Hewastroubledasifbysomehalfforgottenduty，bythesenseofthingsimportantslippingfromhimamidstthislightandbrilliance。Theattractionthatthesebrightladieswhocrowdedabouthimwerebeginningtoexerciseceased。Henolongermadevagueandclumsyresponsestothesubtlyamorousadvancesthathewasnowassuredwerebeingmadetohim，andhiseyeswanderedforanothersightofthatfacethathadappealedsostronglytohissenseofbeauty。ButhedidnotseeheragainuntilhewasawaitingLincoln’sreturntoleavethisassembly。InanswertohisrequestLincolnhadpromisedthatanattemptshouldbemadetoflythatafternoon，iftheweatherpermitted。Hehadgonetomakecertainnecessaryarrangements。
Grahamwasinoneoftheuppergalleriesinconversationwithabright—eyedladyonthesubjectofEadhamite——thesubjectwashischoiceandnothers。
Hehadinterruptedherwarmassurancesofpersonaldevotionwithamatter—of—factinquiry。Hefoundher，ashehadalreadyfoundseveralotherlatter—daywomenthatnight，lesswellinformedthancharming。
Suddenly，strugglingagainsttheeddyingdriftofnearermelody，thesongoftheRevolt，thegreatsonghehadheardintheHall，hoarseandmassive，camebeatingdowntohim。
Heglancedupstartled，andperceivedabovehiman__oeildeboeuf__throughwhichthissonghadcome，andbeyond，theuppercoursesofcable，thebluehaze，andthependantfabricofthelightsofthepublicways。Heheardthesongbreakintoatumultofvoicesandcease。
Butnowheperceivedquiteclearlythedroneandtumultofthemovingplatformsandamurmurofmanypeople。Hehadavaguepersuasionthathecouldnotaccountfor，asortofinstinctivefeelingthatoutsideinthewaysahugecrowd’mustbewatchingthisplaceinwhichtheirMasteramusedhimself。Hewonderedwhattheymightbethinking。
Thoughthesonghadstoppedsoabruptly，thoughthespecialmusicofthisgatheringreasserteditself，themotifofthemarchingsong，onceithadbegun，lingeredinhismind。
Thebright—eyedladywasstillstrugglingwiththemysteriesofEadhamitewhenheperceivedthegirlhehadseeninthetheatreagain。Shewascomingnowalongthegallerytowardshim；hesawherfirstbeforeshesawhim。Shewasdressedinafaintlyluminousgrey，herdarkhairaboutherbrowswaslikeacloud，andashesawherthecoldlightfromthecircularopeningintothewaysfelluponherdowncastface。
TheladyintroubleabouttheEadhamitesawthechangeinhisexpression，andgraspedheropportunitytoescape。Wouldyoucaretoknowthatgirl，Sire？\"
sheaskedboldly。\"SheisHelenWotton——anieceofOstrog’s。Sheknowsagreatmanyseriousthings。
Sheisoneofthemostseriouspersonsalive。Iamsureyouwilllikeher。\"
InanothermomentGrahamwastalkingtothegirl，andthebright—eyedladyhadflutteredaway。
\"Irememberyouquitewell，\"saidGraham。\"Youwereinthatlittleroom。Whenallthepeopleweresingingandbeatingtimewiththeirfeet。BeforeI
walkedacrosstheHall。\"
Hermomentaryembarrassmentpassed。Shelookedupathim，andherfacewassteady。\"Itwaswonderful，\"shesaid，hesitated，andspokewithasuddeneffort。\"Allthosepeoplewouldhavediedforyou，Sire。Countlesspeoplediddieforyouthatnight。\"
Herfaceglowed。Sheglancedswiftlyasidetoseethatnootherheardherwords。
Lincolnappearedsomewayoffalongthegallery，makinghiswaythroughthepresstowardsthem。ShesawhimandturnedtoGrahamstrangelyeager，withaswiftchangetoconfidenceandintimacy。\"Sire，\"
