Rent The Ball and the Cross

Synopsis

The flying ship of Professor Lucifer sang through the skies like a silver arrow; the bleak whitesteel of it, gleaming in the bleak blue emptiness of the evening. That it was far above the earth wasno expression for it; to the two men in it, it seemed to be far above the stars. The professor hadhimself invented the flying machine, and had also invented nearly everything in it. Every sort of toolor apparatus had, in consequence, to the full, that fantastic and distorted look which belongs to themiracles of science. For the world of science and evolution is far more nameless and elusive and likea dream than the world of poetry and religion; since in the latter images and ideas remain themselveseternally, while it is the whole idea of evolution that identities melt into each other as they do in anightmare.All the tools of Professor Lucifer were the ancient human tools gone mad, grown intounrecognizable shapes, forgetful of their origin, forgetful of their names. That thing which lookedlike an enormous key with three wheels was really a patent and very deadly revolver. That objectwhich seemed to be created by the entanglement of two corkscrews was really the key. The thingwhich might have been mistaken for a tricycle turned upside-down was the inexpressibly importantinstrument to which the corkscrew was the key. All these things, as I say, the professor hadinvented; he had invented everything in the flying ship, with the exception, perhaps, of himself. Thishe had been born too late actually to inaugurate, but he believed at least, that he had considerablyimproved it.

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