y isn't worth a tenth of that, and this country can
very well afford to pay for her own defence. Besides, you must remember
that you will have to pay for the work: I mean casing the pit-shaft,
smelting the metal and building the shell, to say nothing of the
thousand and one other expenses of which Lennard can tell you more than
I. For one thing, I expect you will have a hundred thousand or so to pay
in damage to surrounding property after that cannon has gone off. In
other words, if you do save the world you'll probably have to pay pretty
stiffly for doing it. They're excellent business people in Lancashire,
you know."

"I don't quite see the logic of that, Lord Westerham," replied Mr
Parmenter a little testily. "If we can put this business through, the
dollars couldn't be much better used, and if we can't they won't be much
use to me or anyone else. It's worth doing, anyhow, if it's only to show
what new-world enterprise helped with old-world brains can do in
bringing off a really big thing, and that's why I want to buy that
colliery."

"Well, Mr Parmenter," laughed Lord Westerham again, "we won't quarrel
over that. I'm not a business man, but I believe it's generally
recognised that the essence of all business is compromise. I'll meet you
half way. For the present you shall take the pit for nothing and pay all
expense connected with making a cannon of it. If that cannon does its
work you shall pay me two hundred thousand pounds for the use of it--and
I'll take your I.O.U. for the amount now. Will that suit you?"

"That's business," said Mr Parmenter, getting up and going to Lennard's
desk. "There you are, my lord," he continued, as he came back with a
half sheet of notepaper in his hand, "and I only hope I shall have to
pay that money."

CHAPTER XIX

A CHANGE OF SCENE

The _Ithuriel_ had orders to call at Folkestone and Dover in order to
report the actual state of affairs there to the Commander-in-Chief by
telegraph if Erskine could get ashore or by flash-signal if he could
not, and incidentally to do as much damage as he could without undue
risk to his craft if he considered that circumstances demanded it.

He arrived off Folkestone just before dusk, and, as he expected, found
that there were half a dozen large transports, carrying probably eight
thousand men and a proportionate number of horses and quick-firing guns,
convoyed by four cruisers and ten destroyers, lying off the harbour.
There were evi