第7章

Hewasreallyaverytactfulyoungmanindeed，inanaturalsortofway。"Daresayallthisisnewtoyou，"hesaid;"notyoursortofmachine。Thesecabinsaren’thalfbad。"

Hegotupandwalkedroundthelittleapartment，showingitspoints。

"Hereisthebed，"hesaid，whippingdownacouchfromthewallandthrowingitbackagainwithaclick。"Herearetoiletthings，"andheopenedaneatlyarrangedcupboard。"Notmuchwashing。Nowaterwe’vegot;nowateratallexceptfordrinking。NobathsoranythinguntilwegettoAmericaandland。

Ruboverwithloofah。Onepintofhotforshaving。That’sall。

Inthelockerbelowyouarerugsandblankets;youwillneedthempresently。Theysayitgetscold。Idon’tknow。Neverbeenupbefore。Exceptalittleworkwithgliders——whichismostlygoingdown。Three—quartersofthechapsinthefleethaven’t。Here’safolding—chairandtablebehindthedoor。Compact，eh？"

Hetookthechairandbalanceditonhislittlefinger。"Prettylight，eh？Aluminiumandmagnesiumalloyandavacuuminside。

Allthesecushionsstuffedwithhydrogen。Foxy！Thewholeship’slikethat。Andnotamaninthefleet，exceptthePrinceandoneortwoothers，overelevenstone。Couldn’tsweatthePrince，youknow。We’llgoalloverthethingto—morrow。I’mfrightfullykeenonit。"

HebeamedatBert。"YouDOlookyoung，"heremarked。"Ialwaysthoughtyou’dbeanoldmanwithabeard——asortofphilosopher。

Idon’tknowwhyoneshouldexpectcleverpeoplealwaystobeold。Ido。"

Bertparriedthatcomplimentalittleawkwardly，andthenthelieutenantwasstruckwiththeriddlewhyHerrButteridgehadnotcomeinhisownflyingmachine。

"It’salongstory，"saidBert。"Lookhere！"hesaidabruptly，"Iwishyou’dlendmeapairofslippers，orsomething。I’mregularsickofthesesandals。They’rerottenthings。I’vebeentryingthemforafriend。"

"RightO！"

Theex—Rhodesscholarwhiskedoutoftheroomandreappearedwithaconsiderablechoiceoffootwear——pumps，clothbath—slippers，andapurplepairadornedwithgoldensun—flowers。

Buttheseherepentedofatthelastmoment。

"Idon’tevenwearthemmyself，"hesaid。"Onlybrought’eminthezealofthemoment。"Helaughedconfidentially。"Had’emworkedforme——inOxford。Byafriend。Take’emeverywhere。"

SoBertchosethepumps。

Thelieutenantbrokeintoacheerfulsnigger。"Herewearetryingonslippers，"hesaid，"andtheworldgoingbylikeapanoramabelow。Ratheralark，eh？Look！"

Bertpeepedwithhimoutofthewindow，lookingfromthebrightpettinessofthered—and—silvercabinintoadarkimmensity。Thelandbelow，exceptforalake，wasblackandfeatureless，andtheotherairshipswerehidden。"Seemoreoutside，"saidthelieutenant。"Let’sgo！There’sasortoflittlegallery。"

Heledthewayintothelongpassage，whichwaslitbyonesmallelectriclight，pastsomenoticesinGerman，toanopenbalconyandalightladderandgalleryofmetal，latticeoverhanging，emptyspace。Bertfollowedhisleaderdowntothegalleryslowlyandcautiously。Fromithewasabletowatchthewonderfulspectacleofthefirstair—fleetflyingthroughthenight。Theyflewinawedge—shapedformation，theVaterlandhighestandleading，thetailrecedingintothecornersofthesky。Theyflewinlong，regularundulations，greatdarkfish—likeshapes，showinghardlyanylightatall，theenginesmakingathrob—throb—throbbingsoundthatwasveryaudibleoutonthegallery。Theyweregoingataleveloffiveorsixthousandfeet，andrisingsteadily。Below，thecountrylaysilent，acleardarknessdottedandlinedoutwithclustersoffurnaces，andthelitstreetsofagroupofbigtowns。Theworldseemedtolieinabowl;theoverhangingbulkoftheairshipabovehidallbutthelowestlevelsofthesky。