shesaidquickly，\"Icannottellyounowandhere。Butthecommonpeopleareveryunhappy；theyareoppressed——theyaremisgoverned。Donotforgetthepeople，whofaceddeath——deaththatyoumightlive。\"
\"Iknownothing——\"beganGraham。
\"Icannottellyounow。\"
Lincoln’sfaceappearedclosetothem。Hebowedanapologytothegirl。
\"Youfindthenewworldpleasant，Sire？\"askedLincoln，withsmilingdeference，andindicatingthespaceandsplendourofthegatheringbyonecomprehensivegesture。\"Atanyrate，youfinditchanged。\"
\"Yes，\"saidGraham，\"changed。Andyet，afterall，notsogreatlychanged。\"
\"Waittillyouareintheair，\"saidLincoln。\"Thewindhasfallen；evennowanaeropileawaitsyou。\"
Thegirl’sattitudeawaiteddismissal。
Grahamglancedatherface，wasonthevergeofaquestion，foundawarninginherexpression，bowedtoherandturnedtoaccompanyLincoln。
CHAPTERXVI
THEAEROPHILE
Forawhile，asGrahamwentthroughthepassagesoftheWind—VaneofficeswithLincoln，hewaspreoccupied。But，byaneffort，heattendedtothethingswhichLincolnwassaying。Soonhispreoccupationvanished。Lincolnwastalkingofflying。Grahamhadastrongdesiretoknowmoreofthisnewhumanattainment。HebegantoplyLincolnwithquestions。
Hehadfollowedthecrudebeginningsofaerialnavigationverykeenlyinhispreviouslife；hewasdelightedtofindthefamiliarnamesofMaximandPilcher，LangleyandChanute，and，aboveall，oftheaerialproto—martyrLillienthal，stillhonouredbymen。
Evenduringhispreviouslifetwolinesofinvestigationhadpointedclearlytotwodistincttypesofcontrivanceaspossible，andbothofthesehadbeenrealised。Ontheonehandwasthegreatengine—drivenaeroplane，adoublerowofhorizontalfloatswithabigaerialscrewbehind，andontheotherthenimbleraeropile。Theaeroplanesflewsafelyonlyinacalmormoderatewind，andsuddenstorms，occurrencesthatwerenowaccuratelypredictable，renderedthemforallpracticalpurposesuseless。Theywerebuiltofenormoussize——theusualstretchofwingbeingsixhundredfeetormore，andthelengthofthefabricathousandfeet。Theywereforpassengertrafficalone。Thelightlyswungcartheycarriedwasfromahundredtoahundredandfiftyfeetinlength。
ItWashunginapeculiarmannerinordertominimisethecomplexvibrationthatevenamoderatewindproduced，andforthesamereasonthelittleseatswithinthecar——eachpassengerremainedseatedduringthevoyage——wereslungwithgreatfreedomofmovement。
Thestartingofthemechanismwasonlypossiblefromagiganticcarontherailofaspeciallyconstructedstage。Grahamhadseenthesevaststages，theflyingstages，fromthecrow’snestverywell。Sixhugeblankareastheywere，withagiant\"carrier\"
stageoneach。
Thechoiceofdescentwasequallycircumscribed，anaccuratelyplanesurfacebeingneededforsafegrounding。
Apartfromthedestructionthatwouldhavebeencausedbythedescentofthisgreatexpanseofsailandmetal，andtheimpossibilityofitsrisingagain，theconcussionofanirregularsurface，atree—sethillside，forinstance，oranembankment，wouldbesufficienttopierceordamagetheframework，tosmashtheribsofthebody，andperhapskillthoseaboard。
