ire to straighten out her clothes.

Entering a wide passage, they turned to the right. It ended abruptly in
a room with several comfortable chairs. Three tables occupied the center
in uneven positions, the underparts filled with metal-covered books.
Two men of Morquil's race looked up at their approach.

Dick returned their friendly smile. When Dolores smiled they appeared
embarrassed; but truly greatly pleased. Barrow noticed that one of them
was examining a book in English; the illustrations seemed to fascinate
him.

A narrow passage, beyond the main cabin, led to the control room where
three men sat in swivel chairs. The instrument board was a marvel to
Dick, and he watched for several minutes. It would require months to
understand even a small portion of the gauges.

The ship was built with two decks, and a large hold beneath the lower
floor which contained the machinery. The strange men were quartered on
the lower level, with the exception of Morquil. His cabin was next to
the one occupied by the Barrows. The McCarthys were on the opposite side
of the passage, in a room slightly smaller than the one allotted to Dick
and his wife.

The quarters of the remainder of the party were smaller, but still quite
comfortable; all located farther back on the same passage.

* * * * *

Morquil was proud of the ship, and displayed each section with pride. He
opened every cupboard door, and showed them through all of the cabins.
They were stopped for a while, when they met Mrs. Yarbro, trying to
dispel her fear of the strange craft. The others appeared to be taking
their new quarters for granted, and settling down for the trip.

The main cabin was toward the front of the ship, while the dining room
was at the rear; the staterooms on the passage between. One stairway led
to the lower level, from just back of the control room, another from the
dining saloon. A ramp beneath the rear stairway led to the hold of the
ship. When they started down, Dolores returned to her cabin. Her
interest ended on the upper decks.

Dick spotted John, bending over one of the machines, so engrossed that
he didn't hear their approach. One of the crew stood nearby, watching.

When McCarthy saw Barrow, he nearly burst with enthusiasm. "This is the
greatest thing I've ever seen! Why, it almost _talks_! Do you know, this
little machine actually picks up the orders from the control room, and
_adjusts every machine down