Theywatchedthelandscapeforaspace。

"Jollyitmustbetoinventthings，"saidthelieutenantsuddenly。"Howdidyoucometothinkofyourmachinefirst？"

"Workeditout，"saidBert，afterapause。"Jestgroundawayatit。"

"Ourpeoplearefrightfullykeenonyou。TheythoughttheBritishhadgotyou。Weren’ttheBritishkeen？"

"Inaway，"saidBert。"Still——itsalongstory。"

"Ithinkit’sanimmensething——toinvent。Icouldn’tinventathingtosavemylife。"

Theybothfellsilent，watchingthedarkenedworldandfollowingtheirthoughtsuntilabuglesummonedthemtoabelateddinner。

Bertwassuddenlyalarmed。"Don’tyou’avetodressandthings？"

hesaid。"I’vealwaysbeentoohardatScienceandthingstogointoSocietyandallthat。"

"Nofear，"saidKurt。"Nobody’sgotmorethantheclothestheywear。We’retravellinglight。Youmightperhapstakeyourovercoatoff。They’veanelectricradiatoreachendoftheroom。"

AndsopresentlyBertfoundhimselfsittingtoeatinthepresenceofthe"GermanAlexander"——thatgreatandpuissantPrince，PrinceKarlAlbert，theWarLord，theherooftwohemispheres。Hewasahandsome，blondman，withdeep—seteyes，asnubnose，upturnedmoustache，andlongwhitehands，astrange—lookingman。Hesathigherthantheothers，underablackeaglewithwidespreadwingsandtheGermanImperialflags;

hewas，asitwere，enthroned，anditstruckBertgreatlythatasheatehedidnotlookatpeople，butovertheirheadslikeonewhoseesvisions。Twentyofficersofvariousranksstoodaboutthetable——andBert。TheyallseemedextremelycurioustoseethefamousButteridge，andtheirastonishmentathisappearancewasill—controlled。ThePrincegavehimadignifiedsalutation，towhich，byaninspiration，hebowed。StandingnextthePrincewasabrown—faced，wrinkledmanwithsilverspectaclesandfluffy，dingy—greyside—whiskers，whoregardedBertwithapeculiaranddisconcertingattention。ThecompanysatafterceremoniesBertcouldnotunderstand。Attheotherendofthetablewasthebird—facedofficerBerthaddispossessed，stilllookinghostileandwhisperingaboutBerttohisneighbour。Twosoldierswaited。Thedinnerwasaplainone——asoup，somefreshmutton，andcheese——andtherewasverylittletalk。

Acurioussolemnityindeedbroodedovereveryone。Partlythiswasreactionaftertheintensetoilandrestrainedexcitementofstarting;partlyitwastheoverwhelmingsenseofstrangenewexperiences，ofportentousadventure。ThePrincewaslostinthought。HerousedhimselftodrinktotheEmperorinchampagne，andthecompanycried"Hoch！"likemenrepeatingresponsesinchurch。

Nosmokingwaspermitted，butsomeoftheofficerswentdowntothelittleopengallerytochewtobacco。Nolightswhateverweresafeamidstthatbundleofinflammablethings。Bertsuddenlyfellyawningandshivering。Hewasoverwhelmedbyasenseofhisowninsignificanceamidstthesegreatrushingmonstersoftheair。Hefeltlifewas’toobigforhim——toomuchforhimaltogether。

HesaidsomethingtoKurtabouthishead，wentupthesteepladderfromtheswayinglittlegalleryintotheairshipagain，andso，asifitwerearefuge，tobed。

5

Bertsleptforatime，andthenhissleepwasbrokenbydreams。

Mostlyhewasfleeingfromformlessterrorsdownaninterminablepassageinanairship——apassagepavedatfirstwithravenoustrap—doors，andthenwithopenworkcanvasofthemostcarelessdescription。

"Gaw！"saidBert，turningoverafterhisseventhfallthroughinfinitespacethatnight。

Hesatupinthedarknessandnursedhisknees。Theprogressoftheairshipwasnotnearlysosmoothasaballoon;hecouldfeelaregularswayingup，up，upandthendown，down，down，andthethrobbingandtremulousquiveroftheengines。

