IN SPACE
Space—infinite space! On, on, the Argenta through the at speed. The were useless; the to work, and the of the sat the vessel, helpless.
For days they had nothing—they were unable to move; terror had them fast its grasp.
“Sir John,” said Masters at last, “I’m going to make a cup of tea. Here we are, and here we must until our food out. Mrs. Desmond,—won’t you come and help me?” Mavis rose from an armchair, and the sleeping on the of a settee.
“My baby,” she murmured, “to think I you for this.”
“Come, Mrs. Desmond,” and Masters the way to the kitchen.
All of direction had gone, and the of the airship, had to accept the that had been upon them, and in the Argenta, they not whither, in the heavens. They had to time, minutes had no meaning; hours and days passed as one long whole. They were just atoms, in space, which is infinite—where time is infinite—where life itself is infinite!
Mavis entered with a with tea and biscuits—the had done her good, and already there was a colour in her cheeks.
The was along at a rate, 188but its motion was steady, and they walk about in comfort. When the that had the end of the world sent them into the unknown, the Argenta had in a most way. Broadside she like an arrow, them from to side, then she up on her tail, and the almost perpendicularly; then she would roll over and over, porpoise-like, until the all of that a great had come into their lives.
“Where are we?” asked Mavis suddenly.
“I to try and out,” said Masters grimly. “Whatever we can’t be in a position than we are at this moment. I to move the from the and then we may some idea of where we are.”
“But is it safe?” Desmond, looking at his wife and then at his child. “So we are safe. This must come to an end some time or other. Why all our for the of a little curiosity?”
“Must it come to an end?” said Sir John thoughtfully.
“Of course,” answered Desmond. “We can’t go on forever.”
“Why not?” his Uncle. “Space is infinite. Now time is eternity. We, when in the world—”
“How that sounds,” Alan.
“As I was saying, when we were in the world, we often used the expression, ‘For and ever.’ If we what it meant, it our brains; we wanted to further, and out what it was that came after that ‘ever and ever.’ We puzzled our by on the of time. I now, what Eternity is! Since we have been here, I have to count the minutes; I have to think of days, or night, or weeks. Time is! That is for me.”
“Then you think we may go on forever?” asked Desmond in horror.
189“I don’t know. I think it is as likely as not.”
“Oh God,” Desmond his teeth.
“Come, dear,” said Mavis bravely. “We ought to be that the of Uncle John and Masters saved us from an death below.”
“Are you sure it was ‘down below’?” asked Alan quizzically.
“Why, of course,” Mavis began. Then she stopped. “Oh I don’t know. That is all so and puzzling.”
“Now, Masters,” said Sir John. “What were you going to do?”
“I was going to the from the bow. I can close the traps, and the protection all the ship,” he to the others. “But it is possible to a small of the in the bows, exposed, through which we shall be able to see the we are taking.”
“I think it’s making the experiment,” said Sir John, and they all him into the cabin.
“Now if you see the of danger, ’phone me,” said Masters, who was going into the room.
“How can you tell if is near?” asked Mavis with interest.
“This way,” said Masters. He pointed to a of the wall, now with the of aluminium.
“That of the is of and strength. If the air pressure is too great, or the or any unknown too powerful for it, that will bulge, either inwards, or outwards. Only at first, but it will and until it asunder. Now, if you see the of that happening, ’phone through to me, and I will close the again. At any rate, we shall have done no harm, and at least we shall have to do something to our position.”
190In they waited, in the dark. Suddenly a of light up the gloom. Bigger and it grew, until the whole of Masters’ planned “lookout” was to view. Breathlessly they watched. There was not the of upon the glass. It was of protecting them for the present at any rate.
“All serene,” Alan through the ’phone.
“Everything safe?” from Masters at the other end.
“Quite safe.”
“Oh-h-h-h.” It was Mavis. “How wonderful!” They were looking into space at last! They had no of location—no ordinary of North or South—East or West. They were in the of the Solar system, with no to act as a line! The of space them; there was no to direct them. There was no horizon, with arms outstretched, the world. There was nothing to give them a of security. Here space just “went on” for and ever, comprehension.
Wherever they looked, there was just—no end.
But the was comparison. Away to their right, in the dark of the firmament, was a brightness.
