d the highest point of the
half circle through which he passed, she was stretched out, making
with him a horizontal line. At that moment she let go and shot, feet
foremost, through the air. The man who hung head downwards from the next
trapeze came swiftly towards her and caught her by the ankles. The two
swung back together and at the end of his course he let her go. The
impulse of his swing sent her, turning swiftly as she flew, towards
a ladder at the end of the row. She alighted on her feet on a little
platform, high up near the roof of the building. There she stood, bowing
and smiling.

The people burst into a shout of cheering. Ascher leaned forward in his
seat and gazed at her. The two men still kept their trapezes in full
swing. The third man, standing on a platform at the other end of the
row, set the remaining trapeze swinging, that from which the woman had
begun her flight. A minute later she flung herself from the platform
and the whole performance was repeated. I could hear Ascher panting with
excitement beside me.

"A horribly risky business," I said, "but wonderful, really wonderful.
If one of those swings were a fraction late---- But of course the whole
thing is exactly calculated."

"Yes, yes," said Ascher, "calculated, of course. It's a matter of
mathematics and accurate timing of effort. But if it were worked by
machinery, with lay figures, we should think nothing of it. Somebody
would do sums and there would be nothing particular in it. The wonderful
thing is the confidence. The timing of the swings might be all right;
but if the woman hesitated for an instant, or if one of the men felt the
slightest doubt about the thing's coming off--If they didn't all feel
absolutely sure that the hands would be there to grasp her at just the
proper moment--It's the perfect trust which the people have, of each
other, of the calculations--Don't you see?"

I began to see that Ascher was profoundly moved by this performance. I
also began to see why.

"It's like--like some things in life," I said, "or what some things
ought to be."

"It's like what my life is," said Ascher. "Don't you see it?"

"I should be rather stupid if I didn't see it, considering the trouble
you took to explain the working of international credit to me for two
whole days."

"Then you do understand."

"I understand," I said, "that you are that woman. Your whole complex
business is very like hers. It's the meeting of obligations exactl