Thereadershouldgraspclearlythedateatwhichthisbookwaswritten。Itwasdonein1907:itappearedinvariousmagazinesasaserialin1908anditwaspublishedintheFallofthatyear。Atthattimetheaeroplanewas，formostpeople，merelyarumourandthe"Sausage"heldtheair。Thecontemporaryreaderhasalltheadvantageoftenyears’experiencesincethisstorywasimagined。Hecancorrecthisauthoratadozenpointsandestimatethevalueofthesewarningsbythestandardofadecadeofrealities。Thebookisweakonanti—aircraftguns，forexample，andstillmorenegligentofsubmarines。Much，nodoubt，willstrikethereaderasquaintandlimitedbutuponmuchthewritermaynotunreasonablyplumehimself。TheinterpretationoftheGermanspiritmusthavereadasacaricaturein1908。Wasitacaricature？PrinceKarlseemedafantasythen。RealityhassincecopiedPrinceCarlwithanastonishingfaithfulness。Isittoomuchtohopethatsomedemocratic"Bert"maynotultimatelygetevenwithhisHighness？
　　Ourauthortellsusinthisbook，ashehastoldusinothers，moreespeciallyinTheWorldSetFree，andashehasbeentellingusthisyearinhisWarandtheFuture，thatifmankindgoesonwithwar，thesmash—upofcivilizationisinevitable。ItischaosortheUnitedStatesoftheWorldformankind。Thereisnootherchoice。Tenyearshavebutaddedanenormousconvictiontothemessageofthisbook。Itremainsessentiallyright，apamphletstory——insupportoftheLeaguetoEnforcePeace。
　　K。
　　THEWARINTHEAIR
　　CHAPTERI
　　OFPROGRESSANDTHESMALLWAYSFAMILY
　　1
　　"ThishereProgress，"saidMr。TomSmallways，"itkeepson。
　　"You’dhardlythinkitcouldkeepon，"saidMr。TomSmallways。
　　ItwasalongbeforetheWarintheAirbeganthatMr。Smallwaysmadethisremark。HeassittingonthefenceattheendofhisgardenandsurveyingthegreatBunHillgas—workswithaneyethatneitherpraisednorblamed。Abovetheclusteringgasometersthreeunfamiliarshapesappeared，thin，wallowingbladdersthatflappedandrolledabout，andgrewbiggerandbiggerandrounderandrounder——balloonsincourseofinflationfortheSouthofEnglandAeroClub’sSaturday—afternoonascent。
　　"TheygoesupeverySaturday，"saidhisneighbour，Mr。Stringer，themilkman。"It’sonlyyestiday，sotospeak，whenallLondonturnedouttoseeaballoongoover，andnoweverylittleplaceinthecountryhasitsweekly—outings——uppings，rather。It’sbeenthesalvationofthemgascompanies。"
　　"LarstSatidayIgotthreebarrer—loadsofgraveloffmypetaters，"saidMr。TomSmallways。"Threebarrer—loads！Whattheydroppedasballase。Someoftheplantswasbroke，andsomewasburied。"
　　"Ladies，theysay，goesup！"
　　"Isupposewegottocall’emladies，"saidMrTomSmallways。
　　"Still，itain’thardlymyideaofalady——flyingaboutintheair，andthrowinggravelatpeople。Itain’twhatIbeenaccustomedtoconsiderladylike，whetherorno。"
　　Mr。Stringernoddedhisheadapprovingly，andforatimetheycontinuedtoregardtheswellingbulkswithexpressionsthathadchangedfromindifferencetodisapproval。
　　Mr。TomSmallwayswasagreen—grocerbytradeandagardenerbydisposition;hislittlewifeJessicasawtotheshop，andHeavenhadplannedhimforapeacefulworld。UnfortunatelyHeavenhadnotplannedapeacefulworldforhim。Helivedinaworldofobstinateandincessantchange，tandinpartswhereitsoperationswereunsparinglyconspicuous。Vicissitudewasintheverysoilhetilled;evenhisgardenwasuponayearlytenancy，andovershadowedbyahugeboardthatproclaimeditnotsomuchagardenasaneligiblebuildingsite。Hewashorticultureundernoticetoquit，thelastpatchofcountryinadistrictfloodedbynewandprbaathings。Hedidhisbesttoconsolehimself，toimaginemattersneartheturnofthetide。
