heir explorations on solid ground. She did not
want to come back until she had seen the pole, but some of her ideas
about that kind of travelling were getting to be a good deal more fixed
than they had been.

The advice which Roland Clewe gave to Samuel Block was simple enough and
perhaps unnecessary, but there was noshing else for him to say. He urged
that the strictest watch be kept on Rovinski; that he should never be
allowed to go near the telegraph instrument; and if, by insubordination
or any bad conduct, a pretext for his punishment should offer itself,
he should be immediately shut up where he could not communicate with the
men. It was very important to keep him as much as possible in ignorance
of what was going on and of what should be accomplished; that, after
all, was the main point. If the pole should be discovered, Rovinski
must have nothing to do with it. Sammy replied that everything should he
reported as soon as it turned up, and any orders received from Mr. Clewe
should be carried out so long as he was alive to help carry them.

"Now," said Roland to Margaret, "there's nothing more that we can do
in regard to that affair. As soon as there are any new developments we
shall have to consider it again, but until then let us give up our whole
souls to each other and the Artesian ray."

"It seems to me," said she, "that if we could have discovered a good
while ago some sort of ray by which we could see into each other's
souls, we should have gained a great many hours which are now lost."

"Not at all," replied Clewe; "they are not lost. In our philosophy,
nothing is lost. All the joys we have missed in days that are past shall
be crowded into the days that are to come."

CHAPTER IX. THE ARTESIAN RAY

In less than a week after the engagement of Roland Clewe and Margaret
Raleigh work on the great machine which was to generate the Artesian
ray had so far progressed that it was possible to make some preliminary
experiments with it. Although Clewe was sorry to think of the very
undesirable companion which Samuel Block had carried with him into the
polar regions, he could not but feel a certain satisfaction when he
reflected that there was now no danger of Rovinski gaining any knowledge
of the momentous operations which he had in hand in Sardis. He had
had frequent telegrams from Sammy, but no trouble of any kind had yet
arisen. It was true that the time for trouble, if there were to be any,
had proba