Hewasreallyaverytactfulyoungmanindeed，inanaturalsortofway。\"Daresayallthisisnewtoyou，\"hesaid;\"notyoursortofmachine。Thesecabinsaren’thalfbad。\"
Hegotupandwalkedroundthelittleapartment，showingitspoints。
\"Hereisthebed，\"hesaid，whippingdownacouchfromthewallandthrowingitbackagainwithaclick。\"Herearetoiletthings，\"andheopenedaneatlyarrangedcupboard。\"Notmuchwashing。Nowaterwe’vegot;nowateratallexceptfordrinking。NobathsoranythinguntilwegettoAmericaandland。
Ruboverwithloofah。Onepintofhotforshaving。That’sall。
Inthelockerbelowyouarerugsandblankets;youwillneedthempresently。Theysayitgetscold。Idon’tknow。Neverbeenupbefore。Exceptalittleworkwithgliders——whichismostlygoingdown。Three—quartersofthechapsinthefleethaven’t。Here’safolding—chairandtablebehindthedoor。Compact，eh？\"
Hetookthechairandbalanceditonhislittlefinger。\"Prettylight，eh？Aluminiumandmagnesiumalloyandavacuuminside。
Allthesecushionsstuffedwithhydrogen。Foxy！Thewholeship’slikethat。Andnotamaninthefleet，exceptthePrinceandoneortwoothers，overelevenstone。Couldn’tsweatthePrince，youknow。We’llgoalloverthethingto—morrow。I’mfrightfullykeenonit。\"
HebeamedatBert。\"YouDOlookyoung，\"heremarked。\"Ialwaysthoughtyou’dbeanoldmanwithabeard——asortofphilosopher。
Idon’tknowwhyoneshouldexpectcleverpeoplealwaystobeold。Ido。\"
Bertparriedthatcomplimentalittleawkwardly，andthenthelieutenantwasstruckwiththeriddlewhyHerrButteridgehadnotcomeinhisownflyingmachine。
\"It’salongstory，\"saidBert。\"Lookhere！\"hesaidabruptly，\"Iwishyou’dlendmeapairofslippers，orsomething。I’mregularsickofthesesandals。They’rerottenthings。I’vebeentryingthemforafriend。\"
\"RightO！\"
Theex—Rhodesscholarwhiskedoutoftheroomandreappearedwithaconsiderablechoiceoffootwear——pumps，clothbath—slippers，andapurplepairadornedwithgoldensun—flowers。
Buttheseherepentedofatthelastmoment。
\"Idon’tevenwearthemmyself，\"hesaid。\"Onlybrought’eminthezealofthemoment。\"Helaughedconfidentially。\"Had’emworkedforme——inOxford。Byafriend。Take’emeverywhere。\"
SoBertchosethepumps。
Thelieutenantbrokeintoacheerfulsnigger。\"Herewearetryingonslippers，\"hesaid，\"andtheworldgoingbylikeapanoramabelow。Ratheralark，eh？Look！\"
Bertpeepedwithhimoutofthewindow，lookingfromthebrightpettinessofthered—and—silvercabinintoadarkimmensity。Thelandbelow，exceptforalake，wasblackandfeatureless，andtheotherairshipswerehidden。\"Seemoreoutside，\"saidthelieutenant。\"Let’sgo！There’sasortoflittlegallery。\"
Heledthewayintothelongpassage，whichwaslitbyonesmallelectriclight，pastsomenoticesinGerman，toanopenbalconyandalightladderandgalleryofmetal，latticeoverhanging，emptyspace。Bertfollowedhisleaderdowntothegalleryslowlyandcautiously。Fromithewasabletowatchthewonderfulspectacleofthefirstair—fleetflyingthroughthenight。Theyflewinawedge—shapedformation，theVaterlandhighestandleading，thetailrecedingintothecornersofthesky。Theyflewinlong，regularundulations，greatdarkfish—likeshapes，showinghardlyanylightatall，theenginesmakingathrob—throb—throbbingsoundthatwasveryaudibleoutonthegallery。Theyweregoingataleveloffiveorsixthousandfeet，andrisingsteadily。Below，thecountrylaysilent，acleardarknessdottedandlinedoutwithclustersoffurnaces，andthelitstreetsofagroupofbigtowns。Theworldseemedtolieinabowl;theoverhangingbulkoftheairshipabovehidallbutthelowestlevelsofthesky。
