. And all this has to end, I told myself, all
this has to end.

Neither my uncle nor I had made any provision for disaster; all we had
was in the game, and I had little doubt now of the completeness of our
ruin. For the first time in my life since he had sent me that
wonderful telegram of his I had to consider that common anxiety of
mankind,--Employment. I had to come off my magic carpet and walk once
more in the world.

And suddenly I found myself at the cross drives where I had seen
Beatrice for the first time after so many years. It is strange, but so
far as I can recollect I had not thought of her once since I had landed
at Plymouth. No doubt she had filled the background of my mind, but I do
not remember one definite, clear thought. I had been intent on my uncle
and the financial collapse.

It came like a blow in the face now; all that, too, had to end!

Suddenly I was filled with the thought of her and a great longing for
her. What would she do when she realised our immense disaster? What
would she do? How would she take it? It filled me with astonishment to
realise how little I could tell....

Should I perhaps presently happen upon her?

I went on through the plantations and out upon the downs, and thence I
saw Cothope with a new glider of his own design soaring down wind to
my old familiar "grounding" place. To judge by its long rhythm it was a
very good glider. "Like Cothope's cheek," thought I, "to go on with the
research. I wonder if he's keeping notes.... But all this will have to
stop."

He was sincerely glad to see me. "It's been a rum go," he said.

He had been there without wages for a month, a man forgotten in the rush
of events.

"I just stuck on and did what I could with the stuff. I got a bit of
money of my own--and I said to myself, 'Well, here you are with the gear
and no one to look after you. You won't get such a chance again, my boy,
not in all your born days. Why not make what you can with it? '"

"How's Lord Roberts B?"

Cothope lifted his eyebrows. "I've had to refrain," he said. "But he's
looking very handsome."

"Gods!" I said, "I'd like to get him up just once before we smash. You
read the papers? You know we're going to smash?"

"Oh! I read the papers. It's scandalous, sir, such work as ours should
depend on things like that. You and I ought to be under the State, sir,
if you'll excuse me."

"Nothing to excuse," I said. "I've always been a Socialist--of a
sort--in theor