victory that had ever been won on earth.

That night the inhabitants of the delivered city gave themselves up
to such revelry and rejoicing as had never been seen or heard in
London since its foundation. The streets and squares blazed with
lights and resounded with the songs and cheerings of a people
delivered from an impending catastrophe which had bidden fair to
overwhelm it in ruin, and bring upon it calamities which would have
been felt for generations.

CHAPTER XLVIII.

THE ORDERING OF EUROPE.

While these events had been in progress three squadrons of air-ships
had been speeding to St. Petersburg, Vienna, and Rome. Three vessels
had been despatched to each city, and the instructions of those in
command of the squadrons were to bring the German Emperor, the
Emperor of Austria, and the King of Italy to London.

The news of the defeat of the League had preceded them by telegraph,
and all three monarchs willingly obeyed the summons which they
carried to attend a Conference for the ordering of affairs of Europe.

The German Emperor was at once released from his captivity, although
only under a threat of the destruction of the city by the air-ships,
for the Grand Duke Vladimir, who ruled at St. Petersburg as deputy of
the Tsar, had first refused to believe the astounding story of the
defeat of his brother and the destruction of his army. The terrible
achievements of the air-ships were, however, too well and too
certainly known to permit of resistance by force, and so the Kaiser
was released, and made his first aerial voyage from St. Petersburg to
London, arriving there at ten o'clock on the evening of the 8th, in
the midst of the jubilations of the rejoicing city.

The King of England had sent a despatch to the Emperor of Austria
inviting him to the Conference, and General Cosensz had sent a
similar one to the King of Italy, and so there had been no difficulty
about their coming. At mid-day on the 9th the Conference was opened
in St. Paul's, which was the only public building left intact in
London capable of containing the vast audience that was present, an
audience composed of men of every race and language in Europe.

Natas was absent, and Tremayne occupied his seat in the centre of the
table; the other members of the Inner Circle, now composing the
Supreme Council of the Federation, were present, with the exception
of Natasha, Radna, and Anna Ornovski, and the other seats at the
table were occupied