matic
guns to use it. The effect of it on land if a battery once gets within
reach of large masses of men will be something frightful."

"Sounds pretty useful," said Lord Westerham, who was one of those
soldiers who rightly believe that the most merciless methods of waging
war are in the end most merciful.

By nine o'clock Lennard was in the equatorial chamber of the
observatory, taking his first observations since he had left for
Portsmouth the week before. The ghostly shape pictured on the great
reflector was bigger and brighter now, although, to his great comfort,
none of the scientific papers had made any mention of its discovery by
other observers. When he had noted its exact position, he went to his
desk and plunged into a maze of calculations.

Precisely at eleven there was a tap at the door and Mr Parmenter and
Lord Westerham came in. Lord Westerham, as the guest, had the first look
at the approaching World Peril; then Mr Parmenter took a long squint
into the eye-piece and then they sat down, and Lennard told Mr
Parmenter, in the cold, precise language of science, the story which he
had already told to Auriole and Lord Westerham.

The millionaire, who had listened with an attention that even he had
never given to any subject before, smoked in silence for a few moments
after Lennard had finished, and then he said quietly:

"Well, I reckon that's about the biggest order that two or three human
beings have ever been called upon to fill. One thing's certain. It'd
make these fighting fellows feel pretty foolish if they could be got to
believe it, which they couldn't. No disrespect to you, Lord Westerham,
because I take it you do believe it."

"Certainly I do," he replied. "Lennard was never known to make a mistake
in figures, and I am perfectly certain that he would not make any in
working out such a terrific problem as this. I think I may also say that
I have equal confidence in his plan for saving humanity from the
terrible fate which threatens it."

"That's good hearing," said Mr Parmenter, drily. "Personally, I don't
quite feel that I've finished up with this old world yet, and if it's a
question of dollars--as far as I'm concerned, as I've got a few millions
hanging around loose, I might as well use them to help to save the human
race from being burnt to death as to run corners and trusts, which
won't be much use anyhow if we can't stop this comet, or whatever it is.
Now, Mr Lennard, what's your plan for