do nothing. We have
no means of knowing what may be plotted against us here in London. At
least a polite request might be sent to Prince Shan to ask him to pay
you a visit and disclose the nature of his conference with Immelan."

"If he cares to come, we shall be glad to see him," Mervin Brown
replied, "but I for one shall not go out of my way to talk politics."

"Do you know what politics are, sir?" Nigel asked, in a sudden fury.

The Prime Minister's eyes flashed for a moment. He controlled himself,
however, and rang the bell.

"I have an idea that I do," he answered. "A few millions of my fellow
countrymen believe the same thing, or I should not be here. I think that
you know what my principles are, Lord Dorminster. I am here to govern
this country for the benefit of the people. We don't want to govern any
one else's country, we don't want to meddle in any one else's affairs.
Least of all do we want to revert to the times when your uncle was a
young man, and every country in Europe was sitting with drawn sword,
trusting nobody, fearing everybody, living in a state of nerves, with
the roll of the drum always in their ears. The best preventative of war,
in my opinion, is not to believe in it. Good morning, Lord Dorminster."

It was a dismissal against which there was no appeal. Nigel followed the
secretary from the room.

"You found the Chief a little bit ratty this morning, I expect, Lord
Dorminster," the latter remarked. "We've had the French Mission here."

"Mr. Mervin Brown has at least the virtue of knowing his own mind,"
Nigel replied dryly.

CHAPTER XIII

The automobile turned in through the great entrance gates of the South
London Aeronautic Terminus and commenced a slow ascent along the broad
asphalted road to what, a few years ago, had been esteemed a new wonder
of the world. Maggie rose to her feet with a little exclamation of
wonder.

"Do you know I have never been here at night before?" she exclaimed.
"Isn't it wonderful!"

"Marvellous!" Nigel replied. "It's the largest aeronautic station in the
world--bigger, they say, than all our railway termini put together. Look
at the flares, Maggie! No wonder the sky from the housetop at Belgrave
Square seems always to be on fire at night!"

They were approaching now the first of the huge sheds which were
arranged in circular fashion around an immense stretch of perfectly
level asphalted ground. Every shed was as big as an ordinary railway
st