　　"You’dhardlythinkitcouldkeepon，"hesaid。
　　Mr。Smallways’agedfather，couldrememberBunHillasanidyllicKentishvillage。HehaddrivenSirPeterBoneuntilhewasfiftyandthenhetooktodrinkalittle，anddrivingthestationbus，whichlastedhimuntilhewasseventy—eight。Thenheretired。Hesatbythefireside，ashrivelled，very，veryoldcoachman，fullchargedwithreminiscences，andreadyforanycarelessstranger。HecouldtellyouofthevanishedestateofSirPeterBone，longsincecutupforbuilding，andhowthatmagnateruledthecountry—sidewhenitwascountry—side，ofshootingandhunting，andofcachesalongthehighroad，ofhow"wherethegas—worksis"wasacricket—field，andofthecomingoftheCrystalPalace。TheCrystalPalacewassixmilesawayfromBunHill，agreatfacadethatglitteredinthemorning，andwasaclearblueoutlineagainsttheskyintheafternoon，andofanight，asourceofgratuitousfireworksforallthepopulationofBunHill。Andthenhadcometherailway，andthenvillasandvillas，andthenthegas—worksandthewater—works，andagreat，uglyseaofworkmen’shouses，andthendrainage，andthewatervanishedoutoftheOtterbourneandleftitadreadfulditch，andthenasecondrailwaystation，BunHillSouth，andmorehousesandmore，moreshops，morecompetition，plate—glassshops，aschool—board，rates，omnibuses，tramcars——goingrightawayintoLondonitself——bicycles，motor—carsandthenmoremotor—cars，aCarnegielibrary。
　　"You’dhardlythinkitcouldkeepon，"saidMr。TomSmallways，growingupamongthesemarvels。
　　Butitkepton。Evenfromthefirstthegreen—grocer’sshopwhichhehadsetupinoneofthesmallestoftheoldsurvivingvillagehousesinthetailoftheHighStreethadasubmergedair，anairofhidingfromsomethingthatwaslookingforit。WhentheyhadmadeupthepavementoftheHighStreet，theylevelledthatupsothatonehadtogodownthreestepsintotheshop。Tomdidhisbesttosellonlyhisownexcellentbutlimitedrangeofproduce;butProgresscameshovingthingsintohiswindow，Frenchartichokesandaubergines，foreignapples——
　　applesfromtheStateofNewYork，applesfromCalifornia，applesfromCanada，applesfromNewZealand，"prettylookin’
　　fruit，butnotwhatIshouldcallEnglishapples，"saidTom——
　　bananas，unfamiliarnuts，grapefruits，mangoes。
　　Themotor—carsthatwentbynorthwardandsouthwardgrewmoreandmorepowerfulandefficient，whizzedfasterandsmeltworse，thereappearedgreatclangorouspetroltrolleysdeliveringcoalandparcelsintheplaceofvanishinghorse—vans，motor—omnibusesoustedthehorse—omnibuses，eventheKentishstrawberriesgoingLondonwardinthenighttooktomachineryandclatteredinsteadofcreaking，andbecameaffectedinflavourbyprogressandpetrol。
　　AndthenyoungBertSmallwaysgotamotorbicycle……
　　2
　　Bert，itisnecessarytoexplain，wasaprogressiveSmallways。
