"The Eiffel Tower says that their chronometers also appear to be out by
the same time, and that Greenwich and Moscow both report the same thing.
Wait a minute! He says Moscow has wired that at eight o'clock last
evening a tremendous aurora of bright yellow light was seen to the
northwest, and that their spectroscopes showed the helium line only. He
wants to know if we have any explanation to offer----"

"Explanation!" gasped Evarts. "Tell Paris that we had earthquake shocks
here together with violent seismic movements, sudden rise in barometer,
followed by fall, statics, and erratic variation in the magnetic
needle."

"What does it all mean?" murmured Thornton, staring blankly at the
younger man.

The key rattled and the rotary spark whined into a shriek. Then silence.

"Paris says that the same manifestations have been observed in Russia,
Algeria, Italy, and London," called out Williams. "Ah! What's that?
Nauen's calling." Again he sent the blue flame crackling between the
coils. "Nauen reports an error of five minutes in their meridian
observations according to the official clocks. And hello! He says Berlin
has capitulated and that the Russians began marching through at
daylight--that is about two hours ago. He says he is about to turn the
station over to the Allied Commissioners, who will at once assume
charge."

Evarts whistled.

"How about it?" he asked of Thornton.

The latter shook his head gravely.

"It may be--explainable--or," he added hoarsely, "it may mean the end of
the world."

Williams sprang from his chair and confronted Thornton.

"What do you mean?" he almost shouted.

"Perhaps the universe is running down!" said Evarts soothingly. "At any
rate, keep it to yourself, old chap. If the jig is up there's no use
scaring people to death a month or so too soon!"

Thornton grasped an arm of each.

"Not a word of this to anybody!" he ground out through compressed lips.
"Absolute silence, or hell may break loose on earth!"

IV

Free translation of the Official Report of the Imperial Commission of
the Berlin Academy of Science to the Imperial Commissioners of the
German Federated States:

The unprecedented cosmic phenomena which occurred on the 22d and
27th days of the month of July, and which were felt over the entire
surface of the globe, have left a permanent effect of such
magnitude on the position of the earth's axis in space and the
duration of the per