watched Droop as he walked toward the pole. He raised the
huge iron ring, snapping over it a special coupling hook fixed to the
end of the rope.

Then he backed toward the vessel, unrolling the coil of rope as he moved
away from the pole. Evidently they were within the forty-foot limit from
the pole, for Droop had some rope to spare when he at length reached
under the machine to attach the end to a ring which the sisters could
not see.

He emerged from beneath the bulging side of the vessel swinging his
arms and blowing a mighty volume of steam, which turned to snow as it
left him. As he made directly for the entrance again, Phoebe ran to
the kitchen.

"Poor man, he'll be perished!" she exclaimed.

As Droop entered the room, bringing with him a bitter atmosphere,
Phoebe appeared with a large cup of hot tea.

"Here, Mr. Droop," she said, "drink this quick!"

Copernicus pulled off his cap and sat down to drink his tea without a
word. When he had finished it, he pulled back his chair with a sigh.

"Whillikins! But 'twas cold!" he exclaimed. "Seems mos' like heaven to
get into a nice warm room like this!"

"An' did ye get every thin' done right?" Rebecca asked.

"I guess I did," he said, emphatically. "I don't want to take no two
bites out o' that kind o' cherry."

He rose and proceeded to remove his fur coverings.

"Goin' to start right now?" said Phoebe.

"Might's well, I guess."

He proceeded to the engine-room, followed by Phoebe, who watched his
actions with the greatest interest.

"What you doin' with that handle?" she asked.

"That sets the airyplane on the uptilt. I'm only settin' it a mite--jest
'nough to keep the machine from sinkin' down when we get to movin'."

"How are you goin' to lift us up?"

"Just let out a mite o' gas below," said Droop. He suited the action to
the word, and, with a tremendous hissing beneath it, the vessel rose
slowly.

Droop pulled the starting lever and they moved forward with increasing
speed. When they had gathered way, he shut off the gas escape and
carefully readjusted the aeroplanes until the machine as a whole moved
horizontally.

There was felt a slight jerk as they reached the end of the rope, and
then they began to move in a circle from east to west.

Phoebe glanced at the clock.

"Just five minutes past eight," she said.

The sun was pouring its beams into the right-hand windows when they
started, but the shafts of light now began to sweep circula