this expedition of Tao's were destroyed, I don't see why that's
any guarantee another attempt would not be made. Miela doesn't, either,
and she ought to know.

"Besides, don't you see, Bob"--he turned to me earnestly--"I can't have
the eyes of the world turned on Miela and her affairs? Why, think of
it--this little woman sent to Washington, questioned, photographed,
written about, made sport of, perhaps, in the newspapers! And all for
nothing. It is unthinkable."

"You may be right, my boy," said the professor sadly. "I am giving in to
you, but I still--"

"The thing has come to me," said Alan. "A duty--a responsibility put
squarely up to me. I've accepted it. I'll do my best all the way."

A week after Alan and Miela were married the report came that the
Mercutians had suddenly departed, abandoning, after partly destroying,
their apparatus. The world for a few days was in trepidation, fearing a
report that they had landed somewhere else, but no such report came.

Three days later Alan and Miela followed them into space.

Professor Newland, Beth and I went up the bayou with them that morning
they left. We were a solemn little party, none of us seemingly wishing to
voice the thoughts that possessed us all.

Professor Newland never spoke once during the trip. When the moment of
final parting came he kissed Miela quietly, and, pressing Alan's hand,
said simply: "Good luck, my boy. We appreciate what you are doing for us.
Come back, some day, if you can."

Then he faced about abruptly and trudged back to the launch alone, as
pathetic a figure as I have ever seen. We all exchanged our last good-bys,
little Beth in tears clinging to Alan, and then kissing Miela and making
her promise some day to come back with Alan when he had accomplished his
mission.

Then they entered the vehicle. Its heavy door closed. A moment later it
rose silently--slowly at first, then with increasing velocity until we
could see it only as a little speck in the air above us. And then it was
gone.

CHAPTER XII.

THE LANDING ON MERCURY.

_(Narrative continued by Alan Newland.)_

With hardly more than a perceptible tremor our strange vehicle came to
rest upon the surface of Mercury. For a moment Miela and I stood regarding
each other silently. Then she left her station at the levers of the
mechanism and placed her hands gently on my shoulders. "You are welcome,
my husband, here to my world."

I kissed her glowing, earnest face