　　NothingspeaksmoreeloquentlyofthepitilessinsistenceofprogressandexpansioninourtimethanthatitshouldgetintotheSmallwaysblood。ButtherewassomethingadvancedandenterprisingaboutyoungSmallwaysbeforehewasoutofshortfrocks。Hewaslostforawholedaybeforehewasfive，andnearlydrownedinthereservoirofthenewwater—worksbeforehewasseven。Hehadarealpistoltakenawayfromhimbyarealpolicemanwhenhewasten。Andhelearnttosmoke，notwithpipesandbrownpaperandcaneasTomhaddone，butwithapennypacketofBoysofEnglandAmericancigarettes。Hislanguageshockedhisfatherbeforehewastwelve，andbythatage，whatwithtoutingforparcelsatthestationandsellingtheBunHillWeeklyExpress，hewasmakingthreeshillingsaweek，ormore，andspendingitonChips，ComicCuts，AllySloper’sHalf—holiday，cigarettes，andalltheconcomitantsofalifeofpleasureandenlightenment。Allofthiswithouthindrancetohisliterarystudies，whichcarriedhimuptotheseventhstandardatanexceptionallyearlyage。ImentionthesethingssothatyoumayhavenodoubtatallconcerningthesortofstuffBerthadinhim。
　　HewassixyearsyoungerthanTom，andforatimetherewasanattempttoutilisehiminthegreen—grocer’sshopwhenTomattwenty—onemarriedJessica——whowasthirty，andhadsavedalittlemoneyinservice。ButitwasnotBert’sfortetobeutilised。Hehateddigging，andwhenhewasgivenabasketofstufftodeliver，anomadicinstinctaroseirresistibly，itbecamehispackandhedidnotseemtocarehowheavyitwasnorwherehetookit，solongashedidnottakeittoitsdestination。Glamourfilledtheworld，andhestrayedafterit，basketandall。SoTomtookhisgoodsouthimself，andsoughtemployersforBertwhodidnotknowofthisstrainofpoetryinhisnature。AndBerttouchedthefringeofanumberoftradesinsuccession——draper’sporter，chemist’sboy，doctor’spage，juniorassistantgas—fitter，envelopeaddresser，milk—cartassistant，golfcaddie，andatlasthelperinabicycleshop。Here，apparently，hefoundtheprogressivequalityhisnaturehadcraved。Hisemployerwasapirate—souledyoungmannamedGrubb，withablack—smearedfacebyday，andamusic—hallsideintheevening，whodreamtofapatentleverchain;anditseemedtoBertthathewastheperfectmodelofagentlemanofspirit。HehiredoutquitethedirtiestandunsafestbicyclesinthewholesouthofEngland，andconductedthesubsequentdiscussionswithastonishingverve。Bertandhesettleddownverywelltogether。
　　Bertlivedin，becamealmostatrickrider——hecouldridebicyclesformilesthatwouldhavecometopiecesinstantlyunderyouorme——tooktowashinghisfaceafterbusiness，andspenthissurplusmoneyuponremarkabletiesandcollars，cigarettes，andshorthandclassesattheBunHillInstitute。
　　HewouldgoroundtoTomattimes，andlookandtalksobrilliantlythatTomandJessie，whobothhadanaturaltendencytoberespectfultoanybodyoranything，lookeduptohimimmensely。
　　"He’sago—aheadchap，isBert，"saidTom。"Heknowsathingortwo。"
　　"Let’shopehedon’tknowtoomuch，"saidJessica，whohadafinesenseoflimitations。
　　"It’sgo—aheadTimes，"saidTom。"Noopetaters，andEnglishatthat;we’llbehaving’eminMarchifthingsgoonastheydogo。
　　IneverseesuchTimes。Seehistielastnight？"
　　"Itwasn’tsuitedtohim，Tom。Itwasagentleman’stie。Hewasn’tuptoit——nottherestofhim，Itwasn’tbecoming"……
　　ThenpresentlyBertgotacyclist’ssuit，cap，badge，andall;
　　andtoseehimandGrubbgoingdowntoBrighton（andback）——headsdown，handle—barsdown，backbonescurved——wasarevelationinthepossibilitiesoftheSmallwaysblood。
　　Go—aheadTimes！