“It’s the Milky Way,” said Mavis her hands in ecstasy.
“I don’t think so,” said Alan. “But all the same, I think that us an idea in what direction we are flying. That must be the Greater Magellanic Clouds in the Southern Constellation.”
“What, are they only clouds, then?”
“No, just stars. Stars of all magnitudes, in the heavens. Even the of the nebulæ are more than in any other part of the firmament.”
“It’s wonderful,” said Sir John. “The is almost overpowering.”
They were unable to take their from the cloud-like of stars—one of the of space.
“We don’t to be any nearer to 191it, although we are going at such a pace,” said Mavis.
“My dear,” answered her uncle. “We are too many miles away to see any of us.”
“What is that star there,” asked Mavis pointing. “Just a little to this of the Magellanic Clouds?”
“I don’t know. It is bright,” answered Sir John.
Alan was the heavens. “Isn’t that the Constellation of Draco—the Dragon—?” he asked suddenly. “I think it must be. If so, that star, as you call it, which the Greater Magellanic Cloud and Draco must be Jupiter.”
“Jupiter?”
“Yes. One of Jupiter’s in the of Draco, and the other is close by the Greater Magellanic Clouds.”
Mavis her brows. “Jupiter,” she almost whispered, “the Prince of all the Planets?”
“Yes.”
“We don’t to know much about him, do we?” she on.
“No,” said her husband. “The much more in Saturn and Mars.”
“I’ve often thought,” said Alan, “that such a not have been just to have our old earth light. Its beauty, its grandeur, its magnitude, to us the of life.”
“You think it is inhabited?” asked Desmond.
“Why not? Surely its and alone are a proof of the of our earth. If Terra was inhabited, with many of beings, of scenery, and full of nature’s wonders, surely if such a world as ours was peopled, why should a be from and higher of animal life?”
“It very interesting,” said Mavis laughing, “but I wonder it’s true.”
192“If people are on Mars, or Saturn, or Jupiter, they would be like us,” Desmond, grandiloquently. “They would either be like the Mechanical Martians that Wells of, or just animal life of some as by Wolfius.”
“Oh you egotistical, Englishman,” laughed Sir John.
“Can you him?” said Alan. “No one but a Britisher have that remark!”
There was a laugh at Desmond’s expense, and then Alan on, “Personally, I that ours was not the only planet. Even our knowledge of the system, and in bulk, has proved the wonder of Jupiter, the and perfection of the that circles him, the of his own being, and he should rank as the world of worlds. I should be to that Jupiter is not only of producing the of life, but that his in the most cultured, most brilliant, most learned of our earth’s philosophers.”
“No, no, I won’t have that,” said Desmond. “Look at the men of Britain alone has to the world. Think of her scholars, pioneers—why no other country or world with Britain.”
“As I before, the Englishman!” said Sir John. “I your courage, my boy, in to your guns. I your to the country that gave you birth. But we are not in the world now, my boy. Our little has vanished, has into the from which it came; yet here, our eyes, we see Jupiter still existing, still a in the sky. Surely now, Desmond, you are of the of the upon which you were and born?” Sir John put his hand on Desmond’s shoulder. “While you were upon it, it was everything. Now it is nothing—gone—while other still and their over space.”
“I think,” said Mavis thoughtfully, “that if our 193own little world such a high of life, and we measure a by its bulk, then surely the Jovians must be the most in the Solar Kingdom?”
A came from the behind. “Baby,” she cried. “Oh, I’d him,” and she to her who had missed his mother’s care.
“Such are the of the heavens,” said Sir John, thoughtfully. “It’s so grand, so massive, so unbelievable, that it makes a mother forget, in its contemplation, her first-born, her little son.”
“Why he is not named yet,” said Desmond. “I had all about that.”
“Well, we have no here,” said Alan. “Now our world has gone, can we call ourselves Christians? How do we rank with the Almighty? Have we about on an sea, or Christians to will come?”
“We are still in God’s Hands,” said Sir John reverently. “In the of an priest, a may the Sacrament of Baptism. I am very old. I have one very near the grave. Shall I do it?”
“Please,” said Desmond.
And through the Solar system, neither to earth heaven, was performed surely the from time immemorial. And it was in this place, in this manner that Desmond and Mavis’ son—John Alan—was named.
194