AtfirstGrahamfeltdisappointedwiththesecumbersomecontrivances，buthespeedilygraspedthefactthatsmallermachineswouldhavebeenunremunerative，forthesimplereasonthattheircarryingpowerwouldbedisproportionatelydiminishedwithdeminishedsize。Moreover，thehugesizeofthesethingsenabledthem——anditwasaconsiderationofprimaryimportance——totraversetheairatenormousspeeds，andsorunnorisksofunanticipatedweather。Thebriefestjourneyperformed，thatfromLondontoParis，tookaboutthree—quartersofanhour，butthevelocityattainedwasnothigh；theleaptoNewYorkoccupiedabouttwohours，andbytimingoneselfcarefullyattheintermediatestationsitwaspossibleinquietweathertogoaroundtheworldinaday。
Thelittleaeropiles（asfornoparticularreasontheyweredistinctivelycalled）wereofanaltogetherdifferenttype。Severaloftheseweregoingtoandfrointheair。Theyweredesignedtocarryonlyoneortwopersons，andtheirmanufactureandmaintenancewassocostlyastorenderthemthemonopolyoftherichersortofpeople。Theirsails，whichwerebrilliantlycoloured，consistedonlyoftwopairsoflateralairfloatsinthesameplane，andofascrewbehind。Theirsmallsizerenderedadescentinanyopenspaceneitherdifficultnordisagreeable，anditwaspossibletoattachpneumaticwheelsoreventheordinarymotorsforterrestrialtragictothem，andsocarrythemtoaconvenientstartingplace。Theyrequiredaspecialsortofswiftcartothrowthemintotheair，butsuchacarwasefficientinanyopenplaceclearofhighbuildingsortrees。Humanaeronautics，Grahamperceived，wereevidentlystillalongwaybehindtheinstinctivegiftofthealbatrossorthefly—catcher。Onegreatinfluencethatmighthavebroughttheaeropiletoamorerapidperfectionhadbeenwithheld；theseinventionshadneverbeenusedinwarfare。ThelastgreatinternationalstrugglehadoccurredbeforetheusurpationoftheCouncil。
TheFlyingStagesofLondonwerecollectedtogetherinanirregularcrescentonthesouthernsideoftheriver。Theyformedthreegroupsoftwoeachandretainedthenamesofancientsuburbanhillsorvillages。Theywerenamedinorder，Roehampton，WimhledonPark，Streatham，Norwood，Blackheath，andShooter’sHill。Theywereuniformstructuresrisinghighabovethegeneralroofsurfaces。Eachwasaboutfourthousandyardslongandathousandbroad，andconstructedofthecompoundofaluminiumandironthathadreplacedironinarchitecture。Theirhighertiersformedanopenworkofgirdersthroughwhichliftsandstaircasesascended。Theuppersurfacewasauniformexpanse，withportions——thestartingcarriers——thatcouldberaisedandwerethenabletorunonveryslightlyinclinedrailstotheendofthefabric。Saveforanyaeropilesoraeroplanesthatwereinporttheseopensurfaceswerekeptclearforarrivals。
Duringtheadjustmentoftheaeroplanesitwasthecustomforpassengerstowaitinthesystemoftheatres，restaurants，news—rooms，andplacesofpleasureandindulgenceofvarioussortsthatinterwovewiththeprosperousshopsbelow。ThisportionofLondonwasinconsequencecommonlythegayestofallitsdistricts，withsomethingofthemeretriciousgaietyofaseaportorcityofhotels。Andforthosewhotookamoreseriousviewofaeronautics，thereligiousquartershadflungoutanattractivecolonyofdevotionalchapels，whileahostofbrilliantmedicalestablishmentscompetedtosupplyphysicalpreparativesforthejourney。Atvariouslevelsthroughthemassofchambersandpassagesbeneaththese，ran，inadditiontothemainmovingwaysofthecitywhichlacedandgatheredhere，acomplexsystemofspecialpassagesandliftsandslides，fortheconvenientinterchangeofpeopleandluggagebetweenstageandstage。Andadistinctivefeatureofthearchitectureofthissectionwastheostentatiousmassivenessofthemetalpiersandgirdersthateverywherebrokethevistasandspannedthehallsandpassages，crowdingandtwininguptomeettheweightofthestagesandtheweightyimpactoftheaeroplanesoverhead。