　　OldSmallwayswouldsitoverthefiremumblingofthegreatnessofotherdays，ofoldSirPeter，whodrovehiscoachtoBrightonandbackineight—and—twentyhours，ofoldSirPeter’swhitetop—hats，ofLadyBone，whoneversetfoottogroundexcepttowalkinthegarden，ofthegreat，prize—fightsatCrawley。Hetalkedofpinkandpig—skinbreeches，offoxesatRing’sBottom，wherenowtheCountyCouncilpauperlunaticswereenclosed，ofLadyBone’schintzesandcrinolines。Nobodyheededhim。Theworldhadthrownupanewtypeofgentlemanaltogether——agentlemanofmostungentlemanlyenergy，agentlemanindustyoilskinsandmotorgogglesandawonderfulcap，astink—makinggentleman，aswift，high—classbadger，whofledperpetuallyalonghighroadsfromthedustandstinkheperpetuallymade。Andhislady，astheywereabletoseeheratBunHill，wasaweather—bittengoddess，asfreefromrefinementasagipsy——notsomuchdressedaspackedfortransitatahighvelocity。
　　SoBertgrewup，filledwithidealsofspeedandenterprise，andbecame，sofarashebecameanything，akindofbicycleengineerofthelet’s—have—a—look—at—itandenamelchippingvariety。Evenaroad—racer，gearedtoahundredandtwenty，failedtosatisfyhim，andforatimehepinedinvainattwentymilesanhouralongroadsthatwerecontinuallymoredustyandmorecrowdedwithmechanicaltraffic。Butatlasthissavingsaccumulated，andhischancecame。Thehire—purchasesystembridgedafinancialgap，andonebrightandmemorableSundaymorninghewheeledhisnewpossessionthroughtheshopintotheroad，gotontoitwiththeadviceandassistanceofGrubb，andteuf—teuffedoffintothehazeofthetraffic—torturedhighroad，toaddhimselfasonemorevoluntarypublicdangertotheamenitiesofthesouthofEngland。
　　"OrftoBrighton！"saidoldSmallways，regardinghisyoungestsonfromthesitting—roomwindowoverthegreen—grocer’sshopwithsomethingbetweenprideandreprobation。"WhenIwas’isage，I’dneverbeentoLondon，neverbinsouthofCrawley——neverbinanywhereonmyownwhereIcouldn’twalk。Andnobodydidn’tgo。Notunlesstheywasgentry。Noweverybody’sorfeverywhere;thewholedrattedcountrysimsflyingtopieces。
　　Wondertheyallgetback。OrftoBrightonindeed！Anybodywanttobuy’orses？"
　　"Youcan’tsay_I_bintoBrighton，father，"saidTom。
　　"Nordon’twanttogo，"saidJessicasharply;"creeringaboutandspendin’yourmoney。"
　　3
　　Foratimethepossibilitiesofthemotor—bicyclesooccupiedBert’smindthatheremainedregardlessofthenewdirectioninwhichthestrivingsoulofmanwasfindingexerciseandrefreshment。Hefailedtoobservethatthetypeofmotor—car，likethetypeofbicycle，wassettling—downandlosingitsadventurousquality。Indeed，itisastrueasitisremarkablethatTomwasthefirsttoobservethenewdevelopment。Buthisgardeningmadehimattentivetotheheavens，andtheproximityoftheBunHillgas—worksandtheCrystalPalace，fromwhichascentswerecontinuallybeingmade，andpresentlythedescentofballastuponhispotatoes，conspiredtobearinuponhisunwillingmindthefactthattheGoddessofChangewasturningherdisturbingattentiontothesky。Thefirstgreatboominaeronauticswasbeginning。
　　GrubbandBertheardofitinamusic—hall，thenitwasdrivenhometotheirmindsbythecinematograph，thenBert’simaginationwasstimulatedbyasixpennyeditionofthataeronauticclassic，Mr。GeorgeGriffith’s"ClipperoftheClouds，"andsothethingreallygotholdofthem。
　　Atfirstthemostobviousaspectwasthemultiplicationofballoons。TheskyofBunHillbegantobeinfestedbyballoons。
