Seaton, who had opened his mouth, shut it again ludicrously, without saying a word, and Margaret gave him a startled glance. "Now I _have_ said it!" she exclaimed. "I'm not afraid of him, boys, really. What do you want me to do?" Seaton plunged in. "What we were trying to get up nerve enough to say is that he'd be a good man on the astronomy job," and Crane added quickly: "He undoubtedly knows more about it than I do, and it would be a pity to lose the chance of using him. Besides, Dick and I think it rather dangerous to leave him so much time to himself, in which to work up a plan against us." "He's cooking one right now, I'll bet a hat," Seaton put in, and Crane added: "If you are sure that you have no objections, Miss Spencer, we might go below, where we can have it dark, and all three of us see what we can make of the stargazing. We are really losing an unusual opportunity." Margaret hid gallantly any reluctance she might have felt. "I wouldn't deserve to be here if I can't work with the Doctor and hate him at the same time." "Good for you, Peg, you're a regular fellow!" Seaton exclaimed. "You're a trump!" * * * * * Finally, the enormous velocity of the cruiser was sufficiently reduced to effect a landing, a copper-bearing sun was located, and a course was laid toward its nearest planet. As the vessel approached its goal a deep undercurrent of excitement kept all the passengers feverishly occupied. They watched the distant globe grow larger, glowing through its atmosphere more and more clearly as a great disk of white light, its outline softened by the air about it. Two satellites were close beside it. Its sun, a great, blazing orb, a little nearer than the planet, looked so great and so hot that Margaret became uneasy. "Isn't it dangerous to get so close, Dick? We might burn up, mightn't we?" "Not without an atmosphere," he laughed. "Oh," murmured the girl apologetically, "I might have known that." Dropping rapidly into the atmosphere of the planet, they measured its density and analyzed it in apparatus installed for that purpose, finding that its composition was very similar to the Earth's air and that its pressure was not enough greater to be uncomfortable. When within one thousand feet of the surface, Seaton weighed a five-pound weight upon a spring-balance, finding that it weighed five and a half pounds, thus ascertaining that the planet was either somewhat larger than the Earth or more dense. The ground was almost hidden by a rank growth of vegetation, but here and there appeared glade-like openings. Seaton glanced at the faces about him. Tense interest marked them all. Dorothy's cheeks were flushed, her eyes shone. She looked at him with awe and pride. "A strange world, Dorothy," he said gravely. "You are not afraid?" "Not with you," she answered. "I am only thrilled with wonder." "Columbus at San Salvador," said Margaret, her dark eyes paying their tribute of admiration.