Grahamwenttotheflyingstagesbythepublicways。
HewasaccompaniedbyAsano，hisJapaneseattendant。
LincolnwascalledawaybyOstrog，whowasbusywithhisadministrativeconcerns。AstrongguardoftheWind—VanepoliceawaitedtheMasteroutsidetheWind—Vaneoffices，andtheyclearedaspaceforhimontheuppermovingplatform。Hispassagetotheflyingstageswasunexpected，neverthelessaconsiderablecrowdgatheredandfollowedhimtohisdestination。Ashewentalong，hecouldhearthepeopleshoutinghisname，andsawnumberlessmenandwomenandchildreninbluecomeswarmingupthestaircasesinthecentralpath，gesticulatingandshouting。Hecouldnothearwhattheyshouted。
Hewasstruckagainbytheevidentexistenceofavulgardialectamongthepoorofthecity。Whenatlasthedescended，hisguardswereimmediatelysurroundedbyadenseexcitedcrowd。Afterwardsitoccurredtohimthatsomehadattemptedtoreachhimwithpetitions。Hisguardsclearedapassageforhimwithdifficulty。
Hefoundanaeropileinchargeofanaeronautawaitinghimonthewestwardstage。Seenclosethismechanismwasnolongersmall。Asitlayonitslaunchingcarrieruponthewideexpanseoftheflyingstage，itsaluminiumbodyskeletonwasasbigasthehullofatwenty—tonyacht。Itslateralsupportingsailsbracedandstayedwithmetalnervesalmostlikethenervesofabee’swing，andmadeofsomesortofglassyartificialmembrane，casttheirshadowovermanyhundredsofsquareyards。Thechairsfortheengineerandhispassengerhungfreetoswingbyacomplextackle，withintheprotectingribsoftheframeandwellabaftthemiddle。Thepassenger’schairwasprotectedbyawind—guardandguardedaboutwithmetallicrodscarryingaircushions。Itcould，ifdesired，becompletelyclosedin，butGrahamwasanxiousfornovelexperiences，anddesiredthatitshouldbeleftopen。Theaeronautsatbehindaglassthatshelteredhisface。Thepassengercouldsecurehimselffirmlyinhisseat，andthiswasalmostunavoidableonlanding，orhecouldmovealongbymeansofalittlerailandrodtoalockeratthestemofthemachine，wherehispersonalluggage，hiswrapsandrestorativeswereplaced，andwhichalsowiththeseats，servedasamakeweighttothepartsofthecentralenginethatprojectedtothepropelleratthestern。
Theenginewasverysimpleinappearance。Asano，pointingoutthepartsofthisapparatustohim，toldhimthat，likethegas—engineofVictoriandays，itwasoftheexplosivetype，burningasmalldropofasubstancecalled\"fomile\"ateachstroke。Itconsistedsimplyofreservoirandpistonaboutthelongflutedcrankofthepropellershaft。SomuchGrahamsawofthemachine。
TheflyingstageabouthimwasemptysaveforAsanoandtheirsuiteofattendants。Directedbytheaeronautheplacedhimselfinhisseat。Hethendrankamixturecontainingergot——adose，helearnt，invariablyadministeredtothoseabouttofly，anddesignedtocounteractthepossibleeffectofdiminishedairpressureuponthesystem。Havingdoneso，hedeclaredhimselfreadyforthejourney。Asanotooktheemptyglassfromhim，steppedthroughthebarsofthehull，andstoodbelowonthestagewavinghishand。
Suddenlyheseemedtoslidealongthestagetotherightandvanish。