　　OnWednesdayandSaturdayafternoonsparticularlyyoucouldscarcelylookskywardforaquarterofanhourwithoutdiscoveringaballoonsomewhere。AndthenonebrightdayBert，motoringtowardCroydon，wasarrestedbytheinsurgenceofahuge，bolster—shapedmonsterfromtheCrystalPalacegrounds，andobligedtodismountandwatchit。Itwaslikeabolsterwithabrokennose，andbelowit，andcomparativelysmall，wasastiffframeworkbearingamanandanenginewithascrewthatwhizzedroundinfrontandasortofcanvasrudderbehind。Theframeworkhadanairofdraggingthereluctantgas—cylinderafteritlikeabrisklittleterriertowingashygas—distendedelephantintosociety。Thecombinedmonstercertainlytravelledandsteered。
　　Itwentoverheadperhapsathousandfeetup（Bertheardtheengine），sailedawaysouthward，vanishedoverthehills，reappearedalittleblueoutlinefaroffintheeast，goingnowveryfastbeforeagentlesouth—westgale，returnedabovetheCrystalPalacetowers，circledroundthem，choseapositionfordescent，andsankdownoutofsight。
　　Bertsigheddeeply，andturnedtohismotor—bicycleagain。
　　Andthatwasonlythebeginningofasuccessionofstrangephenomenaintheheavens——cylinders，cones，pear—shapedmonsters，evenatlastathingofaluminiumthatglitteredwonderfully，andthatGrubb，throughsomeconfusionofideasaboutarmourplates，wasinclinedtoconsiderawarmachine。
　　Therefollowedactualflight。
　　This，however，wasnotanaffairthatwasvisiblefromBunHill;
　　itwassomethingthatoccurredinprivategroundsorotherenclosedplacesand，underfavourableconditions，anditwasbroughthometoGrubbandBertSmallwaysonlybymeansofthemagazinepageofthehalf—pennynewspapersorbycinematographrecords。Butitwasbroughthomeveryinsistently，andinthosedaysif，everoneheardamansayinginapublicplaceinaloud，reassuring，confidenttone，"It’sboundtocome，"thechancesweretentoonehewastalkingofflying。AndBertgotaboxlidandwroteoutincorrectwindow—ticketstyle，andGrubbputinthewindowthisinscription，"Aeroplanesmadeandrepaired。"ItquiteupsetTom——itseemedtakingone’sshopsolightly;butmostoftheneighbours，andallthesportingones，approvedofitasbeingverygoodindeed。
　　Everybodytalkedofflying，everybodyrepeatedoverandoveragain，"Boundtocome，"andthenyouknowitdidn’tcome。Therewasahitch。Theyflew——thatwasallright;theyflewinmachinesheavierthanair。Buttheysmashed。Sometimestheysmashedtheengine，sometimestheysmashedtheaeronaut，usuallytheysmashedboth。Machinesthatmadeflightsofthreeorfourmilesandcamedownsafely，wentupthenexttimetoheadlongdisaster。Thereseemednopossibletrustingtothem。Thebreezeupsetthem，theeddiesnearthegroundupsetthem，apassingthoughtinthemindoftheaeronautupsetthem。Alsotheyupset——simply。
　　"It’sthis’stability’does’em，"saidGrubb，repeatinghisnewspaper。"Theypitchandtheypitch，tilltheypitchthemselvestopieces。"
　　Experimentsfellawayaftertwoexpectantyearsofthissortofsuccess，thepublicandthenthenewspaperstiredoftheexpensivephotographicreproductions，theoptimisticreports，theperpetualsequenceoftriumphanddisasterandsilence。Flyingslumped，evenballooningfellawaytosomeextent，thoughitremainedafairlypopularsport，andcontinuedtoliftgravelfromthewharfoftheBunHillgas—worksanddropitupondeservingpeople’slawnsandgardens。TherewerehalfadozenreassuringyearsforTom——atleastsofarasflyingwasconcerned。Butthatwasthegreattimeofmono—raildevelopment，andhisanxietywasonlydivertedfromthehighheavensbythemosturgentthreatsandsymptomsofchangeinthelowersky。
