r Parmenter," said Lennard, with a
gravity which made Auriole raise her eyelids quickly, "but whether I
have found a comet so far unknown to astronomy or not, is quite another
matter. Thanks to that splendid instrument of yours, I have found a
something in a part of the heavens where no comet, not even a star, has
even been seen yet, and, speaking in all seriousness, I may say that
this discovery contradicts all calculations as to the orbits and
velocities of any known comet. That is what I have been thinking about
all night."

"What?" said Auriole, looking up again. "Really something quite
unknown?"

"Unknown except to the three people sitting at this table, unless
another miracle has happened--I mean such a one as happened in the case
of the discovery of Neptune which, as of course you know, Adams at
Cambridge and Le Verrier at Paris--"

"Yes, yes," said Auriole, "two men who didn't know each other; both
looked for something that couldn't be seen, and found it. If you've done
anything like that, Mr Lennard, I reckon Poppa will have good cause to
be proud of his reflector--"

"And of the man behind it," added her father. "A telescope's like a gun;
no use without a good man behind it. Well, if that's so, Mr Lennard,
this discovery of yours ought to shake the world up a bit."

"From what I have seen so far," replied Lennard, "I have not the
slightest doubt that it will."

"And when may I see this wonderful discovery of yours, Mr Lennard," said
Auriole, "this something which is going to be so important, this
something that no one else's eyes have seen except yours. Really, you
know, you've made me quite longing to get a sight of this stranger from
the outer wilderness of space."

"If the night is clear enough, I may hope to be able to introduce you to
the new celestial visitor about a quarter-past eleven to-night, or to be
quite accurate eleven hours, sixteen minutes and thirty-nine seconds
p.m."

"I think that's good enough, Auriole," said her father. "If the heavens
are only kind enough, we'll go up to the observatory and, as Mr Lennard
says, see something that no one else has ever seen."

"And then," laughed Auriole, "I suppose you will have achieved the
second ambition of your life. You have already piled up a bigger heap of
dollars than anybody else in the world, and by midnight you will have
seen farther into Creation than anybody else. But you will let me have
the first look, won't you?"

"Why, certai