in his Works. His skilled artisans labored steadily day
and night.

It was ten days before he was ready to make his descent. Margaret was
still at the sea-shore. They had written to each other frequently, but
neither had made mention of the great shaft. Even when he was ready
to go down he said nothing to any one of any immediate intention of
descending. There was a massive door which covered the mouth of the pit;
this he ordered locked and went away.

The next morning he walked into the building a little earlier than was
his custom, called for the engineers, and for Mr. Bryce, who was to take
charge of everything connected with the descent, and announced that he
was going down as soon as preparations could be made.

Mr. Bryce and the men who were to assist him were very serious. They
said nothing that was not necessary. If their employer had been any
other man than Roland Clewe it is possible they might have remonstrated
with him. But they knew him, and they said and did nothing more than was
their duty.

The door of the shaft was removed, the car which had hung high above it
was lowered to the mouth of the opening, and Roland stepped within it
and seated himself. Above him and around him were placed geological
tools and instruments of many kinds; a lantern, food and drink;
everything, in fact, which he could possibly be presumed to need upon
this extraordinary journey. A telephone was at his side by which he
could communicate at any time with the surface of the earth. There were
electric bells; there was everything to make his expedition safe and
profitable. When he gave the word to start the engines, there were no
ceremonies, and nothing was said out of the common.

When the conical top of the car had descended below the surface, a steel
grating, with orifices for the passage of the chains, was let down over
the mouth of the shaft, and the downward journey was begun. In the
floor of the car were grated openings, through which Clewe could look
downward; but although the shaft below him was brilliantly illuminated
by electric lights placed under the car, it did not frighten him or make
him dizzy to look down, for the aperture did not appear to be very far
below him. The upper part of the car was partially open, and bright
lights shone upon the sides of the shaft.

As he slowly descended, he could see the various strata appearing and
disappearing in the order in which he knew them. Not far below the
surface he pa