　　Therehadbeentalkofmono—railsforseveralyears。ButtherealmischiefbeganwhenBrennanspranghisgyroscopicmono—railcarupontheRoyalSociety。Itwastheleadingsensationofthe1907soirees;thatcelebrateddemonstration—roomwasalltoosmallforitsexhibition。BravesoldiersleadingZionists，deservingnovelists，nobleladies，congestedthenarrowpassageandthrustdistinguishedelbowsintoribstheworldwouldnotwillinglyletbreak，deemingthemselvesfortunateiftheycouldsee"justalittlebitoftherail。"Inaudible，butconvincing，thegreatinventorexpoundedhisdiscovery，andsenthisobedientlittlemodelofthetrainsofthefutureupgradients，roundcurves，andacrossasaggingwire。Itranalongitssinglerail，onitssinglewheels，simpleandsufficient;itstopped，reversedstoodstill，balancingperfectly。Itmaintaineditsastoundingequilibriumamidstathunderofapplause。Theaudiencedispersedatlast，discussinghowfartheywouldenjoycrossinganabyssonawirecable。"Supposethegyroscopestopped！"FewofthemanticipatedatitheofwhattheBrennanmono—railwoulddofortheirrailwaysecuritiesandthefaceoftheworld。
　　Inafew，yearstheyrealisedbetter。Inalittlewhilenoonethoughtanythingofcrossinganabyssonawire，andthemono—
　　railwassupersedingthetram—lines，railways:andindeedeveryformoftrackformechanicallocomotion。Wherelandwascheaptherailranalongtheground，whereitwasdeartheraillifteduponironstandardsandpassedoverhead;itsswift，convenientcarswenteverywhereanddideverythingthathadoncebeendonealongmadetracksupontheground。
　　WhenoldSmallwaysdied，Tomcouldthinkofnothingmorestrikingtosayofhimthanthat，"Whenhewasaboy，therewasn’tnothinghigherthanyourchimbleys——therewasn’tawirenoracableinthesky！"
　　OldSmallWayswenttohisgraveunderanintricatenetworkofwiresandcables，forBunHillbecamenotonlyasortofminorcentreofpowerdistribution——theHomeCountiesPowerDistributionCompanysetuptransformersandageneratingstationclosebesidetheoldgas—works——but，alsoajunctiononthesuburbanmono—railsystem。Moreover，everytradesmanintheplace，andindeednearlyeveryhouse，haditsowntelephone。
　　Themono—railcablestandardbecameastrikingfactinurbanlandscape，forthemostpartstoutironerectionsratherliketaperingtrestles，andpaintedabrightbluishgreen。One，ithappened，bestrodeTom’shouse，whichlookedstillmoreretiringandapologeticbeneathitsimmensity;andanothergiantstoodjustinsidethecornerofhisgarden，whichwasstillnotbuiltuponandunchanged，exceptforacoupleofadvertisementboards，onerecommendingatwo—and—sixpennywatch，andoneanerverestorer。These，bythebye，wereplacedalmosthorizontallytocatchtheeyeofthepassingmono—railpassengersabove，andsoservedadmirablytoroofoveratool—shedandamushroom—shedforTom。AlldayandallnightthefastcarsfromBrightonandHastingswentmurmuringbyoverheadlong，broad，comfortable—lookingcars，thatwerebrightlylitafterdusk。Astheyflewbyatnight，transientflaresoflightandarumblingsoundofpassage，theykeptupaperpetualsummerlightningandthunderstorminthestreetbelow。
