o do it," said Selwyn; "you must see that, of course."

"But I don't see it," began Lawn--"because you are not in the Government
service now--"

"Besides," added Austin, "you were not a West Pointer; you never were
under obligations to the Government!"

"Are we not all under obligation?" asked Selwyn so simply that Austin
flushed.

"Oh, of course--patriotism and all that--naturally--Confound it, I don't
suppose you'd go and offer it to Germany or Japan before our own
Government had the usual chance to turn it down and break your heart.
But why can't the Government make arrangements with Lawn's Company--if
it desires to?"

"A man can't exploit his own Government; you all know that as well as I
do," returned Selwyn, smiling. "_Pro aris et focis_, you know--_ex
necessitate rei_."

"When the inventor goes to the Government," said Austin, with a
shrug--"_vestigia nulla retrorsum_."

"_Spero meliora_," retorted Selwyn, laughing; but there remained the
obstinate squareness of jaw, and his amused eyes were clear and steady.
Young Lawn looked into them and the hope in him flickered; Austin
looked, and shrugged; but as they all turned away to retrace their steps
across the moors in the direction of Silverside, Lansing lightly hooked
his arm into Selwyn's; and Gerald, walking thoughtfully on the other
side, turned over and over in his mind the proposition offered him--the
spectacle of a modern and needy man to whom money appeared to be the
last consideration in a plain matter of business. Also he turned over
other matters in his mind; and moved closer to Selwyn, walking beside
him with grave eyes bent on the ground.

* * * * *

The matter of business arrangements apparently ended then and there;
Lawn's company sent several men to Selwyn and wrote him a great many
letters--unlike the Government, which had not replied to his briefly
tentative suggestion that Chaosite be conditionally examined, tested,
and considered.

So the matter remained in abeyance, and Selwyn employed two extra men
and continued storage tests and experimented with rifled and smooth-bore
tubes, watchfully uncertain yet as to the necessity of inventing a
solvent to neutralise possible corrosion after a propelling charge had
been exploded.

Everybody in the vicinity had heard about his experiments; everybody
pretended interest, but few were sincere; and of the sincere, few were
unselfishly interested--his sister, Eilee