Theywatchedthelandscapeforaspace。
\"Jollyitmustbetoinventthings，\"saidthelieutenantsuddenly。\"Howdidyoucometothinkofyourmachinefirst？\"
\"Workeditout，\"saidBert，afterapause。\"Jestgroundawayatit。\"
\"Ourpeoplearefrightfullykeenonyou。TheythoughttheBritishhadgotyou。Weren’ttheBritishkeen？\"
\"Inaway，\"saidBert。\"Still——itsalongstory。\"
\"Ithinkit’sanimmensething——toinvent。Icouldn’tinventathingtosavemylife。\"
Theybothfellsilent，watchingthedarkenedworldandfollowingtheirthoughtsuntilabuglesummonedthemtoabelateddinner。
Bertwassuddenlyalarmed。\"Don’tyou’avetodressandthings？\"
hesaid。\"I’vealwaysbeentoohardatScienceandthingstogointoSocietyandallthat。\"
\"Nofear，\"saidKurt。\"Nobody’sgotmorethantheclothestheywear。We’retravellinglight。Youmightperhapstakeyourovercoatoff。They’veanelectricradiatoreachendoftheroom。\"
AndsopresentlyBertfoundhimselfsittingtoeatinthepresenceofthe\"GermanAlexander\"——thatgreatandpuissantPrince，PrinceKarlAlbert，theWarLord，theherooftwohemispheres。Hewasahandsome，blondman，withdeep—seteyes，asnubnose，upturnedmoustache，andlongwhitehands，astrange—lookingman。Hesathigherthantheothers，underablackeaglewithwidespreadwingsandtheGermanImperialflags;
hewas，asitwere，enthroned，anditstruckBertgreatlythatasheatehedidnotlookatpeople，butovertheirheadslikeonewhoseesvisions。Twentyofficersofvariousranksstoodaboutthetable——andBert。TheyallseemedextremelycurioustoseethefamousButteridge，andtheirastonishmentathisappearancewasill—controlled。ThePrincegavehimadignifiedsalutation，towhich，byaninspiration，hebowed。StandingnextthePrincewasabrown—faced，wrinkledmanwithsilverspectaclesandfluffy，dingy—greyside—whiskers，whoregardedBertwithapeculiaranddisconcertingattention。ThecompanysatafterceremoniesBertcouldnotunderstand。Attheotherendofthetablewasthebird—facedofficerBerthaddispossessed，stilllookinghostileandwhisperingaboutBerttohisneighbour。Twosoldierswaited。Thedinnerwasaplainone——asoup，somefreshmutton，andcheese——andtherewasverylittletalk。
Acurioussolemnityindeedbroodedovereveryone。Partlythiswasreactionaftertheintensetoilandrestrainedexcitementofstarting;partlyitwastheoverwhelmingsenseofstrangenewexperiences，ofportentousadventure。ThePrincewaslostinthought。HerousedhimselftodrinktotheEmperorinchampagne，andthecompanycried\"Hoch！\"likemenrepeatingresponsesinchurch。
Nosmokingwaspermitted，butsomeoftheofficerswentdowntothelittleopengallerytochewtobacco。Nolightswhateverweresafeamidstthatbundleofinflammablethings。Bertsuddenlyfellyawningandshivering。Hewasoverwhelmedbyasenseofhisowninsignificanceamidstthesegreatrushingmonstersoftheair。Hefeltlifewas’toobigforhim——toomuchforhimaltogether。
HesaidsomethingtoKurtabouthishead，wentupthesteepladderfromtheswayinglittlegalleryintotheairshipagain，andso，asifitwerearefuge，tobed。
5
Bertsleptforatime，andthenhissleepwasbrokenbydreams。
Mostlyhewasfleeingfromformlessterrorsdownaninterminablepassageinanairship——apassagepavedatfirstwithravenoustrap—doors，andthenwithopenworkcanvasofthemostcarelessdescription。
\"Gaw！\"saidBert，turningoverafterhisseventhfallthroughinfinitespacethatnight。
Hesatupinthedarknessandnursedhisknees。Theprogressoftheairshipwasnotnearlysosmoothasaballoon;hecouldfeelaregularswayingup，up，upandthendown，down，down，andthethrobbingandtremulousquiveroftheengines。
