fened by the terrific explosions, or blinded by the
flashes of lightning. Otherwise we could enjoy both of these electrical
displays without fear, as the metallic shell of the car was a good
protective screen. Certainly our flying machine would be an excellent
means of making observations in meteorology, from the sampling of
cirrus cloud to the chasing of a tornado.

The first sign of man we saw was a ship rolling in a storm off the
Hebrides; but apparently she was not in distress, else we should have
gone to her succour. How easy with such a car to rescue lives and
property from sinking ships, and even patrol the seas in search of them!

The sun was setting in purple and gold as we approached the English
coast, and although at our elevation we were still in sunshine, the
twilight had begun to gather over the distant land. The first sound we
heard was the moaning of the tide along the shore, and the mournful
sighing of the wind among the trees. Hills, fields, and woods lay
beneath us like a garden in miniature. The lamps and fires of lonely
villages and farmhouses twinkled like glow-worms in the dusk. A railway
train, with its white puff of smoke and lighted carriages, seemed to be
crawling like a fiery caterpillar along the ground; but in a few moments
we had left it far behind. As it grew darker and darker we descended
nearer to the surface. A herd of sheep stood huddled on the grass, and
stared at us; a flock of geese ran cackling into a farmyard; the
watch-dog barked and tugged furiously at his chain; a little boy
screamed with fright.

"That sounds homely," said the professor to Miss Carmichael and myself,
who were standing with him on the gallery outside the car. "It's the
sweetest music I've heard for many a day. Certainly Venus was a charming
place, but I for one am jolly glad to get home again."

Yes, I must confess that I too felt a deep and tranquil pleasure in
returning to the familiar scenes and the beloved soil of my infancy.

"You don't seem to care much for Venus," said Miss Carmichael to Gazen.
"Probably if you had been born there you would have liked it better."

"That may be. If you would like a place, it is well to be born in it."

"Perhaps if you are a good boy you will go to Venus when you die."

"I'm afraid it won't suit my mental constitution. They don't care for
science there, and I don't care for anything else. Mars would fit me
better, I imagine."

"Venus is my favourite," said Miss C