Page:The Zeppelin Destroyer.djvu/71

 'What can he say? He has declared that before you started everything was perfectly in order.'

'Has Teddy examined the bus?'

'I think so, but he's entirely mystified—just as we all are,' said my well-beloved. 'Dad and mother are dreadfully worried about you.'

'Thanks,' I replied. 'I'll be all right soon—but I'm stiff—jolly stiff, I can tell you!'

'That doesn't matter,' said the nurse cheerily. 'No bones are broken, and Doctor Walford has said that you'll be up again very soon.'

'Well—thanks for that,' I replied with a smile. 'My chief desire at the present moment is to know why my machine failed. Yet I suppose I ought to be thankful to Providence that I wasn't killed—eh?'

'Yes, Claude, you ought. Your smash was a very bad one indeed.'

'Has the guv'nor been here?'

'Every day. But of course you've been under Doctor Walford, and he's not allowed anyone to see you.'

'I suppose the guv'nor has been saying to everybody, "I told you so,"' I remarked. 'He had always said I'd kill myself, sooner or later. My reply was that I'd either fly, or kill myself in the attempt. Have there been any more Zeppelin raids while I've been lying here?'

'No raids, but gossip has it that Zeppelins have been as far as the coast and were afterwards driven off by our anti-aircraft guns.'

'Good. When will Teddy be here?' I asked, raising myself with considerable difficulty.