Hismindbegantoteemwithmemories——morememoriesandmore。
Throughthem，likeastrugglingswimmerinbrokenwater，cametheperplexingquestion，whatamItodoto—morrow？To—morrow，Kurthadtoldhim，thePrince’ssecretary，theGrafVonWinterfeld，wouldcometohimanddiscusshisflying—machine，andthenhewouldseethePrince。HewouldhavetostickitoutnowthathewasButteridge，andsellhisinvention。Andthen，iftheyfoundhimout！HehadavisionofinfuriatedButteridges……Supposeafterallheownedup？Pretendeditwastheirmisunderstanding？
HebegantoschemedevicesforsellingthesecretandcircumventingButteridge。
Whatshouldheaskforthething？Somehowtwentythousandpoundsstruckhimasaboutthesumindicated。
Hefellintothatdespondencythatliesinwaitinthesmallhours。Hehadgottoobigajobon——toobigajob……
Memoriesswampedhisscheming。
\"WherewasIthistimelastnight？\"
Herecapitulatedhiseveningstediouslyandlengthily。LastnighthehadbeenupabovethecloudsinButteridge’sballoon。
Hethoughtofthemomentwhenhedroppedthroughthemandsawthecoldtwilightseaclosebelow。Hestillrememberedthatdisagreeableincidentwithanightmarevividness。AndthenightbeforeheandGrubbhadbeenlookingforcheaplodgingsatLittlestoneinKent。Howremotethatseemednow。Itmightbeyearsago。ForthefirsttimehethoughtofhisfellowDesertDervish，leftwiththetwored—paintedbicyclesonDymchurchsands。\"’Ewon’tmakemuchofashowofit，notwithoutme。
Any’ow’edid’avethetreasury——suchasitwas——inhispocket！\"……ThenightbeforethatwasBankHolidaynightandtheyhadsatdiscussingtheirminstrelenterprise，drawingupaprogrammeandrehearsingsteps。AndthenightbeforewasWhitSunday。\"Lord！\"
criedBert，\"whatadoingthatmotor—bicyclegiveme！\"Herecalledtheemptyflappingoftheevisceratedcushion，thefeelingofimpotenceastheflamesroseagain。Fromamongtheconfusedmemoriesofthattragicflareonelittlefigureemergedverybrightandpoignantlysweet，Edna，cryingbackreluctantlyfromthedepartingmotor—car，\"Seeyouto—morrer，Bert？\"
OthermemoriesofEdnaclusteredroundthatimpression。TheyledBert’smindstepbysteptoanagreeablestatethatfoundexpressionin\"I’llmarry’ERifshedon’tlookout。\"AndtheninaflashitfollowedinhismindthatifhesoldtheButteridgesecrethecould！Supposeafterallhedidgettwentythousandpounds;suchsumshavebeenpaid！Withthathecouldbuyhouseandgarden，buynewclothesbeyonddreaming，buyamotor，travel，haveeverydelightofthecivilisedlifeasheknewit，forhimselfandEdna。Ofcourse，riskswereinvolved。\"I’ll’aveoldButteridgeonmytrack，Iexpect！\"
Hemeditateduponthat。Hedeclinedagaintodespondency。Asyethewasonlyinthebeginningoftheadventure。Hehadstilltodeliverthegoodsanddrawthecash。Andbeforethat——Justnowhewasbynomeansonhiswayhome。HewasflyingofftoAmericatofightthere。\"Notmuchfighting，\"heconsidered;\"allourownway。\"Still，ifashelldidhappentohittheVaterlandontheunderside！……
\"S’poseIoughttomakemywill。\"
Helaybackforsometimecomposingwills——chieflyinfavourofEdna。Hehadsettlednowitwastobetwentythousandpounds。
Heleftanumberofminorlegacies。Thewillsbecamemoreandmoremeanderingandextravagant……
Hewokefromtheeighthrepetitionofhisnightmarefallthroughspace。\"Thisflyinggetsonone’snerves，\"hesaid。
Hecouldfeeltheairshipdivingdown，down，down，thenslowlyswingingtoup，up，up。Throb，throb，throb，throb，quiveredtheengine。
HegotuppresentlyandwrappedhimselfaboutwithMr。
