The Angel of the Revolution | Page 5

the Tsar of Russia had made a
standing offer of a million sterling. That million might have been his if

he had possessed the money necessary to bring his invention under the
notice of the great Autocrat.
That was the position he had turned over and over in his mind until its
horrible contradictions maddened him. With a little money, riches and
fame were his; without it he was a beggar in sight of starvation.
And yet he doubted whether, even in his present dire extremity, he
could, had he had the chance, sell what might be made the most terrific
engine of destruction ever thought of to the head and front of a
despotism that he looked upon as the worst earthly enemy of mankind.
For the twentieth time he had paused in his weary walk to and fro to
lean on the parapet close by Cleopatra's Needle. The Embankment was
almost deserted now, save by the tramps and a few isolated wanderers
like himself. For several minutes he looked out over the brightly
glittering waters below him, wondering listlessly how long it would
take him to drown if he dropped over, and whether he would be rescued
before he was dead, and brought back to life, and prosecuted the next
day for daring to try and leave the world save in the conventional and
orthodox fashion.
Then his mind wandered back to the Tsar and his million, and he
pictured to himself the awful part that a fleet of airships such as his
would play in the general European war that people said could not now
be put off for many months longer. As he thought of this the vision
grew in distinctness, and he saw them hovering over armies and cities
and fortresses, and raining irresistible death and destruction down upon
them. The prospect appalled him, and he shuddered as he thought that it
was now really within the possibility of realisation; and then his ideas
began to translate themselves involuntarily into words which he spoke
aloud, completely oblivious for the time being of his surroundings.
"No, I think I would rather destroy it, and then take my secret with me
out of the world, than put such an awful power of destruction and
slaughter into the hands of the Tsar, or, for the matter of that, any other
of the rulers of the earth. Their subjects can butcher each other quite
efficiently enough as it is. The next war will be the most frightful

carnival of destruction that the world has ever seen; but what would it
be like if I were to give one of the nations of Europe the power of
raining death and desolation on its enemies from the skies! No, no!
Such a power, if used at all, should only be used against and not for the
despotisms that afflict the earth with the curse of war!"
"Then why not use it so, my friend, if you possess it, and would see
mankind freed from its tyrants?" said a quiet voice at his elbow.
The sound instantly scattered his vision to the winds, and he turned
round with a startled exclamation to see who had spoken. As he did so,
a whiff of smoke from a very good cigar drifted past his nostrils, and
the voice said again in the same quiet, even tones--
"You must forgive me for my bad manners in listening to what you
were saying, and also for breaking in upon your reverie. My excuse
must be the great interest that your words had for me. Your opinions
would appear to be exactly my own, too, and perhaps you will accept
that as another excuse for my rudeness."
It was the first really kindly, friendly voice that Richard Arnold had
heard for many a long day, and the words were so well chosen and so
politely uttered that it was impossible to feel any resentment, so he
simply said in answer--
"There was no rudeness, sir; and, besides, why should a gentleman like
you apologise for speaking to a"--
"Another gentleman," quickly interrupted his new acquaintance.
"Because I transgressed the laws of politeness in doing so, and an
apology was due. Your speech tells me that we are socially equals.
Intellectually you look my superior. The rest is a difference only of
money, and that any smart swindler can bury himself in nowadays if he
chooses. But come, if you have no objection to make my better
acquaintance, I have a great desire to make yours. If you will pardon
my saying so, you are evidently not an ordinary man, or else,
something tells me, you would be rich. Have a smoke and let us talk,
since we apparently have a subject in common. Which way are you

going ?"
"Nowhere