'' For the whole Aeroplane is
braced together with innumerable wires, many of which
are at their ends bent over in the form of loops in order to
connect with the metal fittings on the spars and elsewhere--
cheap and easy way of making connection.
``Elongate, you little devils, would you?'' fairly shout
the Angles of Incidence, Dihedral and Stagger, amid a chorus
of groans from all parts of the Aeroplane. ``What's going
to happen to us then? How are we going to keep our
adjustments upon which good flying depends?''
``Butt us and screw us,''[[9]] wail the Wires. ``Butt us
and screw us, and death to the Loops. That's what we
sang to the Designer, but he only looked sad and scowled
at the Directors.''
[[9]] Butt means to thicken at the end. Screw means to machine a thread
on the butt-end of the wire, and in this way the wire can make connection
with the desired place by being screwed into a metal fitting,
thus eliminating the disadvantage of the unsatisfactory loop.
``And who on earth are they?'' asked the Loops, trembling
for their troublesome little lives.
``Oh earth indeed,'' sniffed Efficiency, who had not
spoken before, having been rendered rather shy by being
badly compromised in the Drawing Office. ``I'd like to
get some of them up between Heaven and Earth, I would.
I'd give 'em something to think of besides their Debits
and Credits--but all the same the Designer will get his
way in the end. I'm his Best Girl, you know, and if we
could only get rid of the Directors, the little Tin god, and
the Man-who-takes-the-credit, we should be quite happy.
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