　　PresentlytheEnglishChannelwasbridged——aseriesofgreatironEiffelTowerpillarscarryingmono—railcablesataheightofahundredandfiftyfeetabovethewater，exceptnearthemiddle，wheretheyrosehighertoallowthepassageoftheLondonandAntwerpshippingandtheHamburg—Americaliners。
　　Thenheavymotor—carsbegantorunaboutononlyacoupleofwheels，onebehindtheother，whichforsomereasonupsetTomdreadfully，andmadehimgloomyfordaysafterthefirstonepassedtheshop……
　　Allthisgyroscopicandmono—raildevelopmentnaturallyabsorbedavastamountofpublicattention，andthere，wasalsoahugeexcitementconsequentupontheamazinggolddiscoveriesoffthecoastofAngleseamadebyasubmarineprospector，MissPatriciaGiddy。ShehadtakenherdegreeingeologyandmineralogyintheUniversityofLondon，andwhileworkingupontheauriferousrocksofNorthWales，afterabriefholidayspentinagitatingforwomen’ssuffrage，shehadbeenstruckbythepossibilityofthesereefscroppingupagainunderthewater。ShehadsetherselftoverifythissuppositionbytheuseofthesubmarinecrawlerinventedbyDoctorAlbertoCassini。Byahappyminglingofreasoningandintuitionpeculiartohersexshefoundgoldatherfirstdescent，andemergedafterthreehours’submersionwithabouttwohundredweightoforecontaininggoldintheunparalleledquantityofseventeenouncestotheton。Butthewholestoryofhersubmarinemining，intenselyinterestingasitis，mustbetoldatsomeothertime;sufficeitnowtoremarksimplythatitwasduringtheconsequentgreatriseofprices，confidence，andenterprisethattherevivalofinterestinflyingoccurred。
　　Itiscurioushowthatrevivalbegan。Itwaslikethecomingofabreezeonaquietday;nothingstartedit，itcame。Peoplebegantotalkofflyingwithanairofneverhavingforonemomentdroppedthesubject。Picturesofflyingandflyingmachinesreturnedtothenewspapers;articlesandallusionsincreasedandmultipliedintheseriousmagazines。Peopleaskedinmono—railtrains，"Whenarewegoingtofly？"Anewcropofinventorssprangupinanightorsolikefungi。TheAeroClubannouncedtheprojectofagreatFlyingExhibitioninalargeareaofgroundthattheremovalofslumsinWhitechapelhadrenderedavailable。
　　TheadvancingwavesoonproducedasympatheticrippleintheBunHillestablishment。Grubbroutedouthisflying—machinemodelagain，trieditintheyardbehindtheshop，gotakindofflightoutofit，andbrokeseventeenpanesofglassandnineflower—potsinthegreenhousethatoccupiedthenextyardbutone。
　　Andthen，springingfromnowhere，sustainedoneknewnothow，cameapersistent，disturbingrumourthattheproblemhadbeensolved，thatthesecretwasknown。Bertmetitoneearly—closingafternoonasherefreshedhimselfinaninnnearNutfield，whitherhismotor—bicyclehadbroughthim。Theresmokedandmeditatedapersoninkhaki，anengineer，whopresentlytookaninterestinBert’smachine。Itwasasturdypieceofapparatus，andithadacquiredakindofdocumentaryvalueinthesequick—changingtimes;itwasnownearlyeightyearsold。Itspointsdiscussed，thesoldierbrokeintoanewtopicwith，"Mynext’sgoingtobeanaeroplane，sofarasIcansee。I’vehadenoughofroadsandways。"
　　"TheyTORK，"saidBert。
　　"Theytalk——andtheydo，"saidthesoldier。
　　"Thething’scoming——"
　　"ItkeepsONcoming，"saidBert;"IshallbelievewhenIseeit。"
