第12章

Hewastroubledasifbysomehalfforgottenduty，bythesenseofthingsimportantslippingfromhimamidstthislightandbrilliance。Theattractionthatthesebrightladieswhocrowdedabouthimwerebeginningtoexerciseceased。Henolongermadevagueandclumsyresponsestothesubtlyamorousadvancesthathewasnowassuredwerebeingmadetohim，andhiseyeswanderedforanothersightofthatfacethathadappealedsostronglytohissenseofbeauty。ButhedidnotseeheragainuntilhewasawaitingLincoln’sreturntoleavethisassembly。InanswertohisrequestLincolnhadpromisedthatanattemptshouldbemadetoflythatafternoon，iftheweatherpermitted。Hehadgonetomakecertainnecessaryarrangements。

Grahamwasinoneoftheuppergalleriesinconversationwithabright—eyedladyonthesubjectofEadhamite——thesubjectwashischoiceandnothers。

Hehadinterruptedherwarmassurancesofpersonaldevotionwithamatter—of—factinquiry。Hefoundher，ashehadalreadyfoundseveralotherlatter—daywomenthatnight，lesswellinformedthancharming。

Suddenly，strugglingagainsttheeddyingdriftofnearermelody，thesongoftheRevolt，thegreatsonghehadheardintheHall，hoarseandmassive，camebeatingdowntohim。

Heglancedupstartled，andperceivedabovehiman__oeildeboeuf__throughwhichthissonghadcome，andbeyond，theuppercoursesofcable，thebluehaze，andthependantfabricofthelightsofthepublicways。Heheardthesongbreakintoatumultofvoicesandcease。

Butnowheperceivedquiteclearlythedroneandtumultofthemovingplatformsandamurmurofmanypeople。Hehadavaguepersuasionthathecouldnotaccountfor，asortofinstinctivefeelingthatoutsideinthewaysahugecrowd’mustbewatchingthisplaceinwhichtheirMasteramusedhimself。Hewonderedwhattheymightbethinking。

Thoughthesonghadstoppedsoabruptly，thoughthespecialmusicofthisgatheringreasserteditself，themotifofthemarchingsong，onceithadbegun，lingeredinhismind。

Thebright—eyedladywasstillstrugglingwiththemysteriesofEadhamitewhenheperceivedthegirlhehadseeninthetheatreagain。Shewascomingnowalongthegallerytowardshim；hesawherfirstbeforeshesawhim。Shewasdressedinafaintlyluminousgrey，herdarkhairaboutherbrowswaslikeacloud，andashesawherthecoldlightfromthecircularopeningintothewaysfelluponherdowncastface。

TheladyintroubleabouttheEadhamitesawthechangeinhisexpression，andgraspedheropportunitytoescape。Wouldyoucaretoknowthatgirl，Sire？"

sheaskedboldly。"SheisHelenWotton——anieceofOstrog’s。Sheknowsagreatmanyseriousthings。

Sheisoneofthemostseriouspersonsalive。Iamsureyouwilllikeher。"

InanothermomentGrahamwastalkingtothegirl，andthebright—eyedladyhadflutteredaway。

"Irememberyouquitewell，"saidGraham。"Youwereinthatlittleroom。Whenallthepeopleweresingingandbeatingtimewiththeirfeet。BeforeI

walkedacrosstheHall。"

Hermomentaryembarrassmentpassed。Shelookedupathim，andherfacewassteady。"Itwaswonderful，"shesaid，hesitated，andspokewithasuddeneffort。"Allthosepeoplewouldhavediedforyou，Sire。Countlesspeoplediddieforyouthatnight。"

Herfaceglowed。Sheglancedswiftlyasidetoseethatnootherheardherwords。

Lincolnappearedsomewayoffalongthegallery，makinghiswaythroughthepresstowardsthem。ShesawhimandturnedtoGrahamstrangelyeager，withaswiftchangetoconfidenceandintimacy。"Sire，"

shesaidquickly，"Icannottellyounowandhere。Butthecommonpeopleareveryunhappy；theyareoppressed——theyaremisgoverned。Donotforgetthepeople，whofaceddeath——deaththatyoumightlive。"

"Iknownothing——"beganGraham。

"Icannottellyounow。"

Lincoln’sfaceappearedclosetothem。Hebowedanapologytothegirl。

"Youfindthenewworldpleasant，Sire？"askedLincoln，withsmilingdeference，andindicatingthespaceandsplendourofthegatheringbyonecomprehensivegesture。"Atanyrate，youfinditchanged。"

