We rocket toward tomorrow's thrilling finale of our current Tale for Our Time: Robert Hugh Benson's far-sighted novel of 1907, Lord of the World. I thank you for all your comments about this caper. As the end approaches, there are some sharp divisions among listeners about Monsignor Benson's grasp of his own faith, but his geopolitical imagination seems to be going down well.
So, in tonight's penultimate episode of Lord of the World, the volor fleets of the world's powers prepare to embark for the final showdown:
It was terribly hot this morning, and, by the time that he reached the top he noticed that... the fans within the corridor and saloon were already active. He stepped inside to secure a seat in the saloon, set his bag down, and ...went out again on to the platform for coolness' sake, and to brood in peace.
London looked strange this morning, he thought... What surprised him was the density of the air; it was now, as old books related it had been in the days of smoke. There was no freshness, no translucence of morning atmosphere; it was impossible to point in any one direction to the source of this veiling gloom, for on all sides it was the same... The shadows seemed lacking in definiteness, the outlines and grouping in coherence. A storm was wanted, he reflected; or even, it might be, one more earthquake on the other side of the world would, in wonderful illustration of the globe's unity, relieve the pressure on this side. Well, well; the journey would be worth taking even for the interest of observing climatic changes; but it would be terribly hot, he mused, by the time the south of France was reached.
Members of The Mark Steyn Club can hear me read Part Thirty-Five of Lord of the World simply by clicking here and logging-in.
If you're new to our Club, or if the day's developments simply make you despair, there's nothing healthier than taking a short break from the hell of the hamster-wheel news-cycle and exploring the delights of our Tales for Our Time home page. It's configured in Netflix tile style, with the stories organised by category - thrillers, fantasy, romance, etc - which we hope will make it easy for you to find a favourite diversion of an evening. You can access nearly seventy of our cracking yarns here - and all previous episodes of our current adventure here.
If you've yet to hear any of our Tales for Our Time, you can do so by joining The Mark Steyn Club and enjoy our nightly audio adventures every evening twenty minutes before lowering your lamp - or hoard the episodes and binge-listen at the weekend or on a long car journey, if your government still permits you to leave your fifteen-minute city. For more details on that and other benefits to Steyn Club membership, see here - and don't forget our special Gift Membership. It makes a perfect birthday present.
Please join me right here tomorrow evening for the conclusion of Lord of the World.
