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Jupiter.’
    ‘What was that?’ asked Derek quickly.
    ‘Jupiter has a very dense, cloud-laden atmosphere which, as far as we know, was more or less uniform all over its surface until May 19th, 1664. It was then that the astronomer, Hooke, observed a huge red spot on its surface. That spot has been there ever since, and our modern instruments have shown us that it consists of fiery vapours like those of a vast volcano which pour out unceasingly right through the planet’s thick cloud-layers. The only possible explanation for the phenomenon is that a solid comet of great size crashed into Jupiter in the seventeenth century with such force that it broke clean through the planet’s surface making a rent which has never healed.’
    ‘Well, even if that happened to us,’ said Sam, ‘it might mean great loss of life in one particular area but the rest of the world would go on much the same.’
    ‘I fear that would hardly be the case,’ Oliver disagreed, ‘if it were a comit like the one that hit Jupiter. You see, Jupiter is over thirteen hundred times the bulk of our earth and its cloud-layer alone is estimated to be 6,000 miles thick. The rent that was torn in it is 7,000 miles broad by 30,000 miles long, so, if we came into collision with the same sort of body, the whole of our earth would be shattered into tiny little bits.’
    ‘Still, it might not be as big,’ Derek suggested hopefully.
    ‘True,’ Oliver agreed.
    ‘And it might not be a solid meteorite at all,’ added Sam.
    ‘Quite,’ agreed Oliver again. ‘The chances are, in fact, somewhat in favour of its being no more than a great mass of cosmic dust, small meteorites and flaming gas. But, even if it is, should it actually come into collision with us, the disturbance caused by its arrival here would almost certainly blot out all life on our planet.’
    ‘Oh, come!’ exclaimed Sam. ‘The earth has often passed through the tails of comets without the public even being aware of what was happening.’
    ‘True. But the tails of comets are often tens of thousands of miles in length and such comets have always swept on their way without passing sufficiently near to be drawn into our sphere of gravity; whereas in this case, if my calculations are correct, we shall pull the solid body or the mass of flaming gas right in on top of us.’
    ‘I gather, though, Oliver, that all your colleagues are not of the same opinion as yourself,’ remarked Gervaise.
    Oliver shrugged his bent shoulders. ‘The comet is still so distant that it has been impossible up till now to estimate its track with any real exactness and some of us consider there is still a hope that it may pass us by. Until we reach agreement there is no point in alarming the public unnecessarily and that is why we have, so far, refrained from publishing anything about it.’
    ‘That, too,’ added Gervaise, ‘is why I think it should be understood between us that no mention of the matter is made outside this house. You see, if the danger became generally known, it might lead to the most appalling panic, and even riots.’
    ‘But your own opinion, Oliver, is that it’s going to hit us?’ Lavina’s voice had a slightly hysterical note.
    ‘Yes, my dear. When I spoke to you last night I had just finished an entirely new set of calculations by which I proved the matter to my own satisfaction and which I feel reasonably certain will convince my colleagues that I am right.’
    ‘But hang it all!’ Derek jumped up from his chair. ‘I can’t believe it! I suppose the world’s got to end some time, but it’s been going on for such millions of years. It just doesn’t seem credible that it should come to an end almost without warning like this.’
    ‘I’m afraid that’s what most people will feel,’ Oliver saidquietly. ‘Perhaps I ought never to have mentioned it. You must forgive me if I’ve scared you all but when I spoke to Lavina I was a little over-excited by the success of my