"Yes，"saidGraham，"changed。Andyet，afterall，notsogreatlychanged。"

"Waittillyouareintheair，"saidLincoln。"Thewindhasfallen；evennowanaeropileawaitsyou。"

Thegirl’sattitudeawaiteddismissal。

Grahamglancedatherface，wasonthevergeofaquestion，foundawarninginherexpression，bowedtoherandturnedtoaccompanyLincoln。

CHAPTERXVI

THEAEROPHILE

Forawhile，asGrahamwentthroughthepassagesoftheWind—VaneofficeswithLincoln，hewaspreoccupied。But，byaneffort，heattendedtothethingswhichLincolnwassaying。Soonhispreoccupationvanished。Lincolnwastalkingofflying。Grahamhadastrongdesiretoknowmoreofthisnewhumanattainment。HebegantoplyLincolnwithquestions。

Hehadfollowedthecrudebeginningsofaerialnavigationverykeenlyinhispreviouslife；hewasdelightedtofindthefamiliarnamesofMaximandPilcher，LangleyandChanute，and，aboveall，oftheaerialproto—martyrLillienthal，stillhonouredbymen。

Evenduringhispreviouslifetwolinesofinvestigationhadpointedclearlytotwodistincttypesofcontrivanceaspossible，andbothofthesehadbeenrealised。Ontheonehandwasthegreatengine—drivenaeroplane，adoublerowofhorizontalfloatswithabigaerialscrewbehind，andontheotherthenimbleraeropile。Theaeroplanesflewsafelyonlyinacalmormoderatewind，andsuddenstorms，occurrencesthatwerenowaccuratelypredictable，renderedthemforallpracticalpurposesuseless。Theywerebuiltofenormoussize——theusualstretchofwingbeingsixhundredfeetormore，andthelengthofthefabricathousandfeet。Theywereforpassengertrafficalone。Thelightlyswungcartheycarriedwasfromahundredtoahundredandfiftyfeetinlength。

ItWashunginapeculiarmannerinordertominimisethecomplexvibrationthatevenamoderatewindproduced，andforthesamereasonthelittleseatswithinthecar——eachpassengerremainedseatedduringthevoyage——wereslungwithgreatfreedomofmovement。

Thestartingofthemechanismwasonlypossiblefromagiganticcarontherailofaspeciallyconstructedstage。Grahamhadseenthesevaststages，theflyingstages，fromthecrow’snestverywell。Sixhugeblankareastheywere，withagiant"carrier"

stageoneach。

Thechoiceofdescentwasequallycircumscribed，anaccuratelyplanesurfacebeingneededforsafegrounding。

Apartfromthedestructionthatwouldhavebeencausedbythedescentofthisgreatexpanseofsailandmetal，andtheimpossibilityofitsrisingagain，theconcussionofanirregularsurface，atree—sethillside，forinstance，oranembankment，wouldbesufficienttopierceordamagetheframework，tosmashtheribsofthebody，andperhapskillthoseaboard。

AtfirstGrahamfeltdisappointedwiththesecumbersomecontrivances，buthespeedilygraspedthefactthatsmallermachineswouldhavebeenunremunerative，forthesimplereasonthattheircarryingpowerwouldbedisproportionatelydiminishedwithdeminishedsize。Moreover，thehugesizeofthesethingsenabledthem——anditwasaconsiderationofprimaryimportance——totraversetheairatenormousspeeds，andsorunnorisksofunanticipatedweather。Thebriefestjourneyperformed，thatfromLondontoParis，tookaboutthree—quartersofanhour，butthevelocityattainedwasnothigh；theleaptoNewYorkoccupiedabouttwohours，andbytimingoneselfcarefullyattheintermediatestationsitwaspossibleinquietweathertogoaroundtheworldinaday。

Thelittleaeropiles（asfornoparticularreasontheyweredistinctivelycalled）wereofanaltogetherdifferenttype。Severaloftheseweregoingtoandfrointheair。Theyweredesignedtocarryonlyoneortwopersons，andtheirmanufactureandmaintenancewassocostlyastorenderthemthemonopolyoftherichersortofpeople。Theirsails，whichwerebrilliantlycoloured，consistedonlyoftwopairsoflateralairfloatsinthesameplane，andofascrewbehind。Theirsmallsizerenderedadescentinanyopenspaceneitherdifficultnordisagreeable，anditwaspossibletoattachpneumaticwheelsoreventheordinarymotorsforterrestrialtragictothem，andsocarrythemtoaconvenientstartingplace。Theyrequiredaspecialsortofswiftcartothrowthemintotheair，butsuchacarwasefficientinanyopenplaceclearofhighbuildingsortrees。Humanaeronautics，Grahamperceived，wereevidentlystillalongwaybehindtheinstinctivegiftofthealbatrossorthefly—catcher。Onegreatinfluencethatmighthavebroughttheaeropiletoamorerapidperfectionhadbeenwithheld；theseinventionshadneverbeenusedinwarfare。ThelastgreatinternationalstrugglehadoccurredbeforetheusurpationoftheCouncil。