Butteridge’sovercoatandalltheblankets，fortheairwasverykeen。Thenhepeepedoutofthewindowtoseeagreydawnbreakingoverclouds，thenturneduphislightandboltedhisdoor，satdowntothetable，andproducedhischest—protector。
Hesmoothedthecrumpledplanswithhishand，andcontemplatedthem。Thenhereferredtotheotherdrawingsintheportfolio。
Twentythousandpounds。Ifheworkeditright！Itwasworthtrying，anyhow。
PresentlyheopenedthedrawerinwhichKurthadputpaperandwriting—materials。
BertSmallwayswasbynomeansastupidperson，anduptoacertainlimithehadnotbeenbadlyeducated。Hisboardschoolhadtaughthimtodrawuptocertainlimits，taughthimtocalculateandunderstandaspecification。Ifatthatpointhiscountryhadtiredofitsefforts，andhandedhimoverunfinishedtoscrambleforalivinginanatmosphereofadvertiseinentsandindividualenterprise，thatwasreallynothisfault。HewasashisStatehadmadehim，andthereadermustnotimaginebecausehewasalittleCockneycad，thathewasabsolutelyincapableofgraspingtheideaoftheButteridgeflying—machine。Buthefounditstiffandperplexing。Hismotor—bicycleandGrubb’sexperimentsandthe\"mechanicaldrawing\"hehaddoneinstandardsevenallhelpedhimout;and，moreover，themakerofthesedrawings，whoeverhewas，hadbeenanxioustomakehisintentionsplain。Bertcopiedsketches，hemadenotes，hemadeaquitetolerableandintelligentcopyoftheessentialdrawingsandsketchesoftheothers。Thenhefellintoameditationuponthem。
Atlastherosewithasigh，foldeduptheoriginalsthathadformerlybeeninhischest—protectorandputthemintothebreast—pocketofhisjacket，andthenverycarefullydepositedthecopieshehadmadeintheplaceoftheoriginals。Hehadnoveryclearplaninhismindindoingthis，exceptthathehatedtheideaofaltogetherpartingwiththesecret。Foralongtimehemeditatedprofoundly——nodding。Thenheturnedouthislightandwenttobedagainandschemedhimselftosleep。
6
ThehochgeborenGrafvonWinterfeldwasalsoalightsleeperthatnight，butthenhewasoneofthesepeoplewhosleeplittleandplaychessproblemsintheirheadstowhileawaythetime——andthatnighthehadaparticularlydifficultproblemtosolve。
HecameinuponBertwhilehewasstillinbedintheglowofthesunlightreflectedfromtheNorthSeabelow，consumngtherollsandcoffeeasoldierhadbroughthim。Hehadaportfoliounderhisarm，andintheclear，earlymorninglighthisdingygreyhairandheavy，silver—rimmedspectaclesmadehimlookalmostbenevolent。HespokeEnglishfluently，butwithastrongGermanflavour。Hewasparticularlybadwithhis\"b’s，\"andhis\"th’s\"
softenedtowardsweak\"z’ds。\"HecalledBertexplosively，\"Pooterage。\"Hebeganwithsomeindistinctcivilities，bowed，tookafolding—tableandchairfrombehindthedoor，puttheformerbetweenhimselfandBert，satdownonthelatter，cougheddrily，andopenedhisportfolio。Thenheputhiselbowsonthetable，pinchedhislowerlipwithhistwofore—fingers，andregardedBertdisconcertinglywithmagnifiedeyes。\"Youcametous，HerrPooterage，againstyourwill，\"hesaidatlast。
\"’Owd’youmakethatout？\"askedBert，afterapauseofastonishment。
\"Ichugebyzemapsinyourcar。TheywereallEnglish。Andyourprovisions。Theywereallpicnic。Alsoyourcordswereentangled。Youhaf’beentugging——butnogood。Youcouldnotmanagezeballoon，andanuzzerpowerthanyoursproughtyoutous。Isitnotso？\"
Bertthought。
\"Also——whereiszelaty？\"
\"’Ere！——whatlady？\"
