"He's punning," shouted Bert, seizing the angry Clive by the shoulders and shaking him. And then, careless of the anger he had aroused, for that was the way with him, he began to cross-examine the two mechanics on the uses and abuses of every class of lever. The meeting, in fact, was in grave danger of a sudden break-up. But a shout from Hugh helped matters wonderfully.
"I've got it!" he bellowed.
"What? The lever or the measles?" asked Bert, still amused and facetious.
"Shut up, you ass! The measles indeed! No, the bally difficulty. I've a way in which to work it."
Clive agreed with the suggestion when it came to be put to him, agreed with ungrudging enthusiasm. "It'll be as easy as walking," he said.
"Or falling," suggested Bert.
"You'll get your head punched yet," growled Clive. "But it's fine, this idea. You see, we start our engine. That's easy enough."
"Well, it may be," from Bert. "I'll believe you."
"Then we take our seats."
"Don't see 'em," came from the critic.