"Ah, well," said I, and shrugged my shoulders

"He doesn't want us," said the youngest young man in stage aside; and then, with an appearance of great sang-froid, " You don't mind if I take cigarette ? "

I waved him cordial assent, and proceeded with my breakfast Two others went and looked farther window and talked inaudibly struck by thought "The tide," , "is running out ? "

pause, doubt answer me

"It's near the ebb," said the fat little man

"Well, anyhow," , "it won't float far "

I decapitated my third egg, and began little speech "Look here," " Please don't imagine I'm surly or telling you uncivil lies, or anything sort I'm forced almost, little short and mysterious quite understand as queer as it , your imaginations going it assure you, you're in at memorable time But 't make it clear now - it's impossible I my word of honour I've come moon, 's all tell you . . All the same, I'm tremendously obliged , , tremendously my manner hasn't in given you offence "

"Oh, not least ! " said the youngest young man affably " quite understand," and staring hard at me all the time, he heeled his chair back until it very nearly upset, and recovered with some exertion "Not bit of it," said the fat young man

"Don't you imagine that ! " all got up and dispersed, and walked about and lit cigarettes, and generally tried to show they were perfectly amiable and disengaged, and entirely free slightest curiosity about me sphere "I'm going an eye ship out there all the same," I heard remarking in an undertone If only have forced themselves , , I believe, even out and left me I went on with my third egg

"The weather," the fat little man remarked presently, " immense, has it not ? I don't know when such summer "

Phoo-whizz ! Like tremendous rocket !

And somewhere window was broken . .

"What's that ? " said I

"It isn't - ? " cried the little man, and rushed corner window

All the others rushed window likewise I sat staring at them

Suddenly I leapt up, knocked over my third egg, rushed window also I had just thought of something "Nothing seen there," cried the little man, rushing door

"It's that boy ! " I cried, bawling in hoarse fury; "it's that accursed boy ! " and turning about I pushed the waiter aside - just bring me some more toast - and rushed violently room and down and out queer little esplanade in front hotel

The sea, which smooth, was rough now with hurrying cat's-paws, and all about where the sphere was tumbled water like the wake of ship Above, little puff of cloud whirled like dispersing smoke, three or four people beach were bring up with interrogative faces towards the point unexpected report was all ! Boots and waiter four young men in blazers came rushing out behind me Shouts came from windows and doors, and all sorts of worrying people came into sight - agape

For time I stood there, too overwhelmed new development people

At first too stunned the thing as any definite disaster - just stunned, as man is by some accidental violent blow only afterwards he begins to appreciate his specific injury

"Good Lord ! "

somebody was pouring funk out of can down the back neck My legs became feeble I had got the first intimation of what the disaster meant that confounded boy - sky high ! utterly left the gold coffee-room - my only possession on earth How would it all work out ? The general effect was of gigantic unmanageable confusion

" ," said the voice little man behind " , "

I wheeled about, and there were twenty or thirty people, sort of irregular investment of people, all bombarding me with dumb interrogation, with infinite doubt and suspicion the compulsion eyes intolerably I groaned aloud

" 't ! " I shouted "I tell you 't ! I'm not equal ! puzzle and - and be damned ! "

I gesticulated convulsively He receded step I had threatened him bolt through them hotel I charged back coffee-room, rang the bell furiously I gripped the waiter as he entered "D'ye hear ? " I shouted "Get help and carry these bars my room right away "

He failed to understand me, and I shouted and raved at him scared-looking little old man in green apron appeared, and further two young men in flannels dash at them and commandeered their services gold was in my room free to quarrel "Now get out," I shouted; "all of you get out don't man go mad eyes ! " And I helped the waiter shoulder as he hesitated doorway And then, I had the door locked on them all, I tore off the little man's clothes again, shied them right and left, and got into bed forthwith And there I lay swearing and panting and cooling for very

At last calm enough out of bed and ring up the round-eyed waiter for flannel nightshirt, soda and whisky, and some good cigars And these things being procured me, after an exasperating delay that drove me bell, I locked the door again and proceeded very deliberately to look entire situation face

The net result great experiment presented itself as an absolute failure rout, and I sole survivor an absolute collapse, and the final disaster nothing but to save myself, and as way of prospects debacle At one fatal crowning blow all my vague resolutions of return and recovery had vanished My intention of going back moon, of getting sphereful of gold, and afterwards of having fragment of Cavorite analysed and so recovering the great secret - perhaps, finally, even of recovering Cavor's body - all these ideas vanished altogether

I sole survivor, was all

that going to bed was luckiest ideas ever had in an emergency I really believe either have got loose-headed or done some indiscreet thing But there, locked in and secure from all interruptions, think out the position in all its bearings and make my arrangements at leisure

, quite clear what had happened boy He had crawled sphere, meddled studs, shut the Cavorite windows, and gone up highly improbable he had screwed the manhole stopper, and, even if he had, the chances were thousand to one against his getting back fairly evident that gravitate with my bales to somewhere near the middle sphere and remain there, and so cease legitimate terrestrial interest, however remarkable he might seem inhabitants of some remote quarter of space I very speedily convinced myself point And as for any responsibility matter, the more I reflected upon that, the clearer it became that if only I kept quiet about things, not trouble myself If faced by sorrowing parents demanding their lost boy, I had merely to demand my lost sphere - or ask them what they meant At first I had had vision of weeping parents and guardians, and all sorts of complications; but now that I simply had my mouth shut, and nothing way could arise And, indeed, the more I lay and smoked and thought, the more evident became the wisdom of impenetrability

right of every British citizen, provided commit damage nor indecorum, to appear suddenly wherever he pleases, and as ragged and filthy as he pleases, and with whatever amount of virgin gold he sees fit to encumber himself, and no one has any right at all to hinder and detain him procedure I formulated that at last to myself, and repeated it over as sort of private Magna Charta liberty

Once I had put that issue on one side, take up and consider in an equable manner certain considerations I had scarcely dared of before, namely, those arising circumstances bankruptcy But now, looking at calmly and at leisure, I that if only I suppressed my identity by temporary assumption of some less well-known name, and if I retained the two months' beard that had grown upon me, the risks of any annoyance spiteful creditor already alluded became indeed to definite course of rational worldly action was plain sailing all amazingly petty, , but there remaining ?