"Don't mention it," replied Barbican, turning towards M'Nicholl, still in the dark, and addressing him exclusively; "You see, my dear Captain, the period at which the Moon's invisible side receives at once its light and heat is exactly the period of her _conjunction_, that is to say, when she is lying between the Earth and the Sun. In comparison therefore with the place which she had occupied at her _opposition_, or when her visible side was fully illuminated, she is nearer to the Sun by double her distance from the Earth, or nearly 480 thousand miles. Therefore, my dear Captain, you can see how when the invisible side of the Moon is turned towards the Sun, she is nearly half a million of miles nearer to him than she had been before. Therefore, her heat should be so much the greater." "I see it at a glance," said the Captain. "Whereas--" continued Barbican. "One moment!" cried Ardan. "Another interruption!" exclaimed Barbican; "What is the meaning of it, Sir?" "I ask my honorable friend the privilege of the floor for one moment," cried Ardan. "What for?" "To continue the explanation." "Why so?" "To show that I can understand as well as interrupt!" "You have the floor!" exclaimed Barbican, in a voice no longer showing any traces of ill humor. "I expected no less from the honorable gentleman's well known courtesy," replied Ardan. Then changing his manner and imitating to the life Barbican's voice, articulation, and gestures, he continued: "Whereas, you see, my dear Captain, the period at which the Moon's visible side receives at once its light and heat, is exactly the period of her _opposition_, that is to say, when she is lying on one side of the Earth and the Sun at the other. In comparison therefore with the point which she had occupied in _conjunction_, or when her invisible side was fully illuminated, she is farther from the Sun by double her distance from the Earth, or nearly 480,000 miles. Therefore, my dear Captain, you can readily see how when the Moon's invisible side is turned _from_ the Sun, she is nearly half a million miles further from him than she had been before. Therefore her heat should be so much the less." "Well done, friend Ardan!" cried Barbican, clapping his hands with pleasure. "Yes, Captain, he understood it as well as either of us the whole time. Intelligence, not indifference, caused him to interrupt. Wonderful fellow!"