ing at the forward end of the ellipse
for a moment into the sky and then it swung slowly round until it rested
on the path from the observatory to the valley, and Lennard for a moment
felt himself blinded by its rays. Then it lifted and a most welcomely
familiar voice said:

"Well, Mr Lennard, here we are, you see, just a bit ahead of time, and
how's the comet?"

A ladder, obviously of American design, shot out from the side of the
airship as Mr Parmenter spoke, and as soon as the lower end touched the
ground he walked down it with his hand outstretched. Lennard walked to
the foot of the ladder and took his hand, and said in a low voice:

"This is all very wonderful, Mr Parmenter, but I am glad that you are
here ahead of time, because the comet is too; and very considerably, I
am sorry to say."

"Eh, what's that you say, Mr Lennard?" replied the millionaire in a
hurried whisper. "Nothing serious, I hope. We haven't come too late,
have we? I mean too late to stop the war and save the world."

"I don't know about stopping the war," replied Lennard, "but, if no
accident happens or is arranged for, we can save the world still, I
think."

"Accident arranged for?" echoed Mr Parmenter. "What do you mean by that?
Are you talking about John Castellan and those Flying Fish things of
his? I reckon we've got enough here to send him and his _Flying Fishes_
into the sea and make them stop there. We've heard all about what
they've been doing in the States, and I've got about tired of them. And
as for this old invasion of England, it's got to stop right away, or
we'll make more trouble for these Germans and Frenchmen and Russians
and Austrians than they ever dreamt of.

"Look at that fleet, sir. Twenty-five aerial battleships with a hundred
and fifty miles an hour speed in them. Here to London in one hour and
twenty-five minutes or less, and guns--you just take a look at those
exaggerated peashooters we've got on deck, and believe me, sir, that if
we get one of John Castellan's _Flying Fishes_ within six thousand yards
of the end of one of those things it will do no more flying, except in
very small pieces."

"I'm delighted to hear it, Mr Parmenter," replied Lennard, in a low
tone, "for to tell you the truth, we haven't many weeks left now.
Something that I can so far neither calculate nor explain has changed
the orbit of the comet and it's due here at midnight on the thirtieth of
April."

"Great Scott, and this is the nine