Now, face to face with him again, in his upright easy bearing, in his straight and fearless regard, in the pleasant well-bred voice that addressed her in a brief conventional sentence or so, she read his patent of gentlehood. From whatever root it sprang, the flower was noble. Her swift eyes shot a glance at the bigger figure in grey. What a hoggish knight of the dunghill, what a high-born clown had she not distinguished by her choice and selection. The smile of scorn that curved her mouth was suddenly banished by the sudden recollection of Bawne. "Uncle Owen, you have not yet told Mr. Sherbrand whether Bawne may go up again or not. I am sure—if you won’t think me—if you don’t mind my saying so!—that he has had enough for to-day! I think it would be better if you would not——" It was not the deep warm voice of Patrine’s characteristic utterance, but a weaker, thinner voice that hesitated and faltered and trailed away. It recalled nothing to Sherbrand. He looked at her and transferred his gaze to Saxham, who asked: "Does this German officer intend climbing to any high altitude, or perpetrating anything in the nature of a display?" Sherbrand explained: "He does not want to go higher than three thousand. Just to try the hoverer, regarding which some business friends of his are bitten with curiosity. My mechanic is not able to go up with him, and he wants a light-weight passenger. He is over sixteen stone himself, and the Bird has been built to carry me with Davis. I calculated her wing-area to——" Sherbrand travelled into the realm of technicalities, using terms that were Volapuk and Esperanto to Patrine. He had supple, finely-shaped hands, and used them as he talked with vivid illustrative gestures. "So," he ended, "as your plucky youngster asked to go, it seemed a way out of the difficulty, provided you weren’t dead against the thing. Of course we’ll swadd the little chap in a sweater or so under the pneumatic jacket. It’ll be a bit parky, even at three thousand, now the sun’s beginning to down." He added: "I’ll see to the strapping myself. You may rely upon it, Doctor." Saxham said with a look of kindness at the handsome face with the clear candid eyes: "I am sure of that!" He added, mastering that inward impulse: "I shall not forbid the flight if Bawne is set on it. But first, I must speak to him!" And the great form with the stern thoughtful face and scholar’s stoop moved across the greensward, followed by the tall young figures of Sherbrand and Patrine. Of the two, the man was by a bare inch the taller. This Patrine realised in a swift side-glance. Certain featural characteristics of him, personal impressions received half-unconsciously, retained their clear sharpness then and for many days....