uick, or we may blind them."

Before she had ceased speaking, Redgrave had sent a signal down to
Murgatroyd, and the _Astronef_ began to drop back again towards the
surface of the cloud-sea. Zaidie had, meanwhile, gone to her lady guest
and dropped the black lace mantilla over her head, and, as she did so,
she caught herself saying:

"There, dear, we shall soon be back in your own light. I hope it hasn't
hurt you. It was very stupid of us to do a thing like that."

The answer came in a little cooing murmur, which said, "Thank you!"
quite as effectively as any earthly words could have done, and then the
_Astronef_ passed through the cloud-sea. The soaring forms of her lost
escort came into view again and clustered about her; and, surrounded by
them, she dropped, in obedience to their signs, down between the
tremendous mountains and towards the island, thick with golden foliage,
which lay two or three Earth-miles out in a bay, where four converging
rivers spread out through a vast estuary into the sea.

As Lady Redgrave said afterwards to Mrs. Van Stuyler, she could have
filled a whole volume with a description of the exquisitely arcadian
delights with which the hours of the next ten days and nights were
filled. Possibly if she had been able to do justice to them, even her
account might have been received with qualified credence; but still some
idea of them may be gathered from this extract of a conversation which
took place in the saloon of the _Astronef_ on the eleventh evening.

"But look here, Zaidie," said Redgrave, "as we've found a world which is
certainly much more delightful than our own, why shouldn't we stop here
a bit? The air suits us and the people are simply enchanting. I think
they like us, and I'm sure you're in love with every one of them, male
and female. Of course, it's rather a pity that we can't fly unless we do
it in the _Astronef_. But that's only a detail. You're enjoying yourself
thoroughly, and I never saw you looking better or, if possible, more
beautiful; and why on Earth--or Venus--do you want to go?"

She looked at him steadily for a few moments, and with an expression
which he had never seen on her face or in her eyes before, and then she
said slowly and very sweetly, although there was something like a note
of solemnity running through her tone:

"I altogether agree with you, dear; but there is something which you
don't seem to have noticed. As you say, we have had a perfectly
delig