Book IX

BALKA

RUPERT'S JOURNAL--Continued (Longe Intervallo).
February 10, 1908.

It is so long since I even thought of this journal that I hardly know
where to begin. I always heard that a married man is a pretty busy
man; but since I became one, though it is a new life to me, and of a
happiness undreamt of, I KNOW what that life is. But I had no idea
that this King business was anything like what it is. Why, it never
leaves me a moment at all to myself--or, what is worse, to Teuta. If
people who condemn Kings had only a single month of my life in that
capacity, they would form an opinion different from that which they
hold. It might be useful to have a Professor of Kingship in the
Anarchists' College--whenever it is founded!

Everything has gone on well with us, I am glad to say. Teuta is in
splendid health, though she has--but only very lately--practically
given up going on her own aeroplane. It was, I know, a great
sacrifice to make, just as she had become an expert at it. They say
here that she is one of the best drivers in the Blue Mountains--and
that is in the world, for we have made that form of movement our own.
Ever since we found the pitch-blende pockets in the Great Tunnel, and
discovered the simple process of extracting the radium from it, we
have gone on by leaps and bounds. When first Teuta told me she would
"aero" no more for a while, I thought she was wise, and backed her up
in it: for driving an aeroplane is trying work and hard on the
nerves. I only learned then the reason for her caution--the usual
one of a young wife. That was three months ago, and only this
morning she told me she would not go sailing in the air, even with
me, till she could do so "without risk"--she did not mean risk to
herself. Aunt Janet knew what she meant, and counselled her strongly
to stick to her resolution. So for the next few months I am to do my
air-sailing alone.

The public works which we began immediately after the Coronation are
going strong. We began at the very beginning on an elaborate system.
The first thing was to adequately fortify the Blue Mouth. Whilst the
fortifications were being constructed we kept all the warships in the
gulf. But when the point of safety was reached, we made the ships do
sentry-go along the coast, whilst we trained men for service at sea.
It is our plan to take by degrees all the young men and teach them
this wise, so that at the end the whole population shall be trained
for sea as well as for land. And as we are teaching them the airship
service, too, they will be at home in all the elements--except fire,
of course, though if that should become a necessity, we shall tackle
it too!

We started the Great Tunnel at the farthest