true that I had, ah, travelled all the
way to Mars and back again in, ah, a vessel of our own construction?"

All the time he was speaking he was performing the operation known as
"washing the hands with invisible soap," a trick which always has an
irritating effect upon my nerves.

In answer to his question I said, "It was quite true that I had been to
Mars," and mentioned a few particulars of our trip.

Mr. Googery then put a few questions to me, and, as I replied, he
interjected after almost every sentence that I spoke, "Ah! h'm, yes,
just so," James Snayleye sitting by all the time with a sneering grin
upon his face which I found very aggravating.

When I had told them as much as I thought necessary, they both started
cross-examining me in such an impertinent and sceptical manner that at
length I became extremely irritated, and declined to answer any more
questions. Whereupon Dr. Loonem proceeded to wash his hands again,
saying in an oily manner, as though addressing a child, "Pray, ah, don't
excite yourself, my dear sir; don't, ah, excite yourself! You know, ah,
it's not good for you!"

This was too much for flesh and blood to bear, so I rose and said that
as I had an important engagement to attend to, I could not spare any
more time that day, at the same time ringing the bell for Mrs. Challen
to show them out.

She did so, and returned in a state of indignation, saying, she did not
like those people at all, they were so rude; and that as they were
passing through the doorway she heard the doctor say, "It's a clear case
enough; did you notice the gleam in his eyes? that alone is sufficient
to settle it!" To this Mr. Googery had replied, "Ah, h'm, yes, just so!"

"Well, Mrs. Challen," I said, "please understand that if either of those
people calls again, I am not at home."

"Certainly, sir," she answered with great alacrity, as she went out of
the room.

It was no mere excuse, but perfectly correct, when I told those people I
had an important engagement to attend to. An old friend of mine, Sir
Lockesley Halley, was President of the Dedlingtonian Astronomical
Society, and, after hearing my account of Mars, said he would be very
glad if I could attend the meeting of his Society on the following
evening and give a short address on the subject.

I was rather averse from this, as the Society was not a large one,
though it had several clever men in it, and I knew that the
professionals who controlled it, and