Theenginewasbeating，thepropellerspinning，andforasecondthestageandthebuildingsbeyondwereglidingswiftlyandhorizontallypastGraham’seye；
thenthesethingsseemedtotiltupabruptly。Hegrippedthelittlerodsoneithersideofhiminstinctively。Hefelthimselfmovingupward，heardtheairwhistleoverthetopofthewindscreen。Thepropellerscrewmovedroundwithpowerfulrhythmicimpulses——one，two，three，pause；one，two，three——
whichtheengineercontrolledverydelicately。Themachinebeganaquiveringvibrationthatcontinuedthroughouttheflight，andtheroofareasseemedrunningawaytostarboardveryquicklyandgrowingrapidlysmaller。Helookedfromthefaceoftheengineerthroughtheribsofthemachine。Lookingsideways，therewasnothingverystartlinginwhathesaw——arapidfunicularrailwaymighthavegiventhesamesensations。HerecognisedtheCouncilHouseandtheHighgateRidge。Andthenhelookedstraightdownbetweenhisfeet。
Foramomentphysicalterrorpossessedhim，apassionatesenseofinsecurity。Heheldtight。Forasecondorsohecouldnotlifthiseyes。Somehundredfeetormoresheerbelowhimwasoneofthebigwindvanesofsouth—westLondon，andbeyonditthesouthernmostflyingstagecrowdedwithlittleblackdots。
Thesethingsseemedtobefallingawayfromhim。
Forasecondhehadanimpulsetopursuetheearth。
Hesethisteeth，heliftedhiseyesbyamusculareffort，andthemomentofpanicpassed。
Heremainedforaspacewithhisteethsethard，hiseyesstaringintothesky。Throb，throb，throb——beat，wenttheengine；throb，throb，throb，——beat。
Hegrippedhisbarstightly，glancedattheaeronaut，andsawasmileuponhissun—tannedface。Hesmiledinreturn——perhapsalittleartificially。\"Alittlestrangeatfirst，\"heshoutedbeforeherecalledhisdignity。Buthedarednotlookdownagainforsometime。Hestaredovertheaeronaut’sheadtowherearimofvaguebluehorizoncreptupthesky。Foralittlewhilehecould’notbanishthethoughtofpossibleaccidentsfromhismind。Throb，throb，throb——beat；
supposesometrivialscrewwentwronginthatsupportingengine！Suppose——！Hemadeagrimefforttodismissallsuchsuppositions。Afterawhiletheydidatleastabandontheforegroundofhisthoughts。Anduphewentsteadily，higherandhigherintotheclearair。
Oncethementalshockofmovingunsupportedthroughtheairwasover，hissensationsceasedtobeunpleasant，becameveryspeedilypleasurable。Hehadbeenwarnedofairsickness。Buthefoundthepulsatingmovementoftheaeropileasitdroveupthefaintsouth—westbreezewasverylittleinexcessofthepitchingofaboatheadontobroadrollersinamoderategale，andhewasconstitutionallyagoodsailor。Andthekeennessofthemorerarefiedairintowhichtheyascendedproducedasenseoflightnessandexhilaration。
Helookedupandsawtheblueskyabovefrettedwithcirrusclouds。Hiseyecamecautiouslydownthroughtheribsandbarstoashiningflightofwhitebirdsthathunginthelowersky。Foraspacehewatchedthese。Thengoinglowerandlessapprehensively，hesawtheslenderfigureoftheWind—Vanekeeper’scrow’snestshininggoldeninthesunlightandgrowingsmallereverymoment。Ashiseyefellwithmoreconfidencenow，therecameabluelineofhills，andthenLondon，alreadytoleeward，anintricatespaceofroofing。Itsnearedgecamesharpandclear，andbanishedhislastapprehensionsinashockofsurprise。
FortheboundaryofLondonwaslikeawall，likeacliff，asteepfallofthreeorfourhundredfeet，afrontagebrokenonlybyterraceshereandthere，acomplexdecorativefacade。
