ooking at Sam.

"You never mentioned it to _me_," said Madge, with a reproachful glance
in the same direction.

"Because, Madge, we have been so busy in talking about something else,"
said Sam, "that I really forgot all about it."

"Do tell us about it now," said Mrs Langley, who, like her daughter,
had been listening in silence up to this point.

"A deal o' rubbish was spoken, I daresay," observed the captain,
commencing to another muffin, and demanding more tea.

"A deal of something was spoken, at all events," said Sam, "and what is
more to the point, an amazing deal was done. Come, before speaking
about it, let me propose a toast--Success to Batteries and Boilers!"

"Amen to that!" said Robin, with enthusiasm.

"If they deserve it," said the captain, with caution.

The toast having been drunk with all the honours, Sam began by saying
that the fete was a great occasion, and included brilliant company.

"There were present, of course," he said, "nearly all the great
electrical and engineering lights of the day, also the Prince of Wales
and the Duke of Cambridge, with a lot of aristocrats, whom it is not
necessary to mention in the presence of a democratic sea-dog like uncle
Rik."

"Don't yaw about to defame me, but keep to your course, Sam."

"Well, you have no idea what an amount of interest and enthusiasm the
affair created. You all know, of course, that the Indian cable, which
Robin and I had a hand in laying, is now connected with the lines that
pass between Suez, Alexandria, Malta, Gibraltar, Lisbon, and England;
and the company assembled at Mr Pender's house witnessed the sending of
the first messages direct from London to Bombay; and how long, do you
think, it took to send the first message, and receive a reply?--only
five minutes!"

"You don't mean it, Sam!" exclaimed Rik, getting excited, in spite of
his professed unbelief.

"Indeed I do," replied Sam, warming with his subject. "I tell you the
sober truth, however difficult it may be for you to believe it. You may
see it in the papers of the 24th or 25th, I suppose. Here is my
note-book, in which I jotted down the most interesting points.

"The proceedings of the evening were opened by the managing director in
London sending a telegram to the manager at Bombay.

"`_How are you all_?' was the brief first telegram by Sir James
Anderson. `_All well_,' was the briefer first reply from Bombay. The
question fled from London at 9:18 exactly-