Very soon the screens could be taken from the windows; that portion of the net covering the glass of the saloon and observatory had been made so that it could be drawn aside or tightly secured from the inside, and as the ship was some distance from the sun, the de-atomising and repelling forces projected outside were now thought to be sufficient to keep the ship secure, so these portions of the net were released and observation was now possible all over the universe, as during the first part of their outward journey. Venus was soon sighted, and along with her a second world, forming a ‘double.’ “There she is!” cried several, excitedly. “There’s the planet we want, still alongside,” and all rushed to the windows; but the greater experience of Rollsborough and Sorrel discovered something, the communication of which caused general consternation. They went to the windows and at the first glance, Rollsborough exclaimed, “that’s not the planet, that’s not a ‘binary’! the world we want is not there; now what shall we do!” “Not there!” repeated several, incredulously. “Why, we can see it!” “That star is a long way past Venus! it is a ‘double’! get your glasses and look,” said Sorrel. A rush was made to the observatory telescope and to the windows with hand-glasses, when Rollsborough was proved to be right. Examination showed that the new star, planet, or satellite of Venus had vanished, and what they were examining was a large and distant star, the position of which chanced to be close behind Venus ‘in line of sight,’ appearing to be in the same plane, just as when two boats sailing down a river, one in the middle and the other near the middle would, when viewed from a distant bridge in line with the way they were travelling, or ‘end on,’ appear as if sailing abreast, when in reality one might be a mile before the other, which a change of position would show. So it was with Venus; for some time the two stars seemed to be travelling together, when a slight alteration in the _Regina’s_ position showed Venus sailing rapidly to one side, whilst her supposed companion remained fixed, ‘in line’ with the bows of the vessel—a distant star—the angle of distance between the two worlds becoming wider and wider every moment. Venus was lacking her previous attendant, and the occupants of the _Regina_ looked at each other in dismay. “Our friends stand a fair chance of settling down permanently in their new quarters,” said Godfrey, nonchalantly; “they are not at all likely to mutiny here again.” This set every one smiling, notwithstanding the seriousness of the situation, and Rowland exclaimed, “How shall we set about finding the runaway!”