Thatgradualpassageoftownintocountrythroughanextensivespongeofsuburbs，whichwassocharacteristicafeatureofthegreatcitiesofthenineteenthcentury，existednolonger。Nothingremainedofitbutawasteofruinshere，variegatedanddensewiththicketsoftheheterogeneousgrowthsthathadonceadornedthegardensofthebelt，interspersedamonglevelledbrownpatchesofsownground，andverdantstretchesofwintergreens。Thelatterevenspreadamongthevestigesofhouses。Butforthemostpartthereefsandskerriesofruins，thewreckageofsuburbanvillas，stoodamongtheirstreetsandroads，queerislandsamidstthelevelledexpansesofgreenandbrown，abandonedindeedbytheinhabitantsyearssince，buttoosubstantial，itseemed’，tobeclearedoutofthewayofthewholesalehorticulturalmechanismsofthetime。
Thevegetationofthiswasteundulatedandfrothedamidstthecountlesscellsofcrumblinghousewalls，andbrokealongthefootofthecitywallinasurfofbrambleandhollyandivyandteazleandtallgrasses。
HereandtheregaudypleasurepalacestoweredamidstthepunyremainsofVictoriantimes，andcablewaysslantedtothemfromthecity。Thatwinterdaytheyseemeddeserted。Deserted，too，weretheartificialgardensamongtheruins。Thecitylimitswereindeedassharplydefinedasintheancientdayswhenthegateswereshutatnightfallandtherobberforemanprowledtotheverywalls。Ahugesemi—circularthroatpouredoutavigoroustrafficupontheEadhamiteBathRoad。SothefirstprospectoftheworldbeyondthecityflashedonGraham，anddwindled。Andwhenatlasthecouldlookverticallydownwardagain，hesawbelowhimthevegetablefieldsoftheThamesvalley——innumerableminuteoblongsofruddybrown，intersectedbyshiningthreads，thesewageditches。
Hisexhilarationincreasedrapidly，becameasortofintoxication。Hefoundhimselfdrawingdeepbreathsofair，laughingaloud，desiringtoshout。Afteratimethatdesirebecametoostrongforhim，andheshouted。
Themachinehadnowrisenashighaswascustomarywithaeropiles，andtheybegantocurveabouttowardsthesouth。Steering，Grahamperceived，waseffectedbytheopeningorclosingofoneortwothinstripsofmembraneinoneorotheroftheotherwiserigidwings，andbythemovementofthewholeenginebackwardorforwardalongitssupports。Theaeronautsettheengineglidingslowlyforwardalongitsrailandopenedthevalveoftheleewardwinguntilthestemoftheaeropilewashorizontalandpointingsouthward。Andinthatdirectiontheydrovewithaslightlisttoleeward，andwithaslowalternationofmovement，firstashort，sharpascentand’thenalongdownwardglidethatwasveryswiftandpleasing。
Duringthesedownwardglidesthepropellorwasinactivealtogether。TheseascentsgaveGrahamaglorioussenseofsuccessfuleffort；thedescentsthroughtherarefiedairwerebeyondallexperience。
Hewantednevertoleavetheupperairagain。
Foratimehewasintentupontheminutedetailsofthelandscapethatranswiftlynorthwardbeneathhim。
Itsminute，cleardetailpleasedhimexceedingly。Hewasimpressedbytheruinofthehousesthathadoncedottedthecountry，bythevasttreelessexpanseofcountryfromwhichallfarmsandvillageshadgone，saveforcrumblingruins。Hehadknownthethingwasso，butseeingitsowasanaltogetherdifferentmatter。Hetriedtomakeoutplaceshehadknownwithinthehollowbasinoftheworldbelow，butatfirsthecoulddistinguishnodatanowthattheThamesvalleywasleftbehind。Soon，however，theyweredrivingoverasharpchalkhillthatherecognisedastheGuildfordHog’sBack，becauseofthefamiliaroutlineofthegorgeatitseastwardend，andbecauseoftheruinsofthetownthatrosesteeplyoneitherlipofthisgorge。
