ourney. The
altitude they maintained was very little more or less than three
thousand feet, and the wind continued from the south at the rate of
twenty or thirty miles per hour. The outside temperature was balmy and
bracing during the day, so that the balcony afforded them a splendid
promenade, where they spent hours daily, exercising in walking round and
round the spacious cabin, and studying the topography of the country.
Frequent trips were also made to the observatory, and sitting there with
the windows open was very inspiring, as well as comfortable. To thus
sit in so elevated a place with the windows wide open, while in a state
of perspiration, the result of climbing the long stairway, would seem to
have been the height of imprudence. But we must remember that such a
thing as a breeze or draft of air was never felt on board the Silver
Cloud while in motion. The great ship went exactly with the wind, and at
precisely the same rate of speed. So, whether the wind blew one or a
hundred miles an hour, it was always a dead calm aboard the Silver
Cloud.

"This is the ideal place for all catarrhal and pulmonary cases,"
declared Dr. Jones. "I shall always prescribe a trip in Silver Cloud for
this class of patients hereafter."

"I fully believe in its efficacy," said Professor Gray. "But I fear that
it will be too expensive a prescription for many of your poor patients."

"That's the trouble, that's the trouble," assented the Doctor, shaking
his head sadly. "Millions are yearly dying that might be saved by this
and other means on the same line. But the blindness and selfishness of
mankind is so absolute and infernal that but little philanthropic work
of this sort can be done. There are some noble exceptions, or we should
have suffered the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah long since."

"But, Doctor, you believe that the world is getting better, do you not?"
asked Will.

"In what way?"

"Well, in every way. No one can doubt that in the arts and sciences more
has been done in the past fifty years than in all the previous history
of the world."

"Granted," assented the Doctor.

"All right. Then let us look at the social, moral, and spiritual sides
of the question. Socially, certainly, no period of history can compare
with the present. We are educating our children, feeding and clothing
them better than they ever were before in the world."

"I really think we are," again assented Dr. Jones.

"Well, then," cried Will, glow