　　"Thatwon’tbelong，"saidthesoldier。
　　Theconversationseemeddegeneratingintoanamiablewrangleofcontradiction。
　　"ItellyoutheyAREflying，"thesoldierinsisted。"Iseeitmyself。"
　　"We’veallseenit，"saidBert。
　　"Idon’tmeanflapupandsmashup;Imeanreal，safe，steady，controlledflying，againstthewind，goodandright。"
　　"Youain’tseenthat！"
　　"I’AVE！Aldershot。Theytrytokeepitasecret。Theygotitrightenough。Youbet——ourWarOfficeisn’tgoingtobecaught—nappingthistime。"
　　Bert’sincredulitywasshaken。Heaskedquestions—andthesoldierexpanded。
　　"Itellyoutheygotnearlyasquaremilefencedin——asortofvalley。Fencesofbarbedwiretenfeethigh，andinsidethattheydothings。Chapsaboutthecamp——nowandthenwegetapeep。Itisn’tonlyusneither。There’stheJapanese;youbettheygot，ittoo——andtheGermans！"
　　Thesoldierstoodwithhislegsverywideapart，andfilledhispipethoughtfully。Bertsatonthelowwallagainstwhichhismotor—bicyclewasleaning。
　　"Funnythingfighting’llbe，"hesaid。
　　"Flying’sgoingtobreakout，"saidthesoldier。"WhenitDOES
　　come，whenthecurtaindoesgoup，Itellyouyou’llfindeveryoneonthestage——busy……Suchfighting，too！……Isupposeyoudon’treadthepapersaboutthissortofthing？"
　　"Iread’emabit，"saidBert。
　　"Well，haveyounoticedwhatonemightcalltheremarkablecaseofthedisappearinginventor——theinventorwhoturnsupinablazeofpublicity，firesoffafewsuccessfulexperiments，andvanishes？"
　　"Can’tsayI’ave，"saidBert。
　　"Well，I’ave，anyhow。Yougetanybodycomealongwhodoesanythingstrikinginthisline，and，youbet，hevanishes。Justgoesoffquietlyoutofsight。Afterabit，youdon’thearanythingmoreof’ematall。See？Theydisappear。Gone——noaddress。First——oh！it’sanoldstorynow——therewasthoseWrightBrothersoutinAmerica。Theyglided——theyglidedmilesandmiles。Finallytheyglidedoffstage。Why，itmustbenineteenhundredandfour，orfive，THEYvanished！ThentherewasthosepeopleinIreland——no，Iforgettheirnames。Everybodysaidtheycouldfly。THEYwent。Theyain’tdeadthatI’veheardtell;butyoucan’tsaythey’realive。Notafeatherof’emcanyousee。ThenthatchapwhoflewroundParisandupsetintheSeine。DeBooley，wasit？Iforget。Thatwasagrandfly，inspiteoftheaccident;butwhere’shegotto？Theaccidentdidn’thurthim。Eh？_’E_’sgonetocover。"
　　Thesoldierpreparedtolighthispipe。
　　"Lookslikeasecretsocietygotholdofthem，"saidBert。
　　"Secretsociety！NAW！"
　　Thesoldierlithismatch，anddrew。"Secretsociety，"herepeated，withhispipebetweenhisteethandthematchflaring，inresponsetohiswords。"WarDepartments;that’smorelikeit。"Hethrewhismatchaside，andwalkedtohismachine。"I
　　tellyou，sir，"hesaid，"thereisn’tabigPowerinEurope，OR
　　Asia，ORAmerica，ORAfrica，thathasn’tgotatleastoneortwoflyingmachineshiddenupitssleeveatthepresenttime。Notone。Real，workable，flyingmachines。Andthespying！Thespyingandmanoeuvringtofindoutwhattheothershavegot。I
　　tellyou，sir，aforeigner，or，forthematterofthat，anunaccreditednative，can’tgetwithinfourmilesofLyddnowadays——nottomentionourlittlecircusatAldershot，andtheexperimentalcampinGalway。No！"
　　"Well，"saidBert，"I’dliketoseeoneofthem，anyhow。Jesttohelpbelieving。I’llbelievewhenIsee，thatI’llpromiseyou。"
　　"You’llsee’em，fastenough，"saidthesoldier，andledhismachineoutintotheroad。