.

"Mr. Clewe," said she, when he had called upon her the next morning
after his return, "suppose you were to hear bad news from the Dipsey,
or were to hear nothing at all--were to get no answer to your
messages--what would you do?"

His face grew troubled.

"That is a terrible question," he said. "It is one I have often asked
myself; but there is no satisfactory answer to it. Of course, as I
have told myself and have told you, there seems no reason to expect a
disaster. There are no storms in the quiet depths in which the Dipsey is
sailing. Ice does not sink down from the surface, and even if a floating
iceberg should turn over, as they sometimes do in the more open sea, the
Dipsey will keep low enough to avoid such danger. In fact, I feel almost
sure that if she should meet with any obstacle which would prevent her
from keeping on her course to the pole, all she would have to do would
be to turn around and come back. As to the possibility of receiving no
messages, I should conclude in that case that the wire had broken, and
should wait a few days before allowing myself to be seriously alarmed.
We have provided against such an accident. The Dipsey is equipped as a
cable-laying vessel, and if her broken wire is not at too great a
depth, she could recover it; but I have given orders that should such
an accident occur, and they cannot reestablish communication, they must
return."

"Where to?" asked Mrs. Raleigh.

"To Cape Tariff, of course. The Dipsey cannot navigate the surface of
the ocean for any considerable distance."

"And then?" she asked.

"I would go as quickly as possible to St. John's, where I have arranged
that a vessel shall be ready for me, and I would meet the party at Cape
Tariff, and there plan for a resumption of the enterprise, or bring them
home. If they should not be able to get back to Cape Tariff, then all is
blank before me. We must not think of it."

"But you will go up there all the same?" she said.

"Oh yes, I will go there."

Mrs. Raleigh made no answer, but sat looking upon the floor.

"But why should we trouble ourselves with these fears?" continued Clewe.
"We have considered all probable dangers and have provided against them,
and at this moment everything is going on admirably, and there is every
reason why we should feel hopeful and encouraged. I am sorry to see you
look so anxious and downcast."

"Mr. Clewe," said she, "I have many anxieties; that is natural, and I
cannot