ther, thin and fleecy at first, but growing heavier as the afternoon
passed, until by evening the heavens were completely obscured. This was
a condition that might last for several days, and the dread of it filled
me with despair. How could I wait for days inactive, without seeing or
even hearing from my friend in Mars?

It now occurred to me how absolutely absorbed I had become in the
Martian investigation. Ordinarily a sociable person, in the past week I
had become a recluse. College friends that I had seen almost daily since
my return to Paris, I now completely neglected, even shunned, lest they
should call at my rooms some evening when I was in wave contact with
Mars. It also occurred to me that, as surely as my friendship and
necessity for them was declining, in like ratio was increasing an
attachment for an inhabitant of another world. I felt a strange soul
kinship for this Martian, which seemed to spring up the moment I saw his
image portrayed on my instrument. And the feeling was not one of
ordinary friendship. I felt I was drawn to him by some mysterious power,
that gave him the place of a brother in my affections--a power that
seemed to have brought us together, and now united us with a great
common and compelling interest. And yet as I pictured his handsome,
almost beautiful face, there was still another face I had seen--but
where? The Martian had been alone, yet I was conscious of a face that
was wonderfully beautiful, that seemed the goal for which I was
striving. It led me to greater effort after failure; the face which I
yearned to see and yet strangely dreaded seeing.

It was useless for me to try to understand such thoughts, and to banish
them from my mind was impossible. I was overcome with a sense of
loneliness. Looking at my watch, I found that it was already past the
hour when Mars would be visible through the window on a clear night,
but, alas, the sky showed no signs of clearing; though my instrument
stood ready, it was useless.

But, obeying some irresistible impulse, I decided to turn on the current
and stand by the instrument in case an opening in the clouds should
occur, for even a moment. I therefore turned the switch that controlled
the current, and immediately, to my astonishment, the surface of wires
became as brilliant as on the previous evening under a clear sky.
Turning away for a moment, to allow my eyes to become accustomed to the
brilliancy, I noticed that the sky was still overcas