's a good job though that he has gone."

Then the winter came, with glorious, clear, starry nights, when the cold
was forgotten, and Tom had his share of feasting upon the wonders of the
heavens with the small telescope. Now it would be an hour with the
great Nebula in Orion, then one with the wondrous Ring Nebula. Another
night would be devoted to the double, triple, and quadruple stars, those
which, though single to the naked eye, when viewed by the help of the
glass showed that they were two, three, or four, perfectly separate.
Then the various colours were studied, and diamond-like Sirius was
viewed, as well as his ruby, topaz, sapphire, and emerald companions in
the great sphere. The moon was journeyed over at every opportunity,
with her silvery, pumice-like craters, and greyish-bottomed ring-plains,
surrounded by their mighty walls of twelve to seventeen thousand feet in
height. Tycho and Copernicus, with their long silvery rays; brilliant
Aristarchus; dark, deep Plato; the straight valley, the so-called seas,
the smooth, round, smaller craters, isolated Pico, the ridges, and the
wildly-rugged battlements upon the terminator--all were scanned in turn,
with Tom's thirst increasing every time he looked.

For there was always something new to see, as well as plenty of
surprises, when some meteor suddenly shot across the field of the
telescope. But Uncle Richard said--

"Wait till we get the big one done!"

Saturn became a favourite object with Tom, who was never weary of gazing
at the bright ring of light spread around the planet, which he could
almost fancy he saw spinning as it glided across the field of the glass.
Jupiter and his four moons, the former dull and scored with rings, the
latter brilliant specks, had their turn; and soon books, which he had
before looked upon as tedious and dry, became of intense interest; but
Uncle Richard said that they must have a more perfect plane mirror.

Then came a bright wintry day, when Tom was out having a brisk run, and
to his surprise he came upon Pete Warboys, who made a rush into the
woods and disappeared, leaving his dog behind.

"Then he has come back," said Tom to himself; and he stared at the dog,
which stood looking at him--and the whole scene of the fight, and then
the surgical operation upon the dog's nose, came back.

"Then you did get well again, old chap," said Tom sharply.

That was enough: the dog rushed forward, barking loudly, danced round
him,