Hismindbegantoteemwithmemories——morememoriesandmore。

Throughthem，likeastrugglingswimmerinbrokenwater，cametheperplexingquestion，whatamItodoto—morrow？To—morrow，Kurthadtoldhim，thePrince’ssecretary，theGrafVonWinterfeld，wouldcometohimanddiscusshisflying—machine，andthenhewouldseethePrince。HewouldhavetostickitoutnowthathewasButteridge，andsellhisinvention。Andthen，iftheyfoundhimout！HehadavisionofinfuriatedButteridges……Supposeafterallheownedup？Pretendeditwastheirmisunderstanding？

HebegantoschemedevicesforsellingthesecretandcircumventingButteridge。

Whatshouldheaskforthething？Somehowtwentythousandpoundsstruckhimasaboutthesumindicated。

Hefellintothatdespondencythatliesinwaitinthesmallhours。Hehadgottoobigajobon——toobigajob……

Memoriesswampedhisscheming。

"WherewasIthistimelastnight？"

Herecapitulatedhiseveningstediouslyandlengthily。LastnighthehadbeenupabovethecloudsinButteridge’sballoon。

Hethoughtofthemomentwhenhedroppedthroughthemandsawthecoldtwilightseaclosebelow。Hestillrememberedthatdisagreeableincidentwithanightmarevividness。AndthenightbeforeheandGrubbhadbeenlookingforcheaplodgingsatLittlestoneinKent。Howremotethatseemednow。Itmightbeyearsago。ForthefirsttimehethoughtofhisfellowDesertDervish，leftwiththetwored—paintedbicyclesonDymchurchsands。"’Ewon’tmakemuchofashowofit，notwithoutme。

Any’ow’edid’avethetreasury——suchasitwas——inhispocket！"……ThenightbeforethatwasBankHolidaynightandtheyhadsatdiscussingtheirminstrelenterprise，drawingupaprogrammeandrehearsingsteps。AndthenightbeforewasWhitSunday。"Lord！"

criedBert，"whatadoingthatmotor—bicyclegiveme！"Herecalledtheemptyflappingoftheevisceratedcushion，thefeelingofimpotenceastheflamesroseagain。Fromamongtheconfusedmemoriesofthattragicflareonelittlefigureemergedverybrightandpoignantlysweet，Edna，cryingbackreluctantlyfromthedepartingmotor—car，"Seeyouto—morrer，Bert？"

OthermemoriesofEdnaclusteredroundthatimpression。TheyledBert’smindstepbysteptoanagreeablestatethatfoundexpressionin"I’llmarry’ERifshedon’tlookout。"AndtheninaflashitfollowedinhismindthatifhesoldtheButteridgesecrethecould！Supposeafterallhedidgettwentythousandpounds;suchsumshavebeenpaid！Withthathecouldbuyhouseandgarden，buynewclothesbeyonddreaming，buyamotor，travel，haveeverydelightofthecivilisedlifeasheknewit，forhimselfandEdna。Ofcourse，riskswereinvolved。"I’ll’aveoldButteridgeonmytrack，Iexpect！"

Hemeditateduponthat。Hedeclinedagaintodespondency。Asyethewasonlyinthebeginningoftheadventure。Hehadstilltodeliverthegoodsanddrawthecash。Andbeforethat——Justnowhewasbynomeansonhiswayhome。HewasflyingofftoAmericatofightthere。"Notmuchfighting，"heconsidered;"allourownway。"Still，ifashelldidhappentohittheVaterlandontheunderside！……

"S’poseIoughttomakemywill。"

Helaybackforsometimecomposingwills——chieflyinfavourofEdna。Hehadsettlednowitwastobetwentythousandpounds。

Heleftanumberofminorlegacies。Thewillsbecamemoreandmoremeanderingandextravagant……

Hewokefromtheeighthrepetitionofhisnightmarefallthroughspace。"Thisflyinggetsonone’snerves，"hesaid。

Hecouldfeeltheairshipdivingdown，down，down，thenslowlyswingingtoup，up，up。Throb，throb，throb，throb，quiveredtheengine。

HegotuppresentlyandwrappedhimselfaboutwithMr。

Butteridge’sovercoatandalltheblankets，fortheairwasverykeen。Thenhepeepedoutofthewindowtoseeagreydawnbreakingoverclouds，thenturneduphislightandboltedhisdoor，satdowntothetable，andproducedhischest—protector。

