thegreatinventorexpoundedhisdiscovery，andsenthisobedientlittlemodelofthetrainsofthefutureupgradients，roundcurves，andacrossasaggingwire。Itranalongitssinglerail，onitssinglewheels，simpleandsufficient;itstopped，reversedstoodstill，balancingperfectly。Itmaintaineditsastoundingequilibriumamidstathunderofapplause。Theaudiencedispersedatlast，discussinghowfartheywouldenjoycrossinganabyssonawirecable。"Supposethegyroscopestopped！"FewofthemanticipatedatitheofwhattheBrennanmono—railwoulddofortheirrailwaysecuritiesandthefaceoftheworld。

Inafew，yearstheyrealisedbetter。Inalittlewhilenoonethoughtanythingofcrossinganabyssonawire，andthemono—

railwassupersedingthetram—lines，railways:andindeedeveryformoftrackformechanicallocomotion。Wherelandwascheaptherailranalongtheground，whereitwasdeartheraillifteduponironstandardsandpassedoverhead;itsswift，convenientcarswenteverywhereanddideverythingthathadoncebeendonealongmadetracksupontheground。

WhenoldSmallwaysdied，Tomcouldthinkofnothingmorestrikingtosayofhimthanthat，"Whenhewasaboy，therewasn’tnothinghigherthanyourchimbleys——therewasn’tawirenoracableinthesky！"

OldSmallWayswenttohisgraveunderanintricatenetworkofwiresandcables，forBunHillbecamenotonlyasortofminorcentreofpowerdistribution——theHomeCountiesPowerDistributionCompanysetuptransformersandageneratingstationclosebesidetheoldgas—works——but，alsoajunctiononthesuburbanmono—railsystem。Moreover，everytradesmanintheplace，andindeednearlyeveryhouse，haditsowntelephone。

Themono—railcablestandardbecameastrikingfactinurbanlandscape，forthemostpartstoutironerectionsratherliketaperingtrestles，andpaintedabrightbluishgreen。One，ithappened，bestrodeTom’shouse，whichlookedstillmoreretiringandapologeticbeneathitsimmensity;andanothergiantstoodjustinsidethecornerofhisgarden，whichwasstillnotbuiltuponandunchanged，exceptforacoupleofadvertisementboards，onerecommendingatwo—and—sixpennywatch，andoneanerverestorer。These，bythebye，wereplacedalmosthorizontallytocatchtheeyeofthepassingmono—railpassengersabove，andsoservedadmirablytoroofoveratool—shedandamushroom—shedforTom。AlldayandallnightthefastcarsfromBrightonandHastingswentmurmuringbyoverheadlong，broad，comfortable—lookingcars，thatwerebrightlylitafterdusk。Astheyflewbyatnight，transientflaresoflightandarumblingsoundofpassage，theykeptupaperpetualsummerlightningandthunderstorminthestreetbelow。

PresentlytheEnglishChannelwasbridged——aseriesofgreatironEiffelTowerpillarscarryingmono—railcablesataheightofahundredandfiftyfeetabovethewater，exceptnearthemiddle，wheretheyrosehighertoallowthepassageoftheLondonandAntwerpshippingandtheHamburg—Americaliners。

Thenheavymotor—carsbegantorunaboutononlyacoupleofwheels，onebehindtheother，whichforsomereasonupsetTomdreadfully，andmadehimgloomyfordaysafterthefirstonepassedtheshop……

Allthisgyroscopicandmono—raildevelopmentnaturallyabsorbedavastamountofpublicattention，andthere，wasalsoahugeexcitementconsequentupontheamazinggolddiscoveriesoffthecoastofAngleseamadebyasubmarineprospector，MissPatriciaGiddy。ShehadtakenherdegreeingeologyandmineralogyintheUniversityofLondon，andwhileworkingupontheauriferousrocksofNorthWales，afterabriefholidayspentinagitatingforwomen’ssuffrage，shehadbeenstruckbythepossibilityofthesereefscroppingupagainunderthewater。ShehadsetherselftoverifythissuppositionbytheuseofthesubmarinecrawlerinventedbyDoctorAlbertoCassini。Byahappyminglingofreasoningandintuitionpeculiartohersexshefoundgoldatherfirstdescent，andemergedafterthreehours’submersionwithabouttwohundredweightoforecontaininggoldintheunparalleledquantityofseventeenouncestotheton。Butthewholestoryofhersubmarinemining，intenselyinterestingasitis，mustbetoldatsomeothertime;sufficeitnowtoremarksimplythatitwasduringtheconsequentgreatriseofprices，confidence，andenterprisethattherevivalofinterestinflyingoccurred。

Itiscurioushowthatrevivalbegan。Itwaslikethecomingofabreezeonaquietday;nothingstartedit，itcame。Peoplebegantotalkofflyingwithanairofneverhavingforonemomentdroppedthesubject。Picturesofflyingandflyingmachinesreturnedtothenewspapers;articlesandallusionsincreasedandmultipliedintheseriousmagazines。Peopleaskedinmono—railtrains，"Whenarewegoingtofly？"Anewcropofinventorssprangupinanightorsolikefungi。TheAeroClubannouncedtheprojectofagreatFlyingExhibitioninalargeareaofgroundthattheremovalofslumsinWhitechapelhadrenderedavailable。