\"Youstartedwithalaty。Thatisevident。Youshtartedforanafternoonexcursion——apicnic。Amanofyourtemperament——hewouldtakealaty。ShewasnotwizyouinyourballoonwhenyoucamedownatDornhof。No！Onlyherchacket！Itisyouraffair。
Still，Iamcurious。\"
Bertreflected。\"’Owd’youknowthat？\"
\"Ichugebyzenatureofyourfariousprovisions。Icannotaccount，Mr。Pooterage，forzelaty，whatyouhafdonewithher。
NorcanItellwhyyoushouldwearnature—sandals，norwhyyoushouldwearsuchcheapplueclothes。Theseareoutsidemyinstructions。Trifles，perhaps。Officiallytheyaretobeignored。Latiescomeandgo——Iamamanofzeworldt。Ihafknownwisemenwearsandalsandefenpracticevegetarianhabits。
Ihafknownmen——oratanyrate，Ihafknownchemists——whodidnotschmoke。Youhaf，nodoubt，putzelatydownsomewhere。
Well。Letusgetto——business。Ahigherpower\"——hisvoicechangeditsemotionalquality，hismagnifiedeyesseemedtodilate——\"hasproughtyouandyoursecretstraighttous。So！\"——
hebowedhishead——\"sopeit。ItiszeDestinyofChermanyandmyPrince。Icanundershtandtyoualwayscarryzatsecret。Youareafraidtofroppersandspies。Soitcomeswizyou——tous。
Mr。Pooterage，Chermanywillpuyit。\"
\"Willshe？\"
\"Shewill，\"saidthesecretary，lookinghardatBert’sabandonedsandalsinthecornerofthelocker。Herousedhimself，consultedapaperofnotesforamoment，andBerteyedhisbrownandwrinkledfacewithexpectationandterror。\"Chermany，Iaminstructedtosay，\"saidthesecretary，withhiseyesonthetableandhisnotesspreadout，\"hasalwaysbeenwillingtopuyyoursecret。Wehafindeedpeeneagertoacquireitferyeager;
anditwasonlyzefearthatyoumightbe，onpatrioticgroundts，actingincollusionwithyourPritishWarOfficezathasmadeusdiscreetinofferingforyourmarvellousinventionthroughintermediaries。Wehafnohesitationwhatefernow，Iaminstructed，inagreeingtoyourproposalofahunderttousandpoundts。\"
\"Crikey！\"saidBert，overwhelmed。
\"Ipegyourpardon？\"
\"Jestatwinge，\"saidBert，raisinghishandtohisbandagedhead。
\"Ah！AlsoIaminstructedtosaythatasforthatnoble，unrightlyaccusedlatyyouhafchampionedsobrafelyagainstPritishhypocrisyandcoldness，allzechivalryofChermanyisonhersite。\"
\"Lady？\"saidBertfaintly，andthenrecalledthegreatButteridgelovestory。Hadtheoldchapalsoreadtheletters？Hemustthinkhimascorcherifhehad。\"Oh！that’saw—right，\"hesaid，\"about’er。I’adn’tanydoubtsaboutthat。I——\"
Hestopped。Thesecretarycertainlyhadamostappallingstare。
Itseemedagesbeforehelookeddownagain。\"Well，zelatyasyouplease。Sheisyouraffair。Ihafperformtmyinstructions。
AndzetitleofParon，zatalsocanpedone。Itcanallpedone，HerrPooterage。\"
Hedrummedonthetableforasecondorso，andresumed。\"Ihaftotellyou，sir，zatyoucometousatacrisisin——Welt—Politik。Therecanbenoharmnowformetoputourplansbeforeyou。Peforeyouleafethisshipagaintheywillbemanifesttoallzeworldt。Warisperhapsalreadydeclared。Wego—toAmerica。OurfleetwilldescendoutofzeairuponzeUnitedStates——itisacountryquiteunpreparedforwareferywhere——eferywhere。ZeyhavealwaysreliedonzeAtlantic。
Andtheirnavy。Wehaveselectedacertainpoint——itisatpresentzesecretofourcommanders——whichweshallseize，andzenweshallestablishadepot——asortofinlandGibraltar。Itwillbe——whatwillitbe？——aneagle’snest。Zereourairshipswillgazzerandrepair，andthencetheywillflytoandfrooferzeUnitedStates，terrorisingcities，dominatingWashington，levyingwhatisnecessary，untilzetermswedictateareaccepted。Youfollowme？\"
\"Goon！\"saidBert。
