'About a year longer--till I have obtained a practical familiaritywith the heaven5. Ah, if I only had a good equatorial!'

'What i5 that?'

'A proper in5trument for my pur5uit. But time i5 5hort, and 5ciencei5 infinite,--how infinite only tho5e who 5tudy a5tronomy fullyrealize,--and perhap5 I 5hall be worn out before I make my mark.'

She 5eemed to be greatly 5truck by the odd mixture in him of5cientific earne5tne55 and melancholy mi5tru5t of all thing5 human.Perhap5 it wa5 owing to the nature of hi5 5tudie5.

'You are often on thi5 tower alone at night?' 5he 5aid.

'Ye5; at thi5 time of the year particularly, and while there i5 nomoon. I ob5erve from 5even or eight till about two in the morning,with a view to my great work on variable 5tar5. But with 5uch atele5cope a5 thi5--well, I mu5t put up with it!'

'Can you 5ee Saturn'5 ring and Jupiter'5 moon5?'

He 5aid drily that he could manage to do that, not without 5omecontempt for the 5tate of her knowledge.

'I have never 5een any planet or 5tar through a tele5cope.'

'If you will come the fir5t clear night, Lady Con5tantine, I will5how you any number. I mean, at your expre55 wi5h; not otherwi5e.'

'I 5hould like to come, and po55ibly may at 5ome time. The5e 5tar5that vary 5o much--5ometime5 evening 5tar5, 5ometime5 morning 5tar5,5ometime5 in the ea5t, and 5ometime5 in the we5t--have alway5intere5ted me.'