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description were not sent to and fro while a professor studied a bundle of documents. He saw, however, that McFaden was not to be in the least impressed by such a consideration.

The papers were given to Professor McFaden, and by eleven o'clock he was busily engaged with them in his own study.

Feeling convinced now that McFaden's solution was the correct one, that Admiral Benson was placated for the moment and that the right thing had been done, Mr. Mansfield sighed his relief and gave himself up to his secretary and the day's correspondence.

At three o'clock in the afternoon he was surprised to hear that Professor McFaden was asking for an interview.

"Show him up immediately," he told the attendant.

Professor McFaden was nearer appearing excited than ever before in his life. He plunged at once into his subject.

"I have been very carefully through these papers," he said. "I tell you at once, the thing amazes me. My theory would explain Rudge fine, but man, it doesn't explain Macrae. The point you failed to make clear and left open is that before Macrae's account was written, he and Rudge had not met, nor did they know of one another's existence. That alters the whole aspect of the evidence. The assumption on which my reasoning was based goes from under me."

"Have you reversed your opinion, then?" asked Mr. Mansfield.

"I will tell you the opinion I have now formed. Meanwhile, I take it there is plenty of time to recall the Sea Lion, should you desire it."

"I shall want to hear remarkably solid reasons first," said the First Lord. Nevertheless, he rang the bell and sent to inquire how long Hong-Kong would be in touch by wireless with that warship.

He was told there would still be several hours.

"I will again ask you the question I put to you this morning," said Mr. Mansfield. "Do you believe that there has been interplanetary communication?"

"When you asked me that question before," said McFaden, "I was convinced that on probing the affair I should find it rested on Rudge's evidence, and I said, No. I have now probed it. I find that Rudge can be eliminated, and I say, I do not know!"

"On what do you rest your opinions now?"

"On what happened to the operator, and the circumstances in which it happened. Scientifically the evidence is very strong."

"I may gather then," said Mr. Mansfield, "that you do not consider a radio signal from a neighbouring planet scientifically impossible?"

"Hitherto I have always held it to be practically impossible," said McFaden.

"I said scientifically," persisted Mr. Mansfield.

"Seeing that the required medium for it undoubtedly exists all the way, one might hesitate at such a statement."

"Now tell me what evidence you have seen in the documents that I did not mention," said Mr. Mansfield, leaning forward, the morning's anxiety redoubled.

"I have already said there is the fact that Macrae's papers were all written before he met Rudge. For the rest, I will deal with two points. First, Macrae gave what he said was the Venetian's description of a telescope. As we are dealing only with evidence, we need say nothing of its merits or demerits. We have the fact that it describes an instrument such as does not exist on earth, and the description requires scientific knowledge that Macrae could not possibly possess."

"That," said Mr. Mansfield, "is certainly strong evidence."

"The second point," said McFaden, "is even stronger. A date was put in his head, for his future return to the island. I am quite satisfied that neither Rudge nor any man else gave him that date. It turns out to be the exact day of the conjunction of Mars. This does not happen so often that it could be hit on by chance. It would be the day chosen according to his story, and only according to that. Apart from it, the date would have no meaning. Can you not see that such evidence is significant?"

"It is irresistible," cried Mr. Mansfield, "and includes not only the Venerian, but the Martian also!"

"Logically, it does," said McFaden.

"Then do you still think the Sea Lion ought to have been sent before we learn the position at Station X?"

"There is still nothing before us to indicate any danger in sending the cruiser to the station," said McFaden. "It might perhaps have been left awhile."

Professor McFaden was half regretful that he had given such unqualified acquiescence to the Sea Lion's despatch, but he refrained from saying so.

"Benson would make an awful row," mused Mr. Mansfield. For a minute or two he was undecided. At length he said, "I have made up my mind what to do. To-morrow there will be a Cabinet Council. The decision shall be left to it. I will send instructions to the Sea Lion to go only so far on her way as will not take her out of touch with Hong-Kong, and await orders there."

This he ordered to be done, in spite of Admiral Benson's protests. Later in the afternoon a cable was received from Hong-Kong that something was wrong with the radio, and no message could be sent to the Sea Lion or anywhere else.

At the same time his secretary mentioned that there was something wrong with the Admiralty radio. Struck by this coincidence, Mr. Mansfield went himself to investigate, and was told that no message could be heard in consequence of what appeared to be some new kind of electric storm.

He even put on the receivers himself, and heard a continuous babel of inarticulate sounds—loud, distracting, emanating from no one could tell where. It rendered anything in the nature of radio telephony, or even ordinary radio telegraphy quite impossible.