Andfromthathemadeoutotherpoints，LeithHill，thesandywastesofAldershot，andsoforth。TheDownsescarpmentwassetwithgiganticslow—movingwind—wheels。SavewherethebroadEadhamitePortsmouthRoad，thicklydottedwithrushingshapes，followedthecourseoftheoldrailway，thegorgeoftheWeywaschokedwiththickets。
ThewholeexpanseoftheDownsescarpment，sofarasthegreyhazepermittedhimtosee，wassetwithwind—wheelstowhichthelargestofthecitywasbutayoungerbrother。Theystirredwithastatelymotionbeforethesouth—westwind。AndhereandtherewerepatchesdottedwiththesheepoftheBritishFoodTrust，andhereandthereamountedshepherdmadeaspotofblack。ThenrushingunderthesternoftheaeropilecametheWealdenHeights，thelineofHindhead，PitchHill，andLeithHill，withasecondrowofwind—wheelsthatseemedstrivingtorobthedownlandwhirlersoftheirshareofbreeze。Thepurpleheatherwasspeckledwithyellowgorse，andonthefurthersideadroveofblackoxenstampededbeforeacoupleofmountedmen。Swiftlythesesweptbehind，anddwindledandlostcolour，andbecamescarcemovingspecksthatwereswallowedupinhaze。
AndwhenthesehadvanishedinthedistanceGrahamheardapeewitwailingcloseathand。HeperceivedhewasnowabovetheSouthDowns，andstaringoverhisshouldersawthebattlementsofPortsmouthLandingStagetoweringovertheridgeofPortsdownHill。Inanothermomenttherecameintosightaspreadofshippinglikefloatingcities，thelittlewhitecliffsoftheNeedlesdwarfedandsunlit，andthegreyandglitteringwatersofthenarrowsea。TheyseemedtoleaptheSolentinamoment，andinafewsecondstheIsleofWightwasrunningpast，andthenbeneathhimspreadawiderandwideextentofsea，herepurplewiththeshadowofacloud，heregrey，hereaburnishedmirror，andhereaspreadofcloudygreenishblue。TheIsleofWightgrewsmallerandsmaller。Inafewmoreminutesastripofgreyhazedetacheditselffromotherstripsthatwereclouds，descendedoutoftheskyandbecameacoast—
line——sunlitandpleasant——thecoastofnorthernFrance。Itrose，ittookcolour，becamedefiniteanddetailed，andthecounterpartoftheDownlandofEnglandwasspeedingbybelow。
Inalittletime，asitseemed，Pariscameabovethehorizon，andhungthereforaspace，andsankoutofsightagainastheaeropilecircledabouttothenorthagain。ButheperceivedtheEiffelTowerstillstanding，andbesideitahugedomesurmountedbyapinpointColossus。Andheperceived，too，thoughhedidnotunderstanditatthetime，aslantingdriftofsmoke。
Theaeronautsaidsomethingabout\"troubleintheunderways，\"thatGrahamdidnotheedatthetime。
Buthemarkedtheminaretsandtowersandslendermassesthatstreamedskywardabovethecitywindvanes，andknewthatinthematterofgraceatleastParisstillkeptinfrontofherlargerrival。Andevenashelookedapaleblueshapeascendedveryswiftlyfromthecitylikeadeadleafdrivingupbeforeagale。
Itcurvedroundandsoaredtowardsthemgrowingrapidlylargerandlarger。Theaeronautwassayingsomething。\"What？\"saidGraham，loathtotakehiseyesfromthis。\"Aeroplane，Sire，\"bawledtheaeronautpointing。
Theyroseandcurvedaboutnorthwardasitdrewnearer。Neareritcameandnearer，largerandlarger。