Hesmoothedthecrumpledplanswithhishand，andcontemplatedthem。Thenhereferredtotheotherdrawingsintheportfolio。

Twentythousandpounds。Ifheworkeditright！Itwasworthtrying，anyhow。

PresentlyheopenedthedrawerinwhichKurthadputpaperandwriting—materials。

BertSmallwayswasbynomeansastupidperson，anduptoacertainlimithehadnotbeenbadlyeducated。Hisboardschoolhadtaughthimtodrawuptocertainlimits，taughthimtocalculateandunderstandaspecification。Ifatthatpointhiscountryhadtiredofitsefforts，andhandedhimoverunfinishedtoscrambleforalivinginanatmosphereofadvertiseinentsandindividualenterprise，thatwasreallynothisfault。HewasashisStatehadmadehim，andthereadermustnotimaginebecausehewasalittleCockneycad，thathewasabsolutelyincapableofgraspingtheideaoftheButteridgeflying—machine。Buthefounditstiffandperplexing。Hismotor—bicycleandGrubb’sexperimentsandthe"mechanicaldrawing"hehaddoneinstandardsevenallhelpedhimout;and，moreover，themakerofthesedrawings，whoeverhewas，hadbeenanxioustomakehisintentionsplain。Bertcopiedsketches，hemadenotes，hemadeaquitetolerableandintelligentcopyoftheessentialdrawingsandsketchesoftheothers。Thenhefellintoameditationuponthem。

Atlastherosewithasigh，foldeduptheoriginalsthathadformerlybeeninhischest—protectorandputthemintothebreast—pocketofhisjacket，andthenverycarefullydepositedthecopieshehadmadeintheplaceoftheoriginals。Hehadnoveryclearplaninhismindindoingthis，exceptthathehatedtheideaofaltogetherpartingwiththesecret。Foralongtimehemeditatedprofoundly——nodding。Thenheturnedouthislightandwenttobedagainandschemedhimselftosleep。

6

ThehochgeborenGrafvonWinterfeldwasalsoalightsleeperthatnight，butthenhewasoneofthesepeoplewhosleeplittleandplaychessproblemsintheirheadstowhileawaythetime——andthatnighthehadaparticularlydifficultproblemtosolve。

HecameinuponBertwhilehewasstillinbedintheglowofthesunlightreflectedfromtheNorthSeabelow，consumngtherollsandcoffeeasoldierhadbroughthim。Hehadaportfoliounderhisarm，andintheclear，earlymorninglighthisdingygreyhairandheavy，silver—rimmedspectaclesmadehimlookalmostbenevolent。HespokeEnglishfluently，butwithastrongGermanflavour。Hewasparticularlybadwithhis"b’s，"andhis"th’s"

softenedtowardsweak"z’ds。"HecalledBertexplosively，"Pooterage。"Hebeganwithsomeindistinctcivilities，bowed，tookafolding—tableandchairfrombehindthedoor，puttheformerbetweenhimselfandBert，satdownonthelatter，cougheddrily，andopenedhisportfolio。Thenheputhiselbowsonthetable，pinchedhislowerlipwithhistwofore—fingers，andregardedBertdisconcertinglywithmagnifiedeyes。"Youcametous，HerrPooterage，againstyourwill，"hesaidatlast。

"’Owd’youmakethatout？"askedBert，afterapauseofastonishment。

"Ichugebyzemapsinyourcar。TheywereallEnglish。Andyourprovisions。Theywereallpicnic。Alsoyourcordswereentangled。Youhaf’beentugging——butnogood。Youcouldnotmanagezeballoon，andanuzzerpowerthanyoursproughtyoutous。Isitnotso？"

Bertthought。

"Also——whereiszelaty？"

"’Ere！——whatlady？"

"Youstartedwithalaty。Thatisevident。Youshtartedforanafternoonexcursion——apicnic。Amanofyourtemperament——hewouldtakealaty。ShewasnotwizyouinyourballoonwhenyoucamedownatDornhof。No！Onlyherchacket！Itisyouraffair。

Still，Iamcurious。"

Bertreflected。"’Owd’youknowthat？"