TheadvancingwavesoonproducedasympatheticrippleintheBunHillestablishment。Grubbroutedouthisflying—machinemodelagain，trieditintheyardbehindtheshop，gotakindofflightoutofit，andbrokeseventeenpanesofglassandnineflower—potsinthegreenhousethatoccupiedthenextyardbutone。

Andthen，springingfromnowhere，sustainedoneknewnothow，cameapersistent，disturbingrumourthattheproblemhadbeensolved，thatthesecretwasknown。Bertmetitoneearly—closingafternoonasherefreshedhimselfinaninnnearNutfield，whitherhismotor—bicyclehadbroughthim。Theresmokedandmeditatedapersoninkhaki，anengineer，whopresentlytookaninterestinBert’smachine。Itwasasturdypieceofapparatus，andithadacquiredakindofdocumentaryvalueinthesequick—changingtimes;itwasnownearlyeightyearsold。Itspointsdiscussed，thesoldierbrokeintoanewtopicwith，"Mynext’sgoingtobeanaeroplane，sofarasIcansee。I’vehadenoughofroadsandways。"

"TheyTORK，"saidBert。

"Theytalk——andtheydo，"saidthesoldier。

"Thething’scoming——"

"ItkeepsONcoming，"saidBert;"IshallbelievewhenIseeit。"

"Thatwon’tbelong，"saidthesoldier。

Theconversationseemeddegeneratingintoanamiablewrangleofcontradiction。

"ItellyoutheyAREflying，"thesoldierinsisted。"Iseeitmyself。"

"We’veallseenit，"saidBert。

"Idon’tmeanflapupandsmashup;Imeanreal，safe，steady，controlledflying，againstthewind，goodandright。"

"Youain’tseenthat！"

"I’AVE！Aldershot。Theytrytokeepitasecret。Theygotitrightenough。Youbet——ourWarOfficeisn’tgoingtobecaught—nappingthistime。"

Bert’sincredulitywasshaken。Heaskedquestions—andthesoldierexpanded。

"Itellyoutheygotnearlyasquaremilefencedin——asortofvalley。Fencesofbarbedwiretenfeethigh，andinsidethattheydothings。Chapsaboutthecamp——nowandthenwegetapeep。Itisn’tonlyusneither。There’stheJapanese;youbettheygot，ittoo——andtheGermans！"

Thesoldierstoodwithhislegsverywideapart，andfilledhispipethoughtfully。Bertsatonthelowwallagainstwhichhismotor—bicyclewasleaning。

"Funnythingfighting’llbe，"hesaid。

"Flying’sgoingtobreakout，"saidthesoldier。"WhenitDOES

come，whenthecurtaindoesgoup，Itellyouyou’llfindeveryoneonthestage——busy……Suchfighting，too！……Isupposeyoudon’treadthepapersaboutthissortofthing？"

"Iread’emabit，"saidBert。

"Well，haveyounoticedwhatonemightcalltheremarkablecaseofthedisappearinginventor——theinventorwhoturnsupinablazeofpublicity，firesoffafewsuccessfulexperiments，andvanishes？"

"Can’tsayI’ave，"saidBert。

"Well，I’ave，anyhow。Yougetanybodycomealongwhodoesanythingstrikinginthisline，and，youbet，hevanishes。Justgoesoffquietlyoutofsight。Afterabit，youdon’thearanythingmoreof’ematall。See？Theydisappear。Gone——noaddress。First——oh！it’sanoldstorynow——therewasthoseWrightBrothersoutinAmerica。Theyglided——theyglidedmilesandmiles。Finallytheyglidedoffstage。Why，itmustbenineteenhundredandfour，orfive，THEYvanished！ThentherewasthosepeopleinIreland——no，Iforgettheirnames。Everybodysaidtheycouldfly。THEYwent。Theyain’tdeadthatI’veheardtell;butyoucan’tsaythey’realive。Notafeatherof’emcanyousee。ThenthatchapwhoflewroundParisandupsetintheSeine。DeBooley，wasit？Iforget。Thatwasagrandfly，inspiteoftheaccident;butwhere’shegotto？Theaccidentdidn’thurthim。Eh？_’E_’sgonetocover。"

Thesoldierpreparedtolighthispipe。

"Lookslikeasecretsocietygotholdofthem，"saidBert。

"Secretsociety！NAW！"

Thesoldierlithismatch，anddrew。"Secretsociety，"herepeated，withhispipebetweenhisteethandthematchflaring，inresponsetohiswords。"WarDepartments;that’smorelikeit。"Hethrewhismatchaside，andwalkedtohismachine。"I

tellyou，sir，"hesaid，"thereisn’tabigPowerinEurope，OR

Asia，ORAmerica，ORAfrica，thathasn’tgotatleastoneortwoflyingmachineshiddenupitssleeveatthepresenttime。Notone。Real，workable，flyingmachines。Andthespying！Thespyingandmanoeuvringtofindoutwhattheothershavegot。I

tellyou，sir，aforeigner，or，forthematterofthat，anunaccreditednative，can’tgetwithinfourmilesofLyddnowadays——nottomentionourlittlecircusatAldershot，andtheexperimentalcampinGalway。No！"

"Well，"saidBert，"I’dliketoseeoneofthem，anyhow。Jesttohelpbelieving。I’llbelievewhenIsee，thatI’llpromiseyou。"

"You’llsee’em，fastenough，"saidthesoldier，andledhismachineoutintotheroad。