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 happened, nothing whatever. There was even one case right out in Vokovice and two in Košiře, while at the Petřin wireless station there's practically an epidemic of religion. All the wrielesswireless [sic] operators on duty up there are sending out ecstatic messages of their own accord, a sort of new gospel to the world at large: God coming down again to the earth to ransom it, and so forth. Just imagine the scandal! Now the progressive papers are going for the Post Office, and the fur's fairly flying. They're screaming about Clericalism showing its horns, and rubbish of that kind. Nobody as yet suspects that this has any connection with the Karburator. Marek," Bondy added in a whisper, "I'll tell you something, but it's a dead secret. A week ago it attacked our Minister for War."

"Whom!" cried Marek.

"Hush, quietly. The Minister for War. He 'saw the light' all of a sudden in his villa at Dejvice. The following morning he assembled the garrison of Prague, talked to them about eternal peace, and exhorted the troops to become martyrs. Of course he had to resign at once. The papers stated that his health had suddenly broken down. And that's how matters stand, my friend."

"In Dejvice already!" groaned the engineer. "It's terrible, Bondy, the way it's spreading."

"It's amazing," said Bondy. "The other day a