"And when your sister forgets that she has an affianced husband dodging about your father's back door every night to catch but a moment's happiness in her society, why--she'll come back and find me off on a pleasure trip, somewhere," and poor Lester faced the other, and mingled his disgust at the state of affairs with that of his friend. "Let us clear out, and not come back until they have experienced the same disappointment as we do now--that is, if our absence will affect them that way," with a dubious shake of his head. "I'll do it, Hugh! I'll go to-morrow!" cried Lester, with an injured expression on his face. "Then, it's agreed. We'll get Cobb and take the Orion and skip to--well, anywhere, so we don't get back here under two months." Hugh whistled an air of satisfaction at the thought of the misery he was going to bring to the heart of Marie Hathaway. That evening Cobb was informed of Hugh's intention of starting the next day in the Orion, and making a tour of the United States. "Ah, Hugh; why say the United States? say the world! Let us go far, far away; to the north pole, for instance," and Cobb looked his friend in the face, sadly, but yet with an anxious hope that his proposition would be accepted. "Yes, to the north pole," he continued. "No living man has been there, even in this great age of progress, so you have informed me." "It is impossible, Junius. We cannot reach it," returned Hugh. "It is funny! I have seen your aërial ships, large and stanch; why can't you go in one of them?"