, and
the light of the little hand-lanthorn she had placed on the doorstep
scarcely sufficed for her purpose.

At last all was ready, and then silence followed--profound
silence--while the brother's eyes swept the heavens, and scanned the
surface of that pale, mysterious satellite of our earth, whose familiar
face looks down on us month by month, and by whose wax and wane we
measure our passing time by a sure and unfailing guide.

Caroline Herschel took no notice of the few bystanders who paused to
wonder what the gentleman was doing. She stood waiting for his word to
note down in her book the calculation of the height of the particular
mountain in the moon to which the telescope was directed.

Presently he exclaimed, "I have it!--write."

And as Caroline turned to enter the figures dictated to her, a gentleman
who was passing paused.

"May I be allowed to look into that telescope, madam?" he asked.

Caroline only replied in a low voice:

"Wait, sir; he has not finished. He is in the midst of an abstruse
problem."

"I have it--I have it!" was the next exclamation. "Write. It is the
highest of the range. There is snow on it--and--yes, I am pretty sure.
Now, Caroline, we will mount again, and I will make some observations on
the nebulae--the night is so glorious."

"William, this gentleman asks if he may be allowed to look into the
telescope."

"Certainly--certainly, sir. Have you never seen her by the help of a
reflector before?"

"No, never; that is to say, by the help of any instrument so gigantic as
this."

William Herschel tossed back his then abundant hair, and said:

"Gigantic!--nay, sir; the giant is to come. This is the pigmy, but now
stand here, and I will adjust the lens to your sight--so! Do you see?"

"Wonderful!" was the exclamation after a minute's silence. "Wonderful!
May I, sir, introduce myself as Dr. Watson, and may I follow up this
acquaintance by a call to-morrow?"

"You will do me great honour, sir; and if you care for music, be with us
to-morrow at three o'clock, when my sister there will discourse some
real melody, if so it should please you. Is it not so, Caroline?"

"There will be more attractive music than mine, brother," Miss Herschel
said.

"I doubt it, if, as I hear," said Dr. Watson, with a low bow, "the
musical world finds in Miss Herschel a worthy successor to the fair
Linley, who has made Sheridan happy--maybe happier than he deserves!"

Caroline Herschel bowed i