TheFlyingStagesofLondonwerecollectedtogetherinanirregularcrescentonthesouthernsideoftheriver。Theyformedthreegroupsoftwoeachandretainedthenamesofancientsuburbanhillsorvillages。Theywerenamedinorder，Roehampton，WimhledonPark，Streatham，Norwood，Blackheath，andShooter’sHill。Theywereuniformstructuresrisinghighabovethegeneralroofsurfaces。Eachwasaboutfourthousandyardslongandathousandbroad，andconstructedofthecompoundofaluminiumandironthathadreplacedironinarchitecture。Theirhighertiersformedanopenworkofgirdersthroughwhichliftsandstaircasesascended。Theuppersurfacewasauniformexpanse，withportions——thestartingcarriers——thatcouldberaisedandwerethenabletorunonveryslightlyinclinedrailstotheendofthefabric。Saveforanyaeropilesoraeroplanesthatwereinporttheseopensurfaceswerekeptclearforarrivals。

Duringtheadjustmentoftheaeroplanesitwasthecustomforpassengerstowaitinthesystemoftheatres，restaurants，news—rooms，andplacesofpleasureandindulgenceofvarioussortsthatinterwovewiththeprosperousshopsbelow。ThisportionofLondonwasinconsequencecommonlythegayestofallitsdistricts，withsomethingofthemeretriciousgaietyofaseaportorcityofhotels。Andforthosewhotookamoreseriousviewofaeronautics，thereligiousquartershadflungoutanattractivecolonyofdevotionalchapels，whileahostofbrilliantmedicalestablishmentscompetedtosupplyphysicalpreparativesforthejourney。Atvariouslevelsthroughthemassofchambersandpassagesbeneaththese，ran，inadditiontothemainmovingwaysofthecitywhichlacedandgatheredhere，acomplexsystemofspecialpassagesandliftsandslides，fortheconvenientinterchangeofpeopleandluggagebetweenstageandstage。Andadistinctivefeatureofthearchitectureofthissectionwastheostentatiousmassivenessofthemetalpiersandgirdersthateverywherebrokethevistasandspannedthehallsandpassages，crowdingandtwininguptomeettheweightofthestagesandtheweightyimpactoftheaeroplanesoverhead。

Grahamwenttotheflyingstagesbythepublicways。

HewasaccompaniedbyAsano，hisJapaneseattendant。

LincolnwascalledawaybyOstrog，whowasbusywithhisadministrativeconcerns。AstrongguardoftheWind—VanepoliceawaitedtheMasteroutsidetheWind—Vaneoffices，andtheyclearedaspaceforhimontheuppermovingplatform。Hispassagetotheflyingstageswasunexpected，neverthelessaconsiderablecrowdgatheredandfollowedhimtohisdestination。Ashewentalong，hecouldhearthepeopleshoutinghisname，andsawnumberlessmenandwomenandchildreninbluecomeswarmingupthestaircasesinthecentralpath，gesticulatingandshouting。Hecouldnothearwhattheyshouted。

Hewasstruckagainbytheevidentexistenceofavulgardialectamongthepoorofthecity。Whenatlasthedescended，hisguardswereimmediatelysurroundedbyadenseexcitedcrowd。Afterwardsitoccurredtohimthatsomehadattemptedtoreachhimwithpetitions。Hisguardsclearedapassageforhimwithdifficulty。

