Then, as we stood before the fire to thaw, still in our flying clothes, I drew her dear face towards mine and kissed her fondly upon the lips. "I wonder why Teddy sent us away for an hour, as he did?" she queried. "Don't know, dearest," was my reply. "He'll be back very shortly, and will tell us what happened." At that moment Mulliner entered with two cups of hot cocoa, a beverage at that hour and in those circumstances very welcome. "You managed splendidly!" Roseye declared. "Isn't it awfully exciting to be up in the dark! Nobody who hasn't been up at night would ever dream how weird and yet how lovely is the feeling--would they?" "It's far worse with these new lighting orders," I remarked. "One gets so few landmarks. That's why I lost my way more than once." Scarcely had I uttered those words when Teddy, in his big brown motor-coat and muffler, burst into the room. Dashing across to me he wrung my hands with wild enthusiasm. "It works, Claude!" he cried. "The conductor sparked across at every test. Even the last, at three thousand yards, the spark was quite an intense one!" "Then we haven't failed!" I cried breathlessly. "No. I should rather think not!" was my friend's eager reply. "Why, at five hundred yards the laurel bush got badly burnt, and at a thousand it made a fearful crackle and was alight." "But it really acted at three thousand--you say?" "It acted perfectly--and over a twelve-inch spark, too!" "Then it shows that, after all, we can direct the electric current and thus create sparks across from metal to metal!" I remarked. "Yes. We've succeeded," he said. "To-night I've witnessed something that no man has hitherto seen. Our minor experiments were interesting enough, but this is proof positive that an invincible power to successfully destroy Zeppelins has at last been put into our hands." "I hope so," declared Roseye. "Mr Munro and I have had a most exciting flight. But why," she asked, "why did you send us away on our arrival?" "Because the terrible roar made by your engine alarmed the whole neighbourhood, and some people ran out in their night-clothes towards the church, believing you to be an enemy machine. Therefore I climbed a wall and signalled to you to return in an hour, when all would, I hope, be quiet again." "Was all quiet when we returned?" "Yes, they had all gone back to their beds. Theed had arrived for me by that time, so after your second visit he assisted me to take out the asbestos sheet and rejoin the conductor with the copper cable. We made a good joint; so that there'll be no danger to the church in case of a thunderstorm." "Then the importance of the invention is proved?" asked Roseye. "Proved?" he echoed. "Proved without a shadow of doubt." And he unwound his muffler, cast off his heavy frieze coat, and we both went out to assist in wheeling the machine back into the barn.