\"WecouldhafdoneallziswizsuchLuftschiffeandDrachenfliegeraswepossess，butzeaccessionofyourmachinerendersourprojectcomplete。ItnotonlygifsusabetterDrachenflieger，butitremofesourlastuneasinessastoGreatPritain。Wizoutyou，sir，GreatPritain，zelandyoulofedsowellandzathasrequitedyousoill，zatlandofPhariseesandreptiles，candonozzing！——nozzing！Yousee，Iamperfectlyfrankwizyou。Well，IaminstructedthatChermanyrecognisesallthis。Wewantyoutoplaceyourselfatourdisposal。WewantyoutobecomeourChiefHeadFlightEngineer。Wewantyoutomanufacture，wewanttoequipaswarmofhornetsunderyourdirection。Wewantyoutodirectthisforce。AnditisatourdepotinAmericawewantyou。Soweofferyousimply，andwithouthaggling，zefulltermsyoudemandedweeksago——onehunderttousandpoundtsincash，asalaryofthreetousandpoundtsayear，apensionofonetousandpoundtsayear，andzetitleofParonasyoudesired。Thesearemyinstructions。\"
HeresumedhisscrutinyofBert’sface。
\"That’sallright，ofcourse，\"saidBert，alittleshortofbreath，butotherwiseresoluteandcalm;anditseemedtohimthatnowwasthetimetobringhisnocturnalschemingtotheissue。
ThesecretarycontemplatedBert’scollarwithsustainedattention。Onlyforonemomentdidhisgazemovetothesandalsandback。
\"Jes’lemmethinkabit，\"saidBert，findingthestaredebilitating。\"Look’ereI\"hesaidatlast，withanairofgreatexplicitness，\"IGOTthesecret。\"
\"Yes。\"
\"ButIdon’twantthenameofButteridgetoappear——see？Ibeenthinkingthatover。\"
\"Alittledelicacy？\"
\"Exactly。Youbuythesecret——leastways，Igiveityou——fromBearer——see？\"
Hisvoicefailedhimalittle，andthestarecontinued。\"IwanttodothethingEnonymously。See？\"
Stillstaring。Bertdriftedonlikeaswimmercaughtbyacurrent。\"Factis，I’mgoingtoedop’thenameofSmallways。I
don’twantnotitleofBaron;I’vealteredmymind。AndIwantthemoneyquiet—like。Iwantthehundredthousandpoundspaidintobenks—thirtythousandintotheLondonandCountyBenkBranchatBunHillinKentdirectlyI’andovertheplans;twentythousandintotheBenkofEngland;’arftherestintoagoodFrenchbank，theother’arftheGermanNationalBank，see？I
wantitputthere，rightaway。Idon’twantitputinthenameofButteridge。IwantitputinthenameofAlbertPeterSmallways;that’sthenameI’mgoingtoedop’。That’sconditionone。\"
\"Goon！\"saidthesecretary。
\"Thenexcondition，\"saidBert，\"isthatyoudon’tmakeanyinquiriesastotitle。ImeanwhatEnglishgentlemendowhentheysellorletyouland。Youdon’tarst’owIgotit。See？
’EreIam——Ideliveryouthegoods——that’sallright。Somepeople’avethecheektosaythisisn’tmyinvention，see？Itis，youknow——THAT’Sallright;butIdon’twantthatgoneinto。
Iwantafairandsquareagreementsayingthat’sallright。
See？\"
His\"See？\"fadedintoaprofoundsilence。
Thesecretarysighedatlast，leantbackinhischairandproducedatooth—pick，andusedit，toassisthismeditationonBert’scase。\"Whatwasthatname？\"heaskedatlast，puttingawaythetooth—pick;\"Imustwriteitdown。\"
\"AlbertPeterSmallways，\"saidBert，inamildtone。
Thesecretarywroteitdown，afteralittledifficultyaboutthespellingbecauseofthedifferentnamesofthelettersofthealphabetinthetwolanguages。
\"Andnow，Mr。Schmallvays，\"hesaidatlast，leaningbackandresumingthestare，\"tellme:howdidyouketholdofMisterPooterage’sballoon？\"
7
WhenatlasttheGrafvonWinterfoldleftBertSmallways，helefthiminanextremelydeflatedcondition，withallhislittlestorytold。
