seen anything to justify her suspicion, and you yourself
had never breathed a word to lend it colour. Carmichael and I sought to
question you about your health, and the influence of the sun and air
upon you, while Miss Carmichael tried to draw you on the subject of the
ladies. All in vain. We could not solve the mystery, and as your
condition was evidently growing worse and worse, we resolved to leave
the planet. Although it was not in the original programme, we had
sometimes talked of extending our journey to Mercury, so as to visit all
the inferior planets, and give me an opportunity of getting as near the
sun as possible for my observations, and this project was made the
pretext for hastening our departure.

"We submitted the plan to you, and you know the rest. After you had
given us your word of honour that you would break with the lady and
return home with us for the sake of your friends, after we had made all
our preparations to start, you came back at the eleventh hour, and
declared that you had made up your mind to stay behind. If anything had
been wanted to prove to us that you were hopelessly
infatuated--hypnotised--mad--it would have been that; and as we were
morally bound to fetch you back with us, we took the bull by the horns,
and carried you off in spite of yourself."

"You had no business to do anything of the kind," I replied hotly. "I am
chiefly responsible for this expedition."

"True; but you forget that Carmichael is the nominal leader, by your own
agreement, and we are all to some extent under his orders. I, too, was
bound in honour to bring you safe home if I could."

"Bound in honour to take care of _me_! You treat me like a baby."

"People don't come away on such an adventure as ours without a tacit if
not a formal understanding to protect each other to the best of their
ability, and besides, I had given my word to your friends that I would
do my best to help you through. When you come to your senses you will
acknowledge that we did right."

Despite my excusable anger and vexation, the calm and friendly
explanation of the professor was not without its effect on me. It was
true that I had broken my promise to my fellow-travellers; true that
Carmichael was commander of the expedition. I was myself at fault. And
yet what a disappointment! What would Alumion think of me! After all my
vows of eternal fidelity, uttered as they had been in that sacred spot,
I had sneaked away like a thief in the