I
shall not be asked to explain the inner action of the machine. That must
remain a secret; but some day I hope to show you even that."

"Thanks."

CHAPTER IV.

THE ELECTRIC ORRERY.

"Half-moon Junction! Change here for Venus, Mercury, the Earth, Mars,
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune!"

So I called in the style of a Clapham railway porter, as I entered the
observatory of Professor Gazen on the following night.

"What is the matter?" said he with a smile. "Are you imitating the
officials of the Universal Navigation Company in the distant future?"

"Not so distant as you may imagine," I responded significantly; and then
I told him all that I had seen and heard of the new flying machine.

The professor listened with serious attention, but manifested neither
astonishment nor scepticism.

"What do you think about it?" I asked. "What should I do in the case?"

"Well, I hardly know," he replied doubtfully. "It is rather out of my
line, and after my experience with Mars the other night, I am not
inclined to dogmatise. At all events, I should like to see and try the
machine before giving an opinion."

"I will arrange for that with the inventor."

"Possibly I can find out something about him from my American
friends--if he is genuine. What's his name again?"

"Carmichael--Nasmyth Carmichael."

"Nasmyth Carmichael," repeated Gazen, musingly. "It seems to me I've
heard the name somewhere. Yes, now I recollect. When I was a student at
Cambridge, I remember reading a textbook on physics by Professor Nasmyth
Carmichael, an American, and a capital book it was--beautifully simple,
clear, and profound like Nature herself. Professors, as a rule, and
especially professors of science, are not the best writers in the world.
Pity they can't teach the economy of energy without wasting that of
their readers. Carmichael's book was not a dead system of mathematics
and figures, but rather a living tale, with illustrations drawn from
every part of the world. I got far more help from it than the prescribed
treatises, and the best of that was a liking for the subject. I believe
I should have been plucked without it."

"The very man, no doubt."

"He was remarkably sane when he wrote that book, whatever he is now. As
to his character, that is another question. Given a work of science, to
find the character of the author. Problem."

"I shall proceed cautiously in the affair. Before I commit myself, I
must be satisfied by i