ecca
was wondering, half stunned, why she saw so many jumping lights, Si Pray
gazed open-mouthed at the ascension of a mysterious dark body apparently
aimed at the sky.

The Panchronicon had started.

CHAPTER IV

A CHANGE OF PLAN

It was long after their bed-time and the two sisters were utterly
exhausted; but as the mysterious structure within which they lay glided
northward between heaven and earth with the speed of a meteor, Rebecca
and Phoebe long courted sleep in vain.

The excitement of their past adventures, the unreal wonder of their
present situation, the bewildering possibilities and impossibilities of
their future plans--all these conspired to banish sleep until long past
midnight. It was not until, speeding due north with the unswerving
obedience of a magnet, their vessel was sailing far above the waters of
the upper Saguenay, that they at length sank to rest.

They were awakened next morning by a knocking upon Rebecca's door.

"It's pretty nigh eight-thirty," Droop cried. "I've got the kettle on
the range, but I don't know what to do nex'."

"What! Why! Who! Where! Sakes! what's this?"

Rebecca sat up in bed, unable to place herself.

"It's pretty nigh half-past eight," Copernicus repeated. "Long after
breakfast-time. I'm hungry!"

By this time Phoebe was wide awake.

"All right!" she cried. "We'll come in a minute."

Then Rebecca knew where she was--or rather realized that she did not
know. But fortunately a duty was awaiting her in the kitchen and this
steadied a mind which seemed to her to need some support in the midst of
these unwonted happenings.

Phoebe was the first to leave her bedroom. She had dressed with
frantic speed. In her haste to get to the windows and see the world from
the sky, she had secured her hair very imperfectly, and Droop was
favored with a charming display of bright locks, picturesquely
disarranged.

"Good-mornin', Cousin Phoebe," he said, with his suavest manner.

"Good-morning, Mr. Droop," Phoebe replied. "Where are we? Is
everything all right?"

She made straight for one of the windows the iron shutters of which were
now open.

"I wish't you'd call me Cousin Copernicus," Droop remarked.

"Oh--oh! What a beautiful world!"

Phoebe leaned her face close to the glass and gazed spell-bound at the
wonderful landscape spread before her.

The whole atmosphere seemed filled with a clear, cold sunlight whose
brilliance irradiated the giant sphere of