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"That was you?" Madame Spetuna looked impressed "Very nice touch,to "

Vieve said, pertly, "I assure you, she is not lying"

Soap followed this interchange with a look of skepticism He was fond of Bumbersnoot "Are you certain about this,Buencer disappear, nibbling her lip unhappily "No, I’m not We have to hope that Madame Spetuna and the flywaymen stick close If they are after the Giffard test, then they’ll be heading to London, like us"

Vieve was confident "It will all work out in the end Only think, Sophronia, how nice it will be to own all ain?"

"The things I do for gadgets," said Sophronia

Soap, fond of Vieve’s inventions hiely "Now,that critter back, you hear?"

"Soap, what could you possibly…?"

"Why,ships, too?" He gave her an almost evil smile "My people are everywhere"

"Soap, have I told you recently how htened, her worries about Buhtly

Soap looked down at his feet and shuffled theain"

Sophronia stood on tiptoe and kissed his dusty cheek "Thank you You’re a chum"

Mada, Bumbersnoot with her Sophronia felt his lack keenly She hadn’t realized how prevalent theabout her feet as she washed in the ossiped, eating discarded gloves while they dressed of an evening Her shoulder, without the weight of the lace strap frouised form, felt naked She had only a few days to reat city of London

Around ht on a fine clear Thursday in mid-March, a lone cloud wafted over west London toward Hyde Park There it stopped and hovered in a most un-cloud-like rounds of the Crystal Palace, where the Great Exhibition halls were being torn down It sunk low enough to touch the top of the center post, where once ines of industry

No one observed this odd behavior except two gin-soaked gentle itself to be, in actuality, a ible

"Did we visit one of the opiuentle to explain away this hallucination

"Dens? Hens?" said the second, tripping over a entleainst each other, transfixed while the dirigible undertook a series of transforures swars of the huge balloons, scra, to the befuddled watchers, like so ed ants

Eventually, the ants unrolled a canvas banner that stretched the full length of the central balloon and read BLENHEIM’S BUILDERS & SAFETY INSPECTORS FOR QUEEN AND COUNTRY The ants then proceeded to rig scaffolding froround After these adjustly as if it were part of the Crystal Palace deconstruction operation

In Hyde Park the only way to hide so school was to pretend it was a tradesh the use of day laborers Anyone of note tempted to look must instantly look away in humiliation After all, persons of consequence did not pay attention to buildings going up or down--they were too exposed Anything to do with construction was highly e

When Sophronia awoke the next day and trotted out on deck to investigate, she couldn’t read the legend spread above them, but at breakfast they were told what it said

There were a few cries of outrage fro ladies After all, they didn’t want to be associated with builders any h Hyde Park

Monique was particularly upset "We can’t be seen to be here, on a ship e! What if so?"

"Well, you’ll have to be careful no one does, won’t you? After all, young ladies shouldn’t be around building sites regardless of signage You are, as of this moment, restricted indoors Is that understood?" Mademoiselle Geraldine was firm on this matter

They all nodded

Sophronia entertained herself by iht best facilitate escape She couldn’t, after all, look like a builder She hadn’t the physicality for it

"I guess if I want to wander around, I’ll have to pretend to be a sootie," she muttered After all, most industries required the use of small wiry boys in soarb and noer-class arb? The very idea!"

Sophronia ad Luckily, I have no reason to leave the ship Yet"

"You will not be allowed off school grounds regardless, ladies," continued Madeerous to parade around London without an escort Those of you who have faements For the rest, this is an educational jaunt, not a pleasure cruise"

Preshea was upset "But the shopping! I have been given an extra allowance in anticipation of this trip!" She emphasized the final p so sharply it almost popped the eardrum

"It ait, Miss Buss"

"But Monique’s party!"