"I fail to see how such a stasis could be established," argued Crane. "It seems to me that as long as matter exists time must continue, since it is quite firmly established that time depends upon matter--or rather upon the motion in space of that which we call matter." "Sure--that's what I'm going on. Time and motion are both relative. Stop all motion--relative, not absolute motion--and what have you? You have duration without sequence or succession, which is what?" "That would be a stasis of time, as you say," Crane conceded, after due deliberation. "How can you do it?" "I don't know yet whether I can or not--that's another question. We already know, though, how to set up a stasis of the ether along a spherical surface, and after I have accumulated a little more data on the sixth order it should not be impossible to calculate a volume-stasis in both ether and sub-ether, far enough down to establish complete immobility and local cessation of time in gross matter so affected." "But would not all matter so affected assume at once the absolute zero of temperature and thus preclude life?" "I don't think so. The stasis would be sub-atomic and instantaneous, you know; there could be no loss or transfer of energy. I don't see how gross matter could be affected at all. As far as I can see it would be an absolutely perfect suspension of animation. You and Dot lived through it, anyway, and I'm positive that that's what they did to you. And I still say that if anybody can do it, we can." "'And that,'" put in Margaret roguishly, "as you so feelingly remark, 'is a cheerful thought to dwell on--let's dwell on it!'" "We'll do that little thing, too, Peg, some of these times; see if we don't!" Seaton promised. "But to get back to our knitting, what's the good word, Mart--located us yet? Are we, or are we not, heading for that justly famed distant Galaxy of the Fenachrone?" "We are not," Crane replied flatly, "nor are we heading for any other point in space covered by the charts of Ravindau's astronomers." "Huh? Great Cat!" Seaton joined the physicist at his visiplate, and made complete observations upon the few nebulae visible. He turned then to the charts, and his findings confirmed those of Crane. They were so far away from our own Galaxy that the space in which they were was unknown, even to those masters of astronomy and of intergalactic navigation, the Fenachrone. "Well, we're not lost, anyway, thanks to your cautious old bean." Seaton grinned as he stepped over to an object-compass mounted upon the plane table. * * * * *