Hefoundanaeropileinchargeofanaeronautawaitinghimonthewestwardstage。Seenclosethismechanismwasnolongersmall。Asitlayonitslaunchingcarrieruponthewideexpanseoftheflyingstage，itsaluminiumbodyskeletonwasasbigasthehullofatwenty—tonyacht。Itslateralsupportingsailsbracedandstayedwithmetalnervesalmostlikethenervesofabee’swing，andmadeofsomesortofglassyartificialmembrane，casttheirshadowovermanyhundredsofsquareyards。Thechairsfortheengineerandhispassengerhungfreetoswingbyacomplextackle，withintheprotectingribsoftheframeandwellabaftthemiddle。Thepassenger’schairwasprotectedbyawind—guardandguardedaboutwithmetallicrodscarryingaircushions。Itcould，ifdesired，becompletelyclosedin，butGrahamwasanxiousfornovelexperiences，anddesiredthatitshouldbeleftopen。Theaeronautsatbehindaglassthatshelteredhisface。Thepassengercouldsecurehimselffirmlyinhisseat，andthiswasalmostunavoidableonlanding，orhecouldmovealongbymeansofalittlerailandrodtoalockeratthestemofthemachine，wherehispersonalluggage，hiswrapsandrestorativeswereplaced，andwhichalsowiththeseats，servedasamakeweighttothepartsofthecentralenginethatprojectedtothepropelleratthestern。

Theenginewasverysimpleinappearance。Asano，pointingoutthepartsofthisapparatustohim，toldhimthat，likethegas—engineofVictoriandays，itwasoftheexplosivetype，burningasmalldropofasubstancecalled"fomile"ateachstroke。Itconsistedsimplyofreservoirandpistonaboutthelongflutedcrankofthepropellershaft。SomuchGrahamsawofthemachine。

TheflyingstageabouthimwasemptysaveforAsanoandtheirsuiteofattendants。Directedbytheaeronautheplacedhimselfinhisseat。Hethendrankamixturecontainingergot——adose，helearnt，invariablyadministeredtothoseabouttofly，anddesignedtocounteractthepossibleeffectofdiminishedairpressureuponthesystem。Havingdoneso，hedeclaredhimselfreadyforthejourney。Asanotooktheemptyglassfromhim，steppedthroughthebarsofthehull，andstoodbelowonthestagewavinghishand。

Suddenlyheseemedtoslidealongthestagetotherightandvanish。

Theenginewasbeating，thepropellerspinning，andforasecondthestageandthebuildingsbeyondwereglidingswiftlyandhorizontallypastGraham’seye；

thenthesethingsseemedtotiltupabruptly。Hegrippedthelittlerodsoneithersideofhiminstinctively。Hefelthimselfmovingupward，heardtheairwhistleoverthetopofthewindscreen。Thepropellerscrewmovedroundwithpowerfulrhythmicimpulses——one，two，three，pause；one，two，three——

whichtheengineercontrolledverydelicately。Themachinebeganaquiveringvibrationthatcontinuedthroughouttheflight，andtheroofareasseemedrunningawaytostarboardveryquicklyandgrowingrapidlysmaller。Helookedfromthefaceoftheengineerthroughtheribsofthemachine。Lookingsideways，therewasnothingverystartlinginwhathesaw——arapidfunicularrailwaymighthavegiventhesamesensations。HerecognisedtheCouncilHouseandtheHighgateRidge。Andthenhelookedstraightdownbetweenhisfeet。

Foramomentphysicalterrorpossessedhim，apassionatesenseofinsecurity。Heheldtight。Forasecondorsohecouldnotlifthiseyes。Somehundredfeetormoresheerbelowhimwasoneofthebigwindvanesofsouth—westLondon，andbeyonditthesouthernmostflyingstagecrowdedwithlittleblackdots。

Thesethingsseemedtobefallingawayfromhim。

Forasecondhehadanimpulsetopursuetheearth。

Hesethisteeth，heliftedhiseyesbyamusculareffort，andthemomentofpanicpassed。

Heremainedforaspacewithhisteethsethard，hiseyesstaringintothesky。Throb，throb，throb——beat，wenttheengine；throb，throb，throb，——beat。

Hegrippedhisbarstightly，glancedattheaeronaut，andsawasmileuponhissun—tannedface。Hesmiledinreturn——perhapsalittleartificially。"Alittlestrangeatfirst，"heshoutedbeforeherecalledhisdignity。Buthedarednotlookdownagainforsometime。Hestaredovertheaeronaut’sheadtowherearimofvaguebluehorizoncreptupthesky。Foralittlewhilehecould’notbanishthethoughtofpossibleaccidentsfromhismind。Throb，throb，throb——beat；

supposesometrivialscrewwentwronginthatsupportingengine！Suppose——！Hemadeagrimefforttodismissallsuchsuppositions。Afterawhiletheydidatleastabandontheforegroundofhisthoughts。Anduphewentsteadily，higherandhigherintotheclearair。

