She stared with angry resolution, waiting what sir Lancelot IV would say. A branch of bright, green and red
eglantine was woven into the girl's golden hair and sent out a life-giving smell of spring. There is spring somewhere
in Europe… It has come from this rose.
- I shall not allow, - she repeated, evidently resolved that the silence had lasted too long.
Sir Ray McDonald Lancelot IV just shrugged his shoulders, pretending to be indifferent.
- You can do nothing, he said almost regretfully, according to the Council's plan, an autumn is going be here.
A tropical jungle autumn. Decaying leaves, softened lianas, falling overripe fruits, bogs and mud, drizzling rain
and… he fell silent, remembered too late. The employees of the Weather Service are strictly barred from showing
sympathy for any season.
The girl asked gloomy:
- Ray, in what area does the autumn take place now?
- Well, look at the map, Lancelot IV dodged. Europe, from the Ural to Paris, exept Italy, the Union of Hellens,
the Picts and the kingdoms of Varangians.
- Why do you need the land of Memphis, the desert of Pyramids then?
Ray propped up his eyes.
- What a strange question. You know the answer already. The desert. That,s it. The resolution has been passed a
long time ago. Nevada, the Kara-Kum, Kalahari and the Gobi. The sands of Texas and Australia and the greater pert
of the Sahara… Special climate zones have been created in all of them, more or less successfully. Only the Great
Cin Empire and this wasteland of pyramids is still unsettled. We cannot touch the Cins for political reasons, but,
darling, your Memphis…
He made a helpless gesture. But his eyes shone like those of a satisfied cat. There will be autumn in Memphis.
The forever autumn, with regeneration quick as lightning in three days, every three months. Winter, spring and
summer will pass in Memphis during these three days. What to say? We can only regret that the accelerator, created
by that blockhead Schtein, has an effect only upon seasons.
- And on the whole, Madeleine, why have you brought me here? Do you think I haven't seen a desert? If I stay in
this sun half an hour more, my skin very likely will begin to scale off.
Madeleine looked around in confusion, then stared to McDonald.
- But, sir… Don,t you feel sorry for all of this? This is the only natural…
A soft crunch broke her off. The inspector of the Weather Service turned slowly and frowned when he saw a calmly
gaping camel right in front of him, some ten metres away. The animal moved its lips and spat beside the inspector.
A dark-skinned man, who was sitting on it, hastily jumped on the ground and approached to them.
- Inspector Lancelot IV? Nice to meet you. I am Kharay from the Jorjins. Chairman of the House of Commons of Memhis.
The negro smiled. The inspector smiled acidly too, and squeezed the hand stretched out to him. He didn't know there
were inhabitants in Memphis! Damned. He had to have a look at a map.
- Well… what's the matter, mister Kharay?
The man's face became gloomy.
- What's the matter? In fact, I wanted to know, does the Council still follow the principles of democracy?
- Yes, it does, Ray mumbled in confusion. Damned. There should be no inhabitants in Memphis, as he remembered the
displays of the computers. There are only the winds of the pyramids. It will be necessary to report when he returns…
- Then how can you, as the worst of scoundrels, dare to change the climate of this place without asking our opinion?
We want you to leave everything as it was, a natural climate with the sand storms, softly burning sun and…
- I told you, inspector, Madeleine interrupted tenderly, there must be a nook on Earth in which everything is kept
natural. The climate as well. Is it so hard to persuade you. Do you, with your personal liking for autumn…
- Well, well, sir Lancelot IV hastily said in confusion. He was absolutely not ready to meet an aboriginal. You
can consider the project cancelled already. I will personally do everything… By the way, where is your capital?
- Thirty kilometres to the south from here, continued the little fellow without blinking.
- Sometime I shall certainly visit it, the inspector hastily assured. And now it's time for us. Isn't it, Madeleine?
He turned to an airship, which had been hovering nearby.
- I'll come right along, after I've had some words with the chief, Madeleine said to Ray. She walked up to the
black man after she had made sure that McDonald didn't hear.
- Well, how are matters? Is everybody ready?
- Yes. You may fly over them. It looks like a real capital. Will my people be paid?
- Everything will be as I promised. When the affair finishes, my personal airships will bring everybody to Antarctica.
When I return I will begin to spread a rumour that old Ray had a sunstroke. This way we will win some time. And
after that… she fell silent, looked at the desert and unwittingly adjusted the rose in her hair, I'll manage to
persuade everybody that the best thing for this place is the spring!