"Ichugebyzenatureofyourfariousprovisions。Icannotaccount，Mr。Pooterage，forzelaty，whatyouhafdonewithher。

NorcanItellwhyyoushouldwearnature—sandals，norwhyyoushouldwearsuchcheapplueclothes。Theseareoutsidemyinstructions。Trifles，perhaps。Officiallytheyaretobeignored。Latiescomeandgo——Iamamanofzeworldt。Ihafknownwisemenwearsandalsandefenpracticevegetarianhabits。

Ihafknownmen——oratanyrate，Ihafknownchemists——whodidnotschmoke。Youhaf，nodoubt，putzelatydownsomewhere。

Well。Letusgetto——business。Ahigherpower"——hisvoicechangeditsemotionalquality，hismagnifiedeyesseemedtodilate——"hasproughtyouandyoursecretstraighttous。So！"——

hebowedhishead——"sopeit。ItiszeDestinyofChermanyandmyPrince。Icanundershtandtyoualwayscarryzatsecret。Youareafraidtofroppersandspies。Soitcomeswizyou——tous。

Mr。Pooterage，Chermanywillpuyit。"

"Willshe？"

"Shewill，"saidthesecretary，lookinghardatBert’sabandonedsandalsinthecornerofthelocker。Herousedhimself，consultedapaperofnotesforamoment，andBerteyedhisbrownandwrinkledfacewithexpectationandterror。"Chermany，Iaminstructedtosay，"saidthesecretary，withhiseyesonthetableandhisnotesspreadout，"hasalwaysbeenwillingtopuyyoursecret。Wehafindeedpeeneagertoacquireitferyeager;

anditwasonlyzefearthatyoumightbe，onpatrioticgroundts，actingincollusionwithyourPritishWarOfficezathasmadeusdiscreetinofferingforyourmarvellousinventionthroughintermediaries。Wehafnohesitationwhatefernow，Iaminstructed，inagreeingtoyourproposalofahunderttousandpoundts。"

"Crikey！"saidBert，overwhelmed。

"Ipegyourpardon？"

"Jestatwinge，"saidBert，raisinghishandtohisbandagedhead。

"Ah！AlsoIaminstructedtosaythatasforthatnoble，unrightlyaccusedlatyyouhafchampionedsobrafelyagainstPritishhypocrisyandcoldness，allzechivalryofChermanyisonhersite。"

"Lady？"saidBertfaintly，andthenrecalledthegreatButteridgelovestory。Hadtheoldchapalsoreadtheletters？Hemustthinkhimascorcherifhehad。"Oh！that’saw—right，"hesaid，"about’er。I’adn’tanydoubtsaboutthat。I——"

Hestopped。Thesecretarycertainlyhadamostappallingstare。

Itseemedagesbeforehelookeddownagain。"Well，zelatyasyouplease。Sheisyouraffair。Ihafperformtmyinstructions。

AndzetitleofParon，zatalsocanpedone。Itcanallpedone，HerrPooterage。"

Hedrummedonthetableforasecondorso，andresumed。"Ihaftotellyou，sir，zatyoucometousatacrisisin——Welt—Politik。Therecanbenoharmnowformetoputourplansbeforeyou。Peforeyouleafethisshipagaintheywillbemanifesttoallzeworldt。Warisperhapsalreadydeclared。Wego—toAmerica。OurfleetwilldescendoutofzeairuponzeUnitedStates——itisacountryquiteunpreparedforwareferywhere——eferywhere。ZeyhavealwaysreliedonzeAtlantic。

Andtheirnavy。Wehaveselectedacertainpoint——itisatpresentzesecretofourcommanders——whichweshallseize，andzenweshallestablishadepot——asortofinlandGibraltar。Itwillbe——whatwillitbe？——aneagle’snest。Zereourairshipswillgazzerandrepair，andthencetheywillflytoandfrooferzeUnitedStates，terrorisingcities，dominatingWashington，levyingwhatisnecessary，untilzetermswedictateareaccepted。Youfollowme？"

