may as well confess that we owed this trolley and the mode of
its working to ideas gained during an inspection of the construction and
working of the conduit trams belonging to the London County Council.

When the vessel was out in the open we congratulated ourselves upon its
splendid proportions and business-like appearance.

I asked M'Allister whether "he was satisfied with the result of our
labours?"

"Mon," he replied, "she's grand, and it's fine to have the handling of
such machinery; everything works as slick as grease!" It was a pleasure
to hear him talk about his machines, for he was always so enthusiastic
where they were concerned.

"Now," I suggested, "before we start we'll give our good ship her name."

"Bravo!" said John Claxton, "and we'll drink to her success, a good
voyage and a safe return"; and he was so struck by the brilliancy of his
idea that he actually took his pipe from his lips, and, holding it in
his hand, regarded it with thoughtful contemplation for quite three
minutes.

I accordingly went to the store-room and brought out two bottles of
champagne. Directly M'Allister saw them he entered a vigorous and
emphatic protest, saying, "Heh, Professor! you're surely not going to
celebrate this most auspicious event with such poor fizzy stuff as
champagne? Let's have a wee drop of good old Scotch whisky, and do the
thing properly!"

John Claxton here interposed: "Let M'Allister have his whisky if he
prefers it, and we'll have the 'fizz'!" So I went laughing to the store
again and returned with a bottle of special Scotch, whereat
M'Allister's eye gleamed as he smiled approval.

Then, taking up a bottle of the champagne, I broke it over the prow of
the vessel, and we solemnly christened her the _Areonal_ in honour of
the planet for which we were bound.

Raising high our glasses we gave the toast of "_The Areonal_; may she
and her passengers have a good voyage and a safe return home!"
M'Allister peered over the rim of his glass, and, with upturned eyes,
remarked that "his old wife in Glasgow would be looking for his safe
return in a few months' time"; then his glass slowly tipped up, and the
old Scotch whisky disappeared.

Claxton and I at once stepped on board the vessel, and having just set
the machinery slowly moving so as to raise the vessel a few feet, I put
on the neutral power so that the ship remained poised in the air.
M'Allister ran the trolley back into the shed, closed the doors,