Lord Kelvin's Machine
by James P. Blaylock
part of
Steampunk (anthology)
edited by Ann & Jeff Vandermeer
Published: 2008
Genre: Steampunk
Excerpt from the book (page 31):
St. Ives watched their comings and goings through his spyglass. He turned a grim eye on Hasbro, who stood silently behind him. "I've come to a difficult decision, Hasbro."
"Yes, sir."
"I've decided that we must play the role of saboteur, and nothing less. I shrink from such deviltry, but far more is at stake here than honor. We must ruin, somehow, Lord Kelvin's machine."
"Very good, sir."
...
"But the stakes are high, Hasbro. We must have our hand in. It's nothing more or less than the salvation of the Earth, secularly speaking, that we engage in."
"Shall we want lunch first, sir?"
My thoughts:
In-a-word: indubitably
Don't you just love that interchange above. Tee-hee, lunch before conquering the foes!
