Page:The council of seven.djvu/47

 *preciates that at least  one appreciates his feeling about it dear fellow!"

"He has an important meeting at Hellington to-*morrow."

"Quite." Again the indulgent nod.

"And the U. P. must circulate an unconditional withdrawal to overtake as quickly as possible the harm it has already done."

There was not an instant's hesitation. "If he wants that, he's entitled to have it certainly."

"But there's so little time," said Helen urgently. "It is only with the utmost difficulty that Mr. Fuller has been persuaded to keep the provincial Mercury off the machines until a quarter to twelve, in the hope of being able to get your permission to omit the speech altogether. There's only five minutes now, I'm afraid."

"Much may happen in five minutes at the head-*quarters of the planetary bodies." The playfulness of the Colossus was delightful. It was also reassuring. For it had been said of him that inside five minutes he was fully competent to knock Saturn out of the firmament and put it back again.

"Have I your authority to stop the Mercury?" Her eagerness was a little pathetic.

"Why, of course,—of course." The tone was thistledown.

"If I may use your telephone" She was on her feet, the woman of action.

"Sit down, please, and go on reading his clever book