the corners of
the sky. They flew in long, regular undulations, great dark fish-like
shapes, showing hardly any light at all, the engines making a
throb-throb-throbbing sound that was very audible out on the gallery.
They were going at a level of five or six thousand feet, and rising
steadily. Below, the country lay silent, a clear darkness dotted and
lined out with clusters of furnaces, and the lit streets of a group of
big towns. The world seemed to lie in a bowl; the overhanging bulk of
the airship above hid all but the lowest levels of the sky.

They watched the landscape for a space.

"Jolly it must be to invent things," said the lieutenant suddenly. "How
did you come to think of your machine first?"

"Worked it out," said Bert, after a pause. "Jest ground away at it."

"Our people are frightfully keen on you. They thought the British had
got you. Weren't the British keen?"

"In a way," said Bert. "Still--it's a long story."

"I think it's an immense thing--to invent. I couldn't invent a thing to
save my life."

They both fell silent, watching the darkened world and following their
thoughts until a bugle summoned them to a belated dinner. Bert was
suddenly alarmed. "Don't you 'ave to dress and things?" he said. "I've
always been too hard at Science and things to go into Society and all
that."

"No fear," said Kurt. "Nobody's got more than the clothes they wear.
We're travelling light. You might perhaps take your overcoat off.
They've an electric radiator each end of the room."

And so presently Bert found himself sitting to eat in the presence of
the "German Alexander"--that great and puissant Prince, Prince Karl
Albert, the War Lord, the hero of two hemispheres. He was a handsome,
blond man, with deep-set eyes, a snub nose, upturned moustache, and long
white hands, a strange-looking man. He sat higher than the others, under
a black eagle with widespread wings and the German Imperial flags; he
was, as it were, enthroned, and it struck Bert greatly that as he ate he
did not look at people, but over their heads like one who sees visions.
Twenty officers of various ranks stood about the table--and Bert. They
all seemed extremely curious to see the famous Butteridge, and their
astonishment at his appearance was ill-controlled. The Prince gave him
a dignified salutation, to which, by an inspiration, he bowed. Standing
next the Prince was a brown-faced, wrinkled man with silver spectacles
and fluffy, dingy-gre