Oncethementalshockofmovingunsupportedthroughtheairwasover，hissensationsceasedtobeunpleasant，becameveryspeedilypleasurable。Hehadbeenwarnedofairsickness。Buthefoundthepulsatingmovementoftheaeropileasitdroveupthefaintsouth—westbreezewasverylittleinexcessofthepitchingofaboatheadontobroadrollersinamoderategale，andhewasconstitutionallyagoodsailor。Andthekeennessofthemorerarefiedairintowhichtheyascendedproducedasenseoflightnessandexhilaration。

Helookedupandsawtheblueskyabovefrettedwithcirrusclouds。Hiseyecamecautiouslydownthroughtheribsandbarstoashiningflightofwhitebirdsthathunginthelowersky。Foraspacehewatchedthese。Thengoinglowerandlessapprehensively，hesawtheslenderfigureoftheWind—Vanekeeper’scrow’snestshininggoldeninthesunlightandgrowingsmallereverymoment。Ashiseyefellwithmoreconfidencenow，therecameabluelineofhills，andthenLondon，alreadytoleeward，anintricatespaceofroofing。Itsnearedgecamesharpandclear，andbanishedhislastapprehensionsinashockofsurprise。

FortheboundaryofLondonwaslikeawall，likeacliff，asteepfallofthreeorfourhundredfeet，afrontagebrokenonlybyterraceshereandthere，acomplexdecorativefacade。

Thatgradualpassageoftownintocountrythroughanextensivespongeofsuburbs，whichwassocharacteristicafeatureofthegreatcitiesofthenineteenthcentury，existednolonger。Nothingremainedofitbutawasteofruinshere，variegatedanddensewiththicketsoftheheterogeneousgrowthsthathadonceadornedthegardensofthebelt，interspersedamonglevelledbrownpatchesofsownground，andverdantstretchesofwintergreens。Thelatterevenspreadamongthevestigesofhouses。Butforthemostpartthereefsandskerriesofruins，thewreckageofsuburbanvillas，stoodamongtheirstreetsandroads，queerislandsamidstthelevelledexpansesofgreenandbrown，abandonedindeedbytheinhabitantsyearssince，buttoosubstantial，itseemed’，tobeclearedoutofthewayofthewholesalehorticulturalmechanismsofthetime。

Thevegetationofthiswasteundulatedandfrothedamidstthecountlesscellsofcrumblinghousewalls，andbrokealongthefootofthecitywallinasurfofbrambleandhollyandivyandteazleandtallgrasses。

HereandtheregaudypleasurepalacestoweredamidstthepunyremainsofVictoriantimes，andcablewaysslantedtothemfromthecity。Thatwinterdaytheyseemeddeserted。Deserted，too，weretheartificialgardensamongtheruins。Thecitylimitswereindeedassharplydefinedasintheancientdayswhenthegateswereshutatnightfallandtherobberforemanprowledtotheverywalls。Ahugesemi—circularthroatpouredoutavigoroustrafficupontheEadhamiteBathRoad。SothefirstprospectoftheworldbeyondthecityflashedonGraham，anddwindled。Andwhenatlasthecouldlookverticallydownwardagain，hesawbelowhimthevegetablefieldsoftheThamesvalley——innumerableminuteoblongsofruddybrown，intersectedbyshiningthreads，thesewageditches。

Hisexhilarationincreasedrapidly，becameasortofintoxication。Hefoundhimselfdrawingdeepbreathsofair，laughingaloud，desiringtoshout。Afteratimethatdesirebecametoostrongforhim，andheshouted。

Themachinehadnowrisenashighaswascustomarywithaeropiles，andtheybegantocurveabouttowardsthesouth。Steering，Grahamperceived，waseffectedbytheopeningorclosingofoneortwothinstripsofmembraneinoneorotheroftheotherwiserigidwings，andbythemovementofthewholeenginebackwardorforwardalongitssupports。Theaeronautsettheengineglidingslowlyforwardalongitsrailandopenedthevalveoftheleewardwinguntilthestemoftheaeropilewashorizontalandpointingsouthward。Andinthatdirectiontheydrovewithaslightlisttoleeward，andwithaslowalternationofmovement，firstashort，sharpascentand’thenalongdownwardglidethatwasveryswiftandpleasing。

Duringthesedownwardglidesthepropellorwasinactivealtogether。TheseascentsgaveGrahamaglorioussenseofsuccessfuleffort；thedescentsthroughtherarefiedairwerebeyondallexperience。

Hewantednevertoleavetheupperairagain。

Foratimehewasintentupontheminutedetailsofthelandscapethatranswiftlynorthwardbeneathhim。

