by John Munro
CHAPTER XIII.
HOME AGAIN.
We owed our salvation to Mr. Carmichael. The firing of our magazinerifles, followed by the news of our perilous situation, had roused himfrom his lethargy. Although still unable to speak, he had contrived bymeans of his eyes to make his daughter understand that he wished anotherdose of oxygen. When she was about to administer it, he called herattention to the fact that in expanding as it issued from the cylinder,the gas became very cold. She caught his meaning instantly, and onapplying the gas to the sensitive parts of the machinery had succeededin cooling and releasing them.
It seems that Carmichael, in order to save time, had been working theengines at an unusually high speed, which, together with the heat of thesun, had caused them to jam. Their enforced rest had of itself allowedthem to cool somewhat, and by reducing the speed until we reached acooler region, they did not stick again.
Carmichael recovered from his illness, and the journey to the earth wasaccomplished without accident. We landed safely on some undiscoveredislands in the Arctic Circle, and after a flying visit to the North Polein the vicinity, we bore away for England, keeping as high over the seaas possible to escape notice. Going southward we passed through allsorts of weather, thick snow, hurricanes of wind and rain, dry or wetfogs, and so forth; but it made no difference to us. CrossingSpitzbergen, the car was frosted over with ice needles, which, however,were soon thawed by a warmer current of air. Between Iceland and thecoast of Norway we glided through a magnificent aurora borealis thatcovered the whole sky with a luminous curtain, and made us fancy we hadfloated unawares into the fabulous Niffleheim of the old Scandinaviangods. Near the Faroe Islands we dashed into a violent thunderstorm, andwere almost deafened by the terrific explosions, or blinded by theflashes of lightning. Otherwise we could enjoy both of these electricaldisplays without fear, as the metallic shell of the car was a goodprotective screen. Certainly our flying machine would be an excellentmeans of making observations in meteorology, from the sampling ofcirrus cloud to the chasing of a tornado.
The first sign of man we saw was a ship rolling in a storm off theHebrides; but apparently she was not in distress, else we should havegone to her succour. How easy with such a car to rescue lives andproperty from sinking ships, and even patrol the seas in search of them!
The sun was setting in purple and gold as we approached the Englishcoast, and although at our elevation we were still in sunshine, thetwilight had begun to gather over the distant land. The first sound weheard was the moaning of the tide along the shore, and the mournfulsighing of the wind among the trees. Hills, fields, and woods laybeneath us like a garden in miniature. The lamps and fires of lonelyvillages and farmhouses twinkled like glow-worms in the dusk. A railwaytrain, with its white puff of smoke and lighted carriages, seemed to becrawling like a fiery caterpillar along the ground; but in a few momentswe had left it far behind. As it grew darker and darker we descendednearer to the surface. A herd of sheep stood huddled on the grass, andstared at us; a flock of geese ran cackling into a farmyard; thewatch-dog barked and tugged furiously at his chain; a little boyscreamed 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 thesweetest music I've heard for many a day. Certainly Venus was a charmingplace, but I for one am jolly glad to get home again."
Yes, I must confess that I too felt a deep and tranquil pleasure inreturning 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 forscience there, and I don't care for anything else. Mars would fit mebetter, I imagine."
"Venus is my favourite," said Miss Carmichael.
"Well, then, it's good enough for me," responded Gazen.
Their talk set me thinking of Alumion, and my strange fancy that I hadknown her in another world. Suddenly it occurred to me that in many ofher ways and looks she bore a singular resemblance to my first love, whohad died in childhood. That was nearly seventeen years ago.Seventeen--it was just the age of Alumion. Could it be possible that sheand Alumion were one and the same soul?
"I should like to go back to Venus," said Miss Carmichael. "We can gothere now at any time."
"Of course we can," replied Gazen; "and to Mars as well. Your father'sinvention opens up a bewildering prospect of complications in theuniverse. So long as each planet was isolated, and left to manage itsown affairs, the politics of the solar system were comparatively simple;but what will they be when one globe interferes with another? Think of aGerman fleet of ether-ships on the prowl for a cosmical empire,bombarding Womla, and turning it into a Prussian fortress, or anemporium for cheap goods."
"Father was talking of that very matter the other night," said MissCarmichael, "and he declared that rather than see any harm come to Womlahe would keep his invention a secret--at all events for a thousand yearslonger."
We had glided rapidly across the Black Country, with its furnaces andforges blazing in the darkness, and now the dull red glow of themetropolis was visible on the horizon. Half-an-hour later we descendedin the garden of Carmichael's cottage, and found everything as snug aswhen we had left it.
Leaving my fellow-travellers there, I took the train for London, and wasdriven to my club, where I intended to sleep. It was a raw wet evening,and in spite of a certain joy at being home again, I could not helpfeeling that my heart was no longer here, but in another planet. Afterthe sublime deserts of space, and the delightful paradise of Womla, thebusy streets, the blinding glare of the lamps, the splashing vehicles,the blatant newspaper men, the swarms of people crossing each other'spaths, and occasionally kicking each other's heels, everyone intent onhis own affairs of business or pleasure, were disenchanting, to say theleast. I seemed to have awakened from a beautiful dream, and fallen intoa dismal nightmare.