Hehad，aspeoplesay，madeacleanbreastofit。Hehadbeenpursuedintodetails。Hehadhadtoexplainthebluesuit，thesandals，theDesertDervishes——everything。Foratimescientificzealconsumedthesecretary，andthequestionoftheplansremainedinsuspense。Heevenwentintospeculationaboutthepreviousoccupantsoftheballoon。\"Isuppose，\"hesaid，\"thelatyWASthelaty。Botthatisnotouraffair。
\"Itisferycuriousandamusing，yes:butIamafraidthePrincemaybeannoyt。Heactedwizhisusualdecision——alwaysheactswizwonterfuldecision。LikeNapoleon。DirectlyhewastoltofyourdescentintothecampatDornhof，hesaid，’Pringhim！——pringhim！Itismyschtar！’HisschtarofDestiny！Yousee？Hewillbedthwarted。HedirectedyoutocomeasHerrPooterage，andyouhafnotdoneso。Youhaftriet，ofcourse;butithaspeenapoortry。Hischugmentsofmenareferyjustandright，anditisbetterformentoactuptothem——gompletely。
Especiallynow。Particularlynow。\"
Heresumedthatattitudeofhis，withhisunderlippinchedbetweenhisforefingers。Hespokealmostconfidentially。\"Itwillbeawkward。Itriettosuggestsomedoubt，butIwasover—ruled。ThePrincedoesnotlisten。Heisimpatientinthehighair。Perhapshewillthinkhisschtarhasbeenmakingafoolofhim。Perhapshewillthink_I_hafbeenmakingafoolofhim。\"
Hewrinkledhisforehead，anddrewinthecornersofhismouth。
\"Igottheplans，\"saidBert。
\"Yes。Thereisthat！Yes。ButyouseethePrincewasinterestedinHerrPooteragebecauseofhisromanticseit。HerrPooteragewassomuchmore——ah！——inthepicture。Iamafraidyouarenotequaltocontrollingtheflyingmachinedepartmentofouraerialparkashewishedyoutodo。Hehadtpromisedhimselfthat……
\"Andderwasalsotheprestige——theworldtprestigeofPooteragewithus……Well，wemustseewhatwecando。\"Heheldouthishand。\"Gifmetheplans。\"
AterriblechillranthroughthebeingofMr。Smallways。Tothisdayheisnotclearinhismindwhetherheweptorno，butcertainlytherewasweepinginhisvoice。\"’Ere，Isay！\"heprotested。\"Ain’tIto’ave——nothin’for’em？\"
Thesecretaryregardedhimwithbenevolenteyes。\"Youdonotdeserveanyzing！\"hesaid。
\"Imight’avetore’emup。\"
\"Zeyarenotyours！\"
\"Theyweren’tButteridge’s！\"
\"Noneedtopayanyzing。\"
Bert’sbeingseemedtotightentowardsdesperatedeeds。\"Gaw！\"
hesaid，clutchinghiscoat，\"AIN’Tthere？\"
\"Pegalm，\"saidthesecretary。\"Listen！Youshallhaffivehundertpoundts。Youshallhafitonmypromise。Iwilldothatforyou，andthatisallIcando。Takeitfromme。Gifmethenameofthatbank。Writeitdown。So！ItellyouthePrince——
isnochoke。Idonotthinkheapproffedofyourappearancelastnight。No！Ican’tanswerforhim。HewantedPooterage，andyouhafspoiltit。ThePrince——Idonotunderstandquite，heisinastrangestate。Itistheexcitementofthestartingandthisgreatsoaringintheair。Icannotaccountforwhathedoes。ButifallgoeswellIwillseetoit——youshallhaffivehundertpoundts。Willthatdo？Thengifmetheplans。\"
\"Oldbeggar！\"saidBert，asthedoorclicked。\"Gaw！——whatanolebeggar！——SHARP！\"
Hesatdowninthefolding—chair，andwhistlednoiselesslyforatime。
\"Nice’oldswindlefor’imifItore’emup！Icould’ave。\"
Herubbedthebridgeofhisnosethoughtfully。\"Igavethewholeblessedshowaway。IfI’dj’es’kepquietaboutbeingEnonymous……Gaw！……Toosoon，Bert，myboy——toosoonandtoorushy。I’dliketokickmysillyself。
\"Icouldn’t’avekep’itup。
\"Afterall，itain’tsoverybad，\"hesaid。
\"Afterall，five’undredpounds……Itisn’tMYsecret，anyhow。
It’sjes’apickupontheroad。Five’undred。
\"WonderwhatthefareisfromAmericabackhome？\"
8
AndlaterinthedayanextremelyshatteredanddisorganisedBertSmallwaysstoodinthepresenceofthePrinceKarlAlbert。