Page:A thousand years hence. Being personal experiences (IA thousandyearshen00gree).djvu/412

 were it not that, at once, I recognized it all, as no other than the delicious music of the children we had so lately left behind us in the sun. Were we then safe back already to solar terra firma? There seemed no possible mistake in the matter, and I was just turning, most penitentially, to express my gratitude to our matchless leader, when another voice, streaming into my all-attent ears, at once sent my thoughts into an entirely different direction, for the solution of the problem.

Although I failed to catch the precise words, I could not for one moment doubt the tone. It was indeed no other than my dearest wife's voice. Were we, then, safe at home? Surely this was so, rather than the alternative of her having adventured to the sun to meet us. If that brave and noble White had just then stood visible before me, I could have fallen down and worshipped him.

But now there followed a fresh puzzle. Young Brown's voice also fell distinctly upon my ears. We could not possibly be at Mercury, and had he not waited for us as agreed upon? and how surprising to find him also here!

How surprising, indeed, it all was! But unquestionably we were safe home again, and I made a sign to young Brown to bring up a bottle of the best laboratorial vintage, in order to drink a bumper to White's health. Anon, I prepared myself to meet my wife, not wishing to put her out of countenance by any looks of assumption based upon the undoubted successes of our great expedition. Then my thoughts dashed off to the promising forthcoming publication, mingled, however, with the qualifying recollection,