heir very feet, illuminating with its
radiance every object within its focus, down to the tiniest shell upon
the beach. Esmay, startled, clung to her husband's arm.

"What is it?" she asked, but he could not answer her.

Yet as they gazed upon the new star, insensibly they became comforted.
Whatever this prodigy foretold, it could not be an omen of lasting evil.
Had they not seen for themselves that, even in the worst of worlds,
righteousness and justice and truth had been something more than names.
Doom had fallen; for more than a twelvemonth the ruins had smouldered,
and to-day they were but the harmless haunt of bat and badger. And the
world relieved of that intolerable incubus, and recovered of its purging
and cleansing sickness, had started once more upon its appointed
path--slowly, indeed, at the first, but ever onward and upward.

"It is only one more of the things that we cannot understand," said
Constans at the last. "But we who love need not fear."

He drew his wife's face to his own, and there, full in the radiance of
the unknown star, he kissed her on the lips.

* * * * *

Early that same evening Sub-Lieutenant Jarvison, watch-officer of the
electric cruiser _Erebus_, reported to his commander that a landfall had
been made six points away on the port bow. Captain Laws immediately
hastened to the bridge of the vessel and ordered that the engines be
stopped and the customary signals shown. But no reply was received to
the rockets displaying the red, green, and white colors of the Antarctic
Republican Navy; apparently the country was not inhabited. Yet to make
sure, the search-light was put in requisition. Up and down, from side to
side, swept the giant beam, and now they could see that the land on the
left rose gradually into a considerable headland. Beyond opened the wide
waters of what must be a great bay. Captain Laws reflected for a moment,
and then gave another order to his executive.

Under half speed, and with a leadsman in the chains, the _Erebus_ moved
steadily towards the unknown coast.

THE END

* * * * *

TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS CORRECTED

The following typographical errors in the text were corrected as
detailed here.

In the text: "It was only necessary to dampen these sponges to ensure
a perfect discharge of the electrical current passing through the
head-rest ..." the word "ensue" was corrected to "ensure."

Some