The day following the stormy meeting on board the _Regina_ nothing of moment transpired, and only the strongest faith in the _Regina’s_ powers made them know that, although unseen, a mighty force was speeding along the enormous space that intervened between themselves and the planet they were attracting. They knew it would be madness to draw it to them rapidly, like rebounding elastic; the only safe thing to do would be first to project against it a gradually increasing attraction, till its present speed was completely overcome, when they expected it would alter its course to follow the line of greater attraction to them. Some time, therefore, must elapse before anything would be noticeable, during which the visitors would have to continue their work of joint observation and exploration with their new-found friends, and in the abstraction of these researches the subject was seldom referred to. In the course of a week, however, there came over the atmosphere of that part of the world in which they had made their headquarters a slight change, so gradual as to be scarcely perceptible; it was the ‘smell’ of electricity—that peculiar, almost indefinable odour which is always evident when an enormous amount of electricity is present, and has been defined as being like many different chemicals, though most people consider it chiefly resembles chlorine. The natives noticed this, but attributed it to the continued presence of the vessel. Then they perceived that the planet which had been speeding away from them had altered its course, and they delightedly told their visitors of this, saying that as it was now coming in their own direction, it would be better for them to go to it by means of their ship later, without making so long a journey, pressing them to stay until the world drew nearer, never even dreaming for a moment that their visitors were effecting it and not knowing or believing they had power to do so. Feeling guilty at having to dissemble in order to keep the secret for the great and final surprise, the travellers very kindly accepted the offer to stay and wait till the other world drew near. They had hoped the people would not notice the altered direction of the planet, but the fact of other terrestrials being on it, and wanted by their comrades, had aroused interest and the planet had, in consequence, been under observation ever since. It was, however, but a runaway star, and, like a lost and turned-out dog that is ready and willing to become attached to any one who is kind enough to give it a home, so was this disowned planet flying through space, ready to form a new orbit in any system that would or could keep it, or to coalesce, if need be, with any more powerful world into whose influence it chanced to come, and thus form another sun. When it turned, the people merely thought it had, as it were, aimlessly crossed a stronger influence and had become drawn towards some other and distant force.