te, if necessary!"

But Jimmy, without replying to these sallies, proceeded methodically. He
made her practise again, standing still, with the motor going at
half-speed. This was a different impulse: the displacement of the air
raised a stormy wind, the dust flew, the scenery hanging from the flies
waved to and fro and Lily shook in her saddle under the vibration of the
propeller.

"Well, Lily?" said Jimmy. "That shakes you up, eh? That complicates
matters?"

"Pooh!" said Lily. "And what about the boards? There are some of them that
are pretty rough, too! At Pittsburg, you know, it's like riding over
cobblestones. I prefer that to a stage that's too smooth: it's less
treacherous."

A few days later, Jimmy ran up a steel cable from the stage to the opening
in the ceiling, which was now finished and covered with a tarpaulin; and
Lily was to try the flying. At the time for practice, there was no one in
the theater, from which the scaffoldings had been removed. There were no
seats on the floor or in the boxes: everything was being made outside, and
would be put in place in a day or two. In the afternoon, when there was no
practice, the house was filled with workmen, painters, upholsterers,
carpenters, whose places were taken by others at night, working by
electric light. Ten days more and they would have the triumphal opening;
already Paris was covered with picture placards: you saw Tom, as a
caryatid, supporting the weight of a palace; the Three Graces entwined in
their radiant nudity; the impersonator standing, like a Don Juan,
surrounded by a bevy of women: the ballet-girl, the shop-girl, the fine
lady; then, besides those, the New Trickers--"My idea!" thought Lily, but
she didn't care a jot now--the New Trickers fluttered round Daisy. You saw
the elephants; the monkey; Patti-Patty, the white negress; all, all, down
to the Bambinis, whom Lily had "got" engaged. The whole program was
reverberated on the walls and hoardings, like a thousand-voiced echo. An
even larger poster than the others, all blue, strewn with stars, displayed
the aerobike in full flight in the sky; and a human figure, seated upon
it, lifted a hand filled with rays.

The mere sight of the posters was enough to stimulate Lily to the maddest
feats of daring. She felt herself firmer than steel, when she thought of
the New Trickers and of Pa and Ma, who were coming with Daisy, their
farthing dip!

When everything was ready, Jimmy hung the aerobike to