Lord Midhurst, newly promoted Lieutenant-Commander Wells and his faithful bosun William Blunt reported to the Syrtis Major Explorer's Club, to which they had been summoned by noted explorer and man of influence Sir Horace Willoughby.  The club proved to be a bastion of English country design, with wood panelling, spotted dick and custard on the menu and copies of Horse and Hound available all helping one quite forget that it sat within a Martian edifice of ancient construction.  Sir Horace introduced the fellows to Miss Charlotte Pennington-Smythe, a new arrival from Earth and a woman who would be accompanying them on the Amsworth archaeological expedition, an expedition due to depart shortly and spend six months near the Oenotrian border at a site of some potential scientific interest.

After making their introductions, the fellows sought further detail of the expedition they were to accompany, none of them having previously heard of it let alone of their own involvement in its fortunes.  Blunt noted that any participation of his own would require consent from the Navy, which Sir Horace assured him would be forthcoming.  Discussions continued, but were interrupted by an excited hubbub and the news of strange doings at the Ethership landing area.

Decamping thereto with Sir Horace, the assembled party noted a large ship from Earth disgorging a most unusual cargo - seeming Africans mostly dressed in plain blue cotton clothes, hundreds of the fellows, apparently led by one of their number wearing a rather respectable suit.  Miss Pennington-Smythe happened to find herself near the Africans, who were wincing at the extreme Martian cold and looking distinctly lost, and so was present when Freddie Byrnes of the FCO arrived evidently late and harried to deal with the assembled multitude.  It transpired that they were not Africans at all, but rather Americans mostly from the deep South and come to Mars in hope of a better life, led by one of their own of the name Henry Hamilton Turner.  Meanwhile, it was noted that among the better class of passengers was a delegation of Indians, truly Mars was becoming a most cosmopolitan place!

Decamping from the docks, the group went about their business, still unclear as to exactly how they had been volunteered for this task.  Blunt received his consent from the Navy, and was granted a chit for outfitting the expedition, a task he set to with a will contacting in the process expedition quartermaster Bob Smithson.

Miss Pennington-Smythe visited the Amsworth's, Sir Henry Amsworth being leader of the expedition.  During her visit, she fell into conversation with the redoubtable Mrs Amsworth who appeared to be a kindred soul, but fared less well with their daughter, Kit Amsworth, an excessively sporty and jolly young woman.

Events continued as events will do, and preparations were made bothfor the expeditition and for a ball at the Crown Prince's palace some few days hence.  Miss Pennington-Smythe obtained the services of local dressmakers with a view to obtaining suitable apparel for the function, and the Amsworth's invited the entire party to afternoon tea.

Tea went well, with the Amsworth's showing interest in Mr Wells and his exploits among the Martian deserts, and being most impressed by the fine figure of Viscount Midhurst - a member of the aristocracy in their own drawing room.  Blunt was stationed with the servants, where he enjoyed Porter and where the Amsworth's saw to it that his needs were met.  Kit attended, and paid some attention to Mr Wells until she noticed the Viscount, at which point poor Mr Wells became quite neglected by her, to no avail since to the Viscount she was quite shockingly provincial.  As tea progressed, the beautiful Lady Hadbury arrived and joined the company, her hair short cropped and shockingly clad in trousers.  She appalled the Viscount with her candid admission of having taken a Martian lover, and her claim that with the new century but eleven years away it was time for women to take their place as equals of men, with votes and with lives of their own and with the right to wear trousers in company.  The Viscount was rendered near speechless, though Miss Pennington-Smythe at times did not look wholly disapproving.

At last, the evening of the ball arrived, the Viscount in his full dress uniform, Blunt pressed into service as a waiter, Miss Pennington-Smythe and Mr Wells both dressed for the occasion.  As they mingled with the assorted guests, the Viscount noted a young Indian fellow trailing behind his good friend the Crown Prince, seemingly badgering his Royal Highness.  Going to speak with them, the prince asked the Viscount to deliver him from this annoying personage who insisted in speaking to him of Indian partition and its relevance to the Martian experience, the Viscount therefore took swift action and delivered the frightful foreign bore to Mr Wells.  The prince was duly grateful, not being a man best minded to political discourse. 

Miss Pennington-Smythe danced briefly with Mr Byrnes, but showed herself to sadly possess two left feet, a trait that did not seem to wholly quell Mr Byrne's interest.  Wells had danced with a woman named Pippa Farmer, whom he fortunately noticed was married and possibly looking for a fling.  Mr Wells made hjs excuses and left her to other, less scrupulous, men.  The Viscount was forced to dance with Lady Hadbury, who used the occasion of a seemingly interminable highland reel to recount to him in excessively specific detail the nature of Martian biology and anatomy. 

Later, speaking to Sir Willoughby, the Viscount and Blunt learned that the FCO on Earth had sent an Indian delegation to Mars to show how much India had profited from British rule so as to allay Martian concerns, the delegation included however a pair of open anarchists intent on Indian independence who had somehow persuaded the FCO that they were suitable for inclusion in the mission.  The fellow speaking to the prince was one such, and had already handed over a history of the British partition of India.  Guards were summoned, and Mr Khan dismissed to the great indignation of Mr Wells who had formed a liking for the fellow and who then intervened with Freddie Byrnes taking responsibility for the chap.  Wells departed with Mr Khan, briefly encountering Khan's friend the lawyer Rajiv Gupta, and Wells and Khan then spent the evening drinking and engaging in friendly debate about their respective politics, before moving on to matters of greater import such as literature and cricket.

The Viscount ended the evening drinking with kindred spirit Major Rodney Billingham, who advised him that with Lady Hadbury it was best to always act as if shocked or always act as if bored, but nothing between.  The two ended the evening by visiting a Martian house of ill repute with which Major Billingham was already familiar, and in which the Viscount was inducted into the ways of Martian love.  Billingham was last seen throwing shot glasses at servants to see how well they dodged.

The party ended, the company dispersed, each spent the next day packing, Miss Pennington-Smythe wistfully including a pair of trousers among her garments, despite Mrs Amsworth's advice that a lady should never wear such a garment...