In the smoking-room of the club the first person I saw was my friend theViscount, who was sitting just where I had left him on the night westarted for Venus, with his glass of toddy before him, and a cigarbetween his lips.
"Hallo!" he exclaimed on seeing me. "Haven't seen you for sometime--must be nearly two months. Been abroad? You look brown."
"Yes."
"Well, suppose we finish our game of chess."
"With pleasure."
"You remember the wager--a thousand to a hundred sovereigns that I win."
He was the better player, and although I had a slight advantage in thegame as it stood, I was by no means certain of winning, especially as Iwas tired and sleepy; but ever since my sojourn in Venus, my intellecthad been unusually clear and active. I played as I had never playedbefore, and in three moves had won the wager.
"That will pay my travelling expenses," said I, pocketing his cheque.
* * * * *
I ought perhaps to mention that Professor Gazen carried out hisintention of reading a paper to the Royal Astronomical Society on hisalleged discovery of a diurnal nutation or "wobbling" of the planetVenus; but I regret to say that owing to preconceived opinions andpersonal prejudices, his ingenious theory met with a reception far belowits merits. By the terms of our agreement he was forbidden to divulgethe secret of our expedition until my own account appeared, but sometelescopic observations he had made since coming home had provided himwith independent proofs.
"Do you think Professor Possil will be present?" said I to him, as wedined together before we went to the meeting.
"Sure to be," replied Gazen. "He never misses an opportunity ofattacking me. 'Tis the nature of the animal. But I flatter myself Ishall get the laugh on him this time."
The hall was full. The hearty welcom
e of the Fellows showed their highappreciation of Professor Gazen, and made me feel quite proud of hisacquaintance. They listened to his discourse on the movements of Venus,and his new hypothesis, with all the solemnity of a Roman senatedeliberating on the destiny of a nation. When he had finished in a salvoof applause, the president, a man of grave and dignified demeanour, asbecame his office, complimented the author on his communication, whichfrom the startling novelty of the subject would, he believed, give riseto an interesting discussion, and after calling on Professor Possil, heresumed his chair. That illustrious man, whose insignificant appearancebelied his fame, responded to the invitation with a show of reluctance,from a conspicuous place in the front row of the audience, andimmediately assailed the new hypothesis in his most uncompromisingfashion.
"Never in his experience of the Society," he said, "and never perhaps inthe history of astronomy, had an alleged discovery of such magnitude andconsequence been promulgated on the strength of such flimsy evidence;"and after traversing in detail all the arguments of his opponent, hedeclared it his firm conviction that the effects which Professor Gazenhad thought fit to advance as a "discovery," were neither more nor lessthan an optical illusion, not to say a mental hallucination.
Judging from the applause which greeted his remarks, the majority of hishearers were evidently of the same opinion.
A grim smile settled on my companion's face, and I could see that hemaintained his temper with increasing difficulty, as one speaker afteranother delivered his mind in much the same sarcastic style ofcriticism.
At length his turn came to make a reply.
"Mr. President and gentlemen," said he with an air of smilingconfidence, "at this late hour I do not propose to occupy the meetingwith a refutation of all the various comments of the distinguishedFellows who have spoken; but as my learned friend, Professor Possil, hasthought fit to charge me with bringing my discovery before the Societyon insufficient grounds, I think it right to say that I possess muchmore conclusive evidence, which for the present, circumstances haveprevented me from laying before you."
"Mr. President," exclaimed the celebrated Possil, starting to his feet,"I should like to ask whether it is altogether in good faith for aFellow of this Society to bring forward what he calls a discovery, andkeep back the most important part of the proof. Might I enquire of theauthor of the paper what is the nature of this suppressed evidence?"
"Simply that I have been there," answered Gazen, forgetting his promiseto me in the excitement of the combat.
"Where?" demanded the astonished Possil.
"Venus."
There was a loud burst of sceptical laughter.
"I think, sir," said Professor Possil to the Chair, with exasperatingcoolness, "I think, sir, that after the astounding revelation of thelearned professor, we shall be perfectly justified in concluding onsufficient evidence that the professor's head, and not the planet Venus,has been 'wobbling' of late."
"What I say is true," cried Gazen, nettled at this rude insinuation.
Cries of "Order, order," "withdraw," "apologise," resounded on everyside.
"I cannot apologise for the truth," retorted Gazen hotly.
"Mr. President," continued the pugnacious and imperturbable Fossil, "Iventure to submit that the preposterous assertions we have just heardare better adapted to a meeting of the Fellows of Colney Hatch than ofthis Society, and I beg to move that our unfortunate friend be calledupon to leave the meeting in charge of some responsible person, who willconduct him safely to his home, and deliver him into the custody of hisfriends."
"Come on! They're a pack of fools!" cried Gazen to me hoarsely, as,followed by the jeers of his companions, he arose and left the room.
* * * * *
I have only to add that Professor Gazen and Miss Carmichael are aboutto be married. For myself, as soon as the ceremony is over I shallreturn to Venus and Alumion.
THE END.