"Goon！"saidBert。

"WecouldhafdoneallziswizsuchLuftschiffeandDrachenfliegeraswepossess，butzeaccessionofyourmachinerendersourprojectcomplete。ItnotonlygifsusabetterDrachenflieger，butitremofesourlastuneasinessastoGreatPritain。Wizoutyou，sir，GreatPritain，zelandyoulofedsowellandzathasrequitedyousoill，zatlandofPhariseesandreptiles，candonozzing！——nozzing！Yousee，Iamperfectlyfrankwizyou。Well，IaminstructedthatChermanyrecognisesallthis。Wewantyoutoplaceyourselfatourdisposal。WewantyoutobecomeourChiefHeadFlightEngineer。Wewantyoutomanufacture，wewanttoequipaswarmofhornetsunderyourdirection。Wewantyoutodirectthisforce。AnditisatourdepotinAmericawewantyou。Soweofferyousimply，andwithouthaggling，zefulltermsyoudemandedweeksago——onehunderttousandpoundtsincash，asalaryofthreetousandpoundtsayear，apensionofonetousandpoundtsayear，andzetitleofParonasyoudesired。Thesearemyinstructions。"

HeresumedhisscrutinyofBert’sface。

"That’sallright，ofcourse，"saidBert，alittleshortofbreath，butotherwiseresoluteandcalm;anditseemedtohimthatnowwasthetimetobringhisnocturnalschemingtotheissue。

ThesecretarycontemplatedBert’scollarwithsustainedattention。Onlyforonemomentdidhisgazemovetothesandalsandback。

"Jes’lemmethinkabit，"saidBert，findingthestaredebilitating。"Look’ereI"hesaidatlast，withanairofgreatexplicitness，"IGOTthesecret。"

"Yes。"

"ButIdon’twantthenameofButteridgetoappear——see？Ibeenthinkingthatover。"

"Alittledelicacy？"

"Exactly。Youbuythesecret——leastways，Igiveityou——fromBearer——see？"

Hisvoicefailedhimalittle，andthestarecontinued。"IwanttodothethingEnonymously。See？"

Stillstaring。Bertdriftedonlikeaswimmercaughtbyacurrent。"Factis，I’mgoingtoedop’thenameofSmallways。I

don’twantnotitleofBaron;I’vealteredmymind。AndIwantthemoneyquiet—like。Iwantthehundredthousandpoundspaidintobenks—thirtythousandintotheLondonandCountyBenkBranchatBunHillinKentdirectlyI’andovertheplans;twentythousandintotheBenkofEngland;’arftherestintoagoodFrenchbank，theother’arftheGermanNationalBank，see？I

wantitputthere，rightaway。Idon’twantitputinthenameofButteridge。IwantitputinthenameofAlbertPeterSmallways;that’sthenameI’mgoingtoedop’。That’sconditionone。"

"Goon！"saidthesecretary。

"Thenexcondition，"saidBert，"isthatyoudon’tmakeanyinquiriesastotitle。ImeanwhatEnglishgentlemendowhentheysellorletyouland。Youdon’tarst’owIgotit。See？

’EreIam——Ideliveryouthegoods——that’sallright。Somepeople’avethecheektosaythisisn’tmyinvention，see？Itis，youknow——THAT’Sallright;butIdon’twantthatgoneinto。

Iwantafairandsquareagreementsayingthat’sallright。

See？"

His"See？"fadedintoaprofoundsilence。

Thesecretarysighedatlast，leantbackinhischairandproducedatooth—pick，andusedit，toassisthismeditationonBert’scase。"Whatwasthatname？"heaskedatlast，puttingawaythetooth—pick;"Imustwriteitdown。"

"AlbertPeterSmallways，"saidBert，inamildtone。

Thesecretarywroteitdown，afteralittledifficultyaboutthespellingbecauseofthedifferentnamesofthelettersofthealphabetinthetwolanguages。

"Andnow，Mr。Schmallvays，"hesaidatlast，leaningbackandresumingthestare，"tellme:howdidyouketholdofMisterPooterage’sballoon？"

7

WhenatlasttheGrafvonWinterfoldleftBertSmallways，helefthiminanextremelydeflatedcondition，withallhislittlestorytold。

Hehad，aspeoplesay，madeacleanbreastofit。Hehadbeenpursuedintodetails。Hehadhadtoexplainthebluesuit，thesandals，theDesertDervishes——everything。Foratimescientificzealconsumedthesecretary，andthequestionoftheplansremainedinsuspense。Heevenwentintospeculationaboutthepreviousoccupantsoftheballoon。"Isuppose，"hesaid，"thelatyWASthelaty。Botthatisnotouraffair。

