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102 family life. Such a love is sacred. It leads to the founding and sustaining of the family, and to the moral purity of social life. This in turn reacts upon every phase of life, and marks us as a virtuous and happy people. In uniting these two in the bonds of conjugal affection we lay the foundation of another happy home. We do something more towards promoting the social order which has been a leading feature of our life for ages, and we add to the sum total of the enjoyment of life. Our young friends will now rise and clasp hands, saying, 'We two love each other with an enduring conjugal affection, a love that causes each to seek to benefit; the other even at the expense of self-sacrifice. Our desire is to dwell together for life; to work together for the common good; to participate in each other's labors and enjoyments; to have interests in common; to worship together; to share joys and sorrows; to be true and helpful to each other in prosperity or adversity. We each endow the other with the wealth of love we can bestow, and we go through life side by side as comrades and equals. From you, Teacher and Pastor, we ask the benediction of the church, and from our parents, relatives and friends a continuation of the love and sympathy they have ever shown towards us.'"

The Pastor then stepped forward, and raising his hands over the now kneeling pair, said, "May the Divine blessing rest upon these two, whom I now declare to be man and wife, until the expiration of their present term of life, Amen." And all answered "Amen."

In the afternoon the marriage was registered in the district registry. The newly married pair remained in the Metropolis for another week, and then went with Mother Vance to their home in Highton. The three families arranged to spend thirty days of each year in each others company, the Badges of Freedom assisting materially.

Charley had been many times to the Observatory, and had learned to use the giant telescopes, both the reflector and the refractor. He had made arrangements, too, with the Astronomer-in-Chief to be present. Dr. Mark Haley was there to meet the rather numerous party, and Grayson, with one of his sons, came early in the morning. About twenty-three o'clock Charley, and one of Haley's juniors, commenced a general sweeping of the heavens with the refractor. They studied double stars, decomposed nebula, showed the rings of Saturn to be composed of millions of little globes moving at varying rates and never clashing with each other; saw the moons of Uranus, four of them being in sight; studied the surface of that cold, far away planet, and found that there were unmistakable signs of habitation by beings doubtless adapted to it.

Nearly three hours passed away as if they had been but moments. One little incident caused some momentary alarm and amusement. Harry Hern was at the eyepiece of the telescope, one hand on Emma's shoulder, she having just stepped aside. For a moment he looked steadily, and then