"Nothin' to hit," said Droop, with a smile. "Ye see, the's no sort o' use goin' any slower, an' besides, this quick travellin' keeps us warm." "Why, how's that?" "The sides o' the machine rubbin' on the air," said Droop. "That's so," Phoebe replied. "That's what heats up meteors so awful hot, ain't it?" Rebecca came out of the kitchen at this moment. "I must say ye wasn't particler about gettin' all the pans to rights 'fore ye left the kitchen, Phoebe. Ben makin' the beds?" "Land, no, Rebecca!" said Phoebe, blushing guiltily. "Well, there!" Rebecca said no more, but her set lips and puckered forehead spoke much of displeasure as she stalked across to the state-rooms. "Well, I declare to goodness!" she cried, as she opened her door. "Ye hevn't even opened the window to air the rooms!" Phoebe looked quite miserable at thought of her remissness, but Copernicus came bravely to the rescue. "The windows can't be opened, Cousin Rebecca," he said. "Ef ye was to open one, 'twould blow yer head's bald as an egg in a minute." "What!" "Yes," said Phoebe, briskly, "I couldn't air the beds an' make 'em because we're going one hundred and thirty odd miles an hour, Rebecca." "D'you mean to tell me, Copernicus Droop," cried the outraged spinster, "that I've got to go 'thout airin' my bed?" "No, no," Copernicus said, soothingly. "The's special arrangements to keep ventilation goin'. Jest leave the bed open half the day an' it'll be all aired." Rebecca looked far from pleased at this. "I declare, ef I'd known of all these doin's," she muttered. Unable to remain idle, she set to work "putting things to rights," as she called it, while Phoebe took her book to the west window and was soon lost in certain modern theories concerning the Baconian authorship of Shakespeare's works. "Is these duds yourn, Mr. Droop?" asked Rebecca, sharply, pointing to a motley collection of goods piled in one corner of the main room. "Yes," Droop replied, coming quickly to her side. "Them's some of the inventions I'm carryin' along." He stooped and gathered up a number of boxes and bundles in his arms. Then he stood up and looked about him as though seeking a safe place for their deposit. "That's all right," said Rebecca. "Ye can put 'em right back, Mr. Droop. I jest wanted to see whether the' was much dust back in there." Droop replaced his goods with a sigh of relief. One box he retained, however, and, placing it upon the table, proceeded to unpack it. Rebecca now turned her attention to her own belongings. Lifting one of her precious flower-pots carefully, she looked all about for a more suitable location for her plants. "Phoebe," she exclaimed at length, "where ever can I set my slips? They ought to be in the sun there by the east window, but it'll dirt up the coverin' of the settle." Phoebe looked up from her book. "Why don't ye spread out that newspaper you brought with you?" she said. Rebecca shook her head.