Fink-Drummond had to resign himself to being locked in the bathroom meanwhile, but he did not protest as it was clear that his gaolers were doing their best to make him comfortable. Gervaise brought him up a supply of books in the afternoon and at the same time produced Roy, who had been told over luncheon of the real reason he had been summoned to the country.
Derek came in that evening and put up various suggestions for Roy's entertainment during his stay and the ne'er-do-well accepted the situation quite cheerfully; in fact, he found it rather novel and amusing, as his duties consisted of no more than accompanying his uncle up to the prisoner's room three or four times a day.
Fortunately, the weather was good so Roy was able to get out of the house most days for several hours, and as he was an excellent mixer he soon formed a little crowd of cronies with whom he played darts and exchanged bawdy stories at the 'local', on such evenings as Derek could not drive over and make up a table for Bridge.
The days drifted by, May passing into June quite uneventfully. An occasional postcard came from Lavina and Sam-They were somewhere in the foot-hills of the Pyrenees, staying at small places right off the beaten track and thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Hemmingway Hughes' scheme for covering Fink-Brum-' mond's disappearance had worked entirely according to plan-There had been great excitement for a few days. Headlines in the papers, Royal Air Force squadrons fruitlessly searching the grey wastes of the Eastern Atlantic. Then, with amazing rapidity, other news had filled the papers; Fink-Drummond, Rupert Brand and the Marchesa del Serilla were assumed drowned. Beatrice Fink-Drummond bought herself some very light widow's weeds on her arrival in New York and no one but their intimate friends gave them another thought.
It had been agreed that, in the event of Fink-Drummond's escaping, Hemmingway should be informed at once but, apart from occasional storms of abuse which grew less frequent as time wore on, the prisoner gave no trouble; so there had been no reason to ring up St. James's Square. On the 2nd June, however, Hemmingway telephoned to say that he would very much like to have a talk with both Gervaise and Oliver Stapleton; so it was arranged that he and Oliver should motor down and lunch at Stapleton Court the following day.
When Hemmingway arrived he appeared as calm and inscrutable as ever, but after lunch he disclosed the fact that he was extremely worried. The Government had, so far, succeeded in keeping from the public the news that a comet was approaching, but in the three weeks since Sam's wedding a constantly increasing circle of people had become acquainted with the fact. This was already affecting the markets and, as the rumours spread, it was certain that they would soon precipitate a really serious situation. Stocks were not slumping yet, as the general public were still buying, but many of the big financiers were unloading heavily with a view to buying in again at much lower levels during the panic which was certain to ensue directly knowledge of the comet's approach became general. In consequence, it was to be expected that when the small money was exhausted the markets would break and shares plunge headlong.
To protect Sam's interests Hemmingway could only do as lhe other big men were doing but he felt that a crisis, all unknown to the public, was rapidly approaching.
The situation abroad was much the same as at home, "emmingway had learned through Foreign Office sources that conversations had been entered into on the subject of the comet With every foreign Government. By mutual consent all controversial problems had been shelved for the time being. This had caused a sudden lessening of international tension and was
c one of the factors which caused the little man to have a renewed feeling of confidence and so more readily support the markets.
The Governments had already reached agreement upon the point that no useful purpose could be gained by allowing the danger to become known prematurely and, with the willing co-operation of their Press chiefs, were exercising a rigid censorship. They were now discussing the problem of mutual aid in the event of the comet's damaging one area of the earth's surface but leaving the others comparatively unaffected.
In fact, since the rulers of the world now took the approaching danger with extreme seriousness, it was rapidly bringing about a spirit of goodwill which had long been lacking from the international situation.
The great majority of the people in the know, however, still assumed that the comet was composed only of gas and meteorites. They believed that, even if it got drawn into the earth's orbit, it would do no more than cause grave disturbances among the terrified masses; which would quickly subside once it had disintegrated and its great shower of meteorites had embedded themselves in the earth.
That many of the meteorites would cause considerable destruction was unquestioned; but, according to Hemmingway, the Governments at home and abroad were allaying their own fears by the supposition that no more havoc would be caused through this heavenly bombardment than might be expected from an intensive but brief aerial attack brought about by the major nations going to war with each other. In view of the fact that for some years past they had all been prepared to face intensive bombing for days, if not weeks and months, they were not unduly perturbed at the thought of showers of meteorites descending for an hour or two.
Many buildings would be wrecked, large casualties were to be anticipated, their heaviness depending upon the size of the meteorites. If some of these were as large as the largest which had struck the earth in historic times, the shock of each might devastate the country for miles around the spot where they fell. But there seemed good reason to suppose that, once the ordeal was over the dead would be buried, the buildings would be erected again and life go on much as before.
Numerous astronomers of various nationalities were of Oliver Stapleton's opinion that the comet was a solid one and the probability was that it would shatter the earth altogether; but, as 'hope springs eternal in the human breast', the majority of the national leaders refused to accept this view, realising perhaps that even if it were correct there was nothing whatsoever that they could do about it.
When lunch was over and they were gathered in the library, Hemmingway, having given his own news, asked Oliver the result of his latest observations; upon which the untidy astronomer lit one of his Burma cheroots, drew upon it, and replied:
'I'm sorry to say I've found no reason whatever to change my opinion. Of course, if the various Governments choose to hide their heads in the sand like ostriches, that is their affair. But the spectroscope does not lie; and there are certain shadings in the analysis of the comet which now convince me absolutely that it is solid. A number of my most distinguished colleagues here and abroad entirely agree with me. A greater number do not do so openly and, in my opinion, are giving their Governments false hope. Their reason for doing so doubtless is that, if they are proved wrong and the world is shattered to bits, there will be no one left to accuse them of being false prophets afterwards; whereas, if they admit that the comet is solid now and it proves not to be so after all, they will have to live on with reputations which have been seriously damaged.'
'Are you quite sure, though, that the thing will be drawn into our orbit?' Derek, who had also been invited to the lunch party, inquired.
'Oh, yes. There's no longer any question about that. The comet's track is so exactly plotted now that we are all agreed that it can't possibly avoid coming well within the sphere of the earth's gravitational influence.'
'And June 24th's the jolly day,' Roy laughed, a little uncertainly, and took the opportunity to help himself to another ration of the old Madeira that Gervaise had got up for the others before lunch. 'What time does the balloon go up, honoured father?'