Itsminute，cleardetailpleasedhimexceedingly。Hewasimpressedbytheruinofthehousesthathadoncedottedthecountry，bythevasttreelessexpanseofcountryfromwhichallfarmsandvillageshadgone，saveforcrumblingruins。Hehadknownthethingwasso，butseeingitsowasanaltogetherdifferentmatter。Hetriedtomakeoutplaceshehadknownwithinthehollowbasinoftheworldbelow，butatfirsthecoulddistinguishnodatanowthattheThamesvalleywasleftbehind。Soon，however，theyweredrivingoverasharpchalkhillthatherecognisedastheGuildfordHog’sBack，becauseofthefamiliaroutlineofthegorgeatitseastwardend，andbecauseoftheruinsofthetownthatrosesteeplyoneitherlipofthisgorge。

Andfromthathemadeoutotherpoints，LeithHill，thesandywastesofAldershot，andsoforth。TheDownsescarpmentwassetwithgiganticslow—movingwind—wheels。SavewherethebroadEadhamitePortsmouthRoad，thicklydottedwithrushingshapes，followedthecourseoftheoldrailway，thegorgeoftheWeywaschokedwiththickets。

ThewholeexpanseoftheDownsescarpment，sofarasthegreyhazepermittedhimtosee，wassetwithwind—wheelstowhichthelargestofthecitywasbutayoungerbrother。Theystirredwithastatelymotionbeforethesouth—westwind。AndhereandtherewerepatchesdottedwiththesheepoftheBritishFoodTrust，andhereandthereamountedshepherdmadeaspotofblack。ThenrushingunderthesternoftheaeropilecametheWealdenHeights，thelineofHindhead，PitchHill，andLeithHill，withasecondrowofwind—wheelsthatseemedstrivingtorobthedownlandwhirlersoftheirshareofbreeze。Thepurpleheatherwasspeckledwithyellowgorse，andonthefurthersideadroveofblackoxenstampededbeforeacoupleofmountedmen。Swiftlythesesweptbehind，anddwindledandlostcolour，andbecamescarcemovingspecksthatwereswallowedupinhaze。

AndwhenthesehadvanishedinthedistanceGrahamheardapeewitwailingcloseathand。HeperceivedhewasnowabovetheSouthDowns，andstaringoverhisshouldersawthebattlementsofPortsmouthLandingStagetoweringovertheridgeofPortsdownHill。Inanothermomenttherecameintosightaspreadofshippinglikefloatingcities，thelittlewhitecliffsoftheNeedlesdwarfedandsunlit，andthegreyandglitteringwatersofthenarrowsea。TheyseemedtoleaptheSolentinamoment，andinafewsecondstheIsleofWightwasrunningpast，andthenbeneathhimspreadawiderandwideextentofsea，herepurplewiththeshadowofacloud，heregrey，hereaburnishedmirror，andhereaspreadofcloudygreenishblue。TheIsleofWightgrewsmallerandsmaller。Inafewmoreminutesastripofgreyhazedetacheditselffromotherstripsthatwereclouds，descendedoutoftheskyandbecameacoast—

line——sunlitandpleasant——thecoastofnorthernFrance。Itrose，ittookcolour，becamedefiniteanddetailed，andthecounterpartoftheDownlandofEnglandwasspeedingbybelow。

Inalittletime，asitseemed，Pariscameabovethehorizon，andhungthereforaspace，andsankoutofsightagainastheaeropilecircledabouttothenorthagain。ButheperceivedtheEiffelTowerstillstanding，andbesideitahugedomesurmountedbyapinpointColossus。Andheperceived，too，thoughhedidnotunderstanditatthetime，aslantingdriftofsmoke。

Theaeronautsaidsomethingabout"troubleintheunderways，"thatGrahamdidnotheedatthetime。

Buthemarkedtheminaretsandtowersandslendermassesthatstreamedskywardabovethecitywindvanes，andknewthatinthematterofgraceatleastParisstillkeptinfrontofherlargerrival。Andevenashelookedapaleblueshapeascendedveryswiftlyfromthecitylikeadeadleafdrivingupbeforeagale。

Itcurvedroundandsoaredtowardsthemgrowingrapidlylargerandlarger。Theaeronautwassayingsomething。"What？"saidGraham，loathtotakehiseyesfromthis。"Aeroplane，Sire，"bawledtheaeronautpointing。

Theyroseandcurvedaboutnorthwardasitdrewnearer。Neareritcameandnearer，largerandlarger。