"Itisferycuriousandamusing，yes:butIamafraidthePrincemaybeannoyt。Heactedwizhisusualdecision——alwaysheactswizwonterfuldecision。LikeNapoleon。DirectlyhewastoltofyourdescentintothecampatDornhof，hesaid，’Pringhim！——pringhim！Itismyschtar！’HisschtarofDestiny！Yousee？Hewillbedthwarted。HedirectedyoutocomeasHerrPooterage，andyouhafnotdoneso。Youhaftriet，ofcourse;butithaspeenapoortry。Hischugmentsofmenareferyjustandright，anditisbetterformentoactuptothem——gompletely。

Especiallynow。Particularlynow。"

Heresumedthatattitudeofhis，withhisunderlippinchedbetweenhisforefingers。Hespokealmostconfidentially。"Itwillbeawkward。Itriettosuggestsomedoubt，butIwasover—ruled。ThePrincedoesnotlisten。Heisimpatientinthehighair。Perhapshewillthinkhisschtarhasbeenmakingafoolofhim。Perhapshewillthink_I_hafbeenmakingafoolofhim。"

Hewrinkledhisforehead，anddrewinthecornersofhismouth。

"Igottheplans，"saidBert。

"Yes。Thereisthat！Yes。ButyouseethePrincewasinterestedinHerrPooteragebecauseofhisromanticseit。HerrPooteragewassomuchmore——ah！——inthepicture。Iamafraidyouarenotequaltocontrollingtheflyingmachinedepartmentofouraerialparkashewishedyoutodo。Hehadtpromisedhimselfthat……

"Andderwasalsotheprestige——theworldtprestigeofPooteragewithus……Well，wemustseewhatwecando。"Heheldouthishand。"Gifmetheplans。"

AterriblechillranthroughthebeingofMr。Smallways。Tothisdayheisnotclearinhismindwhetherheweptorno，butcertainlytherewasweepinginhisvoice。"’Ere，Isay！"heprotested。"Ain’tIto’ave——nothin’for’em？"

Thesecretaryregardedhimwithbenevolenteyes。"Youdonotdeserveanyzing！"hesaid。

"Imight’avetore’emup。"

"Zeyarenotyours！"

"Theyweren’tButteridge’s！"

"Noneedtopayanyzing。"

Bert’sbeingseemedtotightentowardsdesperatedeeds。"Gaw！"

hesaid，clutchinghiscoat，"AIN’Tthere？"

"Pegalm，"saidthesecretary。"Listen！Youshallhaffivehundertpoundts。Youshallhafitonmypromise。Iwilldothatforyou，andthatisallIcando。Takeitfromme。Gifmethenameofthatbank。Writeitdown。So！ItellyouthePrince——

isnochoke。Idonotthinkheapproffedofyourappearancelastnight。No！Ican’tanswerforhim。HewantedPooterage，andyouhafspoiltit。ThePrince——Idonotunderstandquite，heisinastrangestate。Itistheexcitementofthestartingandthisgreatsoaringintheair。Icannotaccountforwhathedoes。ButifallgoeswellIwillseetoit——youshallhaffivehundertpoundts。Willthatdo？Thengifmetheplans。"

"Oldbeggar！"saidBert，asthedoorclicked。"Gaw！——whatanolebeggar！——SHARP！"

Hesatdowninthefolding—chair，andwhistlednoiselesslyforatime。

"Nice’oldswindlefor’imifItore’emup！Icould’ave。"

Herubbedthebridgeofhisnosethoughtfully。"Igavethewholeblessedshowaway。IfI’dj’es’kepquietaboutbeingEnonymous……Gaw！……Toosoon，Bert，myboy——toosoonandtoorushy。I’dliketokickmysillyself。

"Icouldn’t’avekep’itup。

"Afterall，itain’tsoverybad，"hesaid。

"Afterall，five’undredpounds……Itisn’tMYsecret，anyhow。

It’sjes’apickupontheroad。Five’undred。

"WonderwhatthefareisfromAmericabackhome？"

8

AndlaterinthedayanextremelyshatteredanddisorganisedBertSmallwaysstoodinthepresenceofthePrinceKarlAlbert。