Part 34 (1/2)

”This is h.e.l.l all right,” he managed to gasp.

”That is the worst you will ever get,” said Edestone. ”It was noise that I was after, and black powder makes it. Your experience would not have been half so bad had the guns been loaded or had I used smokeless.”

The s.h.i.+p which had trembled from stem to stern under the tremendous concussion was floating now as quietly as a toy balloon, while the wind was rolling up and pus.h.i.+ng before it a great cloud of smoke which obscured the sky. On all sides there was perfect stillness, broken only now and again by the last explosion of gas caught in the cylinders of the Taubes by the sudden stoppage of the engines. The airmen were volplaning to earth as fast and as silently as they could.

”Well, that ought to hold them for a while,” commented Lawrence in a tone which showed that he was almost himself again.

”And make them a little bit more amenable to reason in the morning,”

added Edestone, and he laughed, for action with him always drove away the blue devils.

”With that settled, too, we will just have time before turning in, to inspect my quarters,” he continued. ”Tomorrow I will introduce you to 'Specs' and Captain Lee, and you can go with them at eleven o'clock on their tour of official inspection. They will show you the fire drill, the life-balloon drill, the gun drill, the kitchen, and the cows. But now I want you to see a different side of the s.h.i.+p. We will look at my quarters, then at my guest rooms, and finally at my royal suite or state apartments as I call them.”

He then took Lawrence through room after room, which were arranged in the form of a horseshoe, starting on the port side with his breakfast room, and working around to the starboard side with its opening toward the stern of the s.h.i.+p.

On the port side were Edestone's apartments--living-room, library, or den, bedroom, dressing-room, bath-room, and gymnasium. On the starboard were a number of guest rooms arranged in suites of parlour, bedroom, and bath, while at the crown of the arch was a large dining-room in which fifty persons could sit down to dinner comfortably.

The centre of the horseshoe was the large room through which he had pa.s.sed, and like the general meeting room of a large country house was filled with all known kinds of games--instruments and devices to amuse that most unfortunate cla.s.s of human beings who have no resources within themselves, and must play some foolish game, or do some foolish puzzle in order to get through the life which seems to hang so heavily on their hands.

From this they pa.s.sed to a lower deck about amids.h.i.+ps, to a room about eighty feet by one hundred and twenty feet, which extended the full width of the s.h.i.+p and up three decks. At one end of this large and handsome room was a raised platform arranged like the Speaker's desk in the House of Representatives at Was.h.i.+ngton with the desks at lower levels for stenographers, clerks, and attendants, while around the room in concentric circles were large comfortable seats and desks, also like a Senate Chamber, only more luxurious in appointments, as though it were to receive a more distinguished body of men than the Senate of the United States, if that were possible.

”This,” said Edestone, ”is where I intend to hold my Peace Conference, and when you see the names of the distinguished men who are to sit here, and the apartments that I have arranged for them and their suites, you will perhaps be glad to take your old position of room clerk.”

Then after showing his companion through these magnificent ”royal suites,” as he called them, all furnished and equipped in the most sumptuous fas.h.i.+on, he suggested that they had better turn in.

”We will hope and pray for the best in the morning,” he said, as he bade Lawrence good-night.

CHAPTER x.x.xIV

THE ULTIMATUM

The sun was streaming through the windows when Lawrence awoke the next morning. The valet had come in shortly before to throw back the curtains with a slam, and by moving about the room, slapping up shades and dropping boots, make the usual noises of a well-trained valet at that time of the morning.

”Mr. Edestone is already up, sir,” he said when he saw that he had succeeded in waking Lawrence, ”and is having his breakfast in his own apartments. Will you have yours here or will you go to the breakfast room?”

”Breakfast room,” elected Lawrence sleepily. ”What time is it?”

”Eight o'clock, sir. What will you have for breakfast, sir?”

”Anything and eggs,” said Lawrence, and was about to turn over and go to sleep again when he realized where he was, and leaping out of bed to the window in one bound stepped out into the _loggia_.

The Little Peace Maker had dropped down and was now only about a thousand feet up; and when he looked down from his balcony, he could see that she had changed her position so as to float exactly over the Palace. It almost seemed to him as if he could step off and onto the roof of this great pile of masonry. The airs.h.i.+p, too, must have just moved into this position, as was shown by the excited way in which the little people below him were running away in every direction.

He had his bath, and hurriedly dressing went into the breakfast room, where he found Edestone, who had finished his breakfast and was waiting for him, while reading from a lot of slips of paper which he was turning over in his hand. The master of the s.h.i.+p was dressed all in white and looked refreshed after a good night's rest.

”Good-morning, Lawrence,” he greeted him. ”Did you sleep well?”

”Like a top.”