No one could offer a satisfactory reply at the moment, so Godfrey continued, laughing, “We ought to have chalked it!” and turning to Dennis and his chums, “this beats the Jupiter affair altogether, triad!” at which the three laughed sheepishly, and on the others inquiring what was meant, Godfrey explained,—“Some years ago, Oakland, Ainley, and Eastern took me to Jupiter to find a particular grub that was to give us the material for the outer net, and the only address they had was ‘one special grub, species unknown, Jupiter’; they had no more information, in fact they were not quite sure if it _was_ Jupiter, as if we could go round asking all the planets if they’d got a grub to sell! I thought that showed a superb mind for detail, but this takes all the shine out of it, we’ve dumped the folk down and where are they? ‘eight denizens of Earth, a star, the universe,’ is a most lucid address! shall we go there, Denny?” and as Godfrey made some further similar remarks, Dennis cried, “Shut up, Godfrey! it’s no laughing matter.” “It looks it, old man,” answered Godfrey, as he sat tilted back on a chair with his toes just touching the floor. “We’re all serious, and we ‘appreciate your joke’ as the wave message there says; I see it is still up. It is a joke worthy of any of us.” For reply, Dennis shied an air-cushion at him; he caught it and placing it at his back, continued, beaming,—“Thanks, dear boy! I’m glad to see you’ve got an eye to your old chum’s comfort on this most solemn and serious occasion.” “Oh! stop it, Godfrey!” exclaimed Ross, “you’ll kill us all! I can’t laugh any more!” “Ay, do be serious!” said Gilbert, dabbing the tears of laughter out of his eyes, his expression belying the words, “it’s no laughing matter! we’ve put those fellows on a world which we’ve got to find, and how are we to do it amongst the lot outside?” “Oh, easily enough!” replied Godfrey, airily, with a wave of his arm, “take the lot in rotation and knock at each one, and ask if eight of the wickedest and cleverest men of Earth are there, and if so, can they come out? it’s simple enough!” This renewed the laughter, and another cushion came flying across the room, this time from Gilbert, as Ross said,— “Stop it, Godfrey, or we shall be ill! you look after your grubs and leave us to find the runaways.” “Oh, very well!” responded Godfrey, pretending to take offence. “What did Gilbert ask me for if he didn’t want to know? there’s been some mighty brain at work to provide us with this entertainment! was it yours, Denny? it’s worthy of you, my boy, although by the quality of it, you’ve all three had a hand in it.”