tained a cold and formal air in all his
intercourse with the latter gentleman, but after a time this wore away,
and the old relations, never very familiar, were resumed. Indeed, it
seemed at length that Professor Macadam had forgotten all about the
affair, or if he remembered it at all, did so only as of an exhibition
of foolishness which his own force and wisdom had checked forever. When
therefore Professor Morgan's book appeared it was read at once with
interest, as the work of a scientist, who, though not a veteran, was of
undeniable ability and good repute.

But when the book had been considered there was a literary earthquake!
Professor Macadam reviewed it, and sought to tear it, figuratively, limb
from limb! He was ably supported by other pundits everywhere. The point
upon which the debate hinged was a remarkable one.

As already indicated, Professor Morgan's standing as an astronomer was
undisputed, and Professor Macadam did not question the accuracy of his
reasoning, so far as mere computations went. It is known, even to the
non-scientific, that eclipses of the moon can be foretold with the
utmost accuracy; and not only this, but that astronomers can readily
determine, by the same methods reversed, when eclipses of the moon have
occurred at any time in the past. It was to one of Professor Morgan's
past eclipses that Professor Macadam objected.

In a long-ago issue of a great foreign review, M. Camille Flammarion,
the French astronomer, advanced the view that this globe has been
inhabited twenty-two millions of years, which is accepted by other
scientists as a fair estimate. It is also admitted that the moon was at
one time part of the earth, and was hurled off into space before the
crust upon this body had fairly cooled. Of course, there is no way of
fixing the exact date of this interesting event, but for the sake of
convenience it is put at about one hundred millions of years ago. It may
have been a little earlier or a little later. But that does not matter.

In the table of dates of past eclipses in Professor Morgan's book he
referred to a certain eclipse of the moon which occurred about two
hundred millions of years before Christ, and not a flaw could be
discovered in his figuring. But Professor Macadam did not hesitate to
make a charge. He asserted with great vehemence that as there was no
moon two hundred millions of years before Christ, there could have been
no eclipse of the moon. Had there been an ec