s made up by the lower back pressure on
the exhaust. Now the engines were starting--they could feel the
momentary vibration--vibration that would cease as they got under way.
They could visualize the airtight door being closed; the portable
elevator backing off, returning to the field house.

Arcot glanced at his watch. "One o'clock. The starting signal is due."

Morey sank back into a comfortable chair. "Well, now we have a nice long
wait till we get to San Francisco and back, Dick, but you'll have
something to talk about then!"

"I hope so, Bob, and I hope we can return on the midnight plane from San
Francisco, which will get us in at nine o'clock tomorrow morning, New
York time. I wish you'd go right to your father's office and ask him
over to our place for supper, and see if Fuller can come too. I think
we'll be able to use that molecular controller on this job; it's almost
finished, and with it we'll need a good designing engineer. Then our
little movie show will no doubt be of interest!"

There was a low rumble that quickly mounted to a staccato roar as the
great propellers began whirling and the engines took up the load. The
ground began to flash behind them; then suddenly, as flying speed was
reached, there was a slight start, the roaring bark of the engine took
on a deeper tone, the rocking stopped and the ground dropped away. Like
some mighty wild bird, the plane was in the air, a graceful, sentient
thing, wheeling in a great circle as it headed for San Francisco. Now
the plane climbed steadily in a long bank; up, up, up she went, and
gradually the terrific roar of the engine died to a low throbbing hum as
the low pressure of the air silenced the noise.

Below them the giant city contracted as the great ship rode higher. The
tiny private helicops were darting about below them like streams of nigh
invisible individuals, creeping black lines among the buildings of the
city. The towering buildings shone in the noon sun in riotous hues as
the colored tile facing reflected the brilliant sunlight with glowing
warmth of color.

It was a city of indescribable beauty now. It was one of the things that
made this trip worthwhile.

Now the shining city dropped behind them, and only the soft green of the
Jersey hills, and the deep purple-black of the sky above were visible.
The sun blazed high in the nigh-black heavens, and in the rarefied air,
there was so little diffusion that the corona was readily visible with