A week soon passed, and with many a good-bye and promise of speedy return they entered their vessel, and a few minutes later were slowly soaring upwards from the strange and beautiful Bona. Once outside her atmosphere, they made straight for Earth, and when nearing home, long lines of ships, flying electric bunting, honoured their home-coming and sailed with them to Derwent. This time the aërial regulations were perfect and the _Regina_ settled into her shed like a falling feather, her passengers coming out a little later to receive their hero-worship. CHAPTER V AN INNOCENT OFFENDER “Mischief that may be helped, is hard to know, And danger going on still multiplies; When harm hath many wings, care comes too late. (+Lord Brooke.+) “I knew you’d have to send for me, Dennis, old man!” exclaimed Godfrey Spenser, as he flung open the door, threw his coat on a seat close by from which it fell unheeded to the floor, and sat down amongst the three friends, all in a rush; “and here you are only back two days and you’re stuck.” “Yes, Godfrey, we’re stuck, as you say, and want your assistance,” replied Dennis, smiling. “Can you go back with us?” “When?” “As soon as you like. It is now mid-September; can you go in a week?” “I told you, Dennis, and you too, Ross, you’d never manage that ship alone; with all your theoretical knowledge of electricity, you need a practical hand; I will undertake that and help you out. I never expected to see you again, and when you stuck on the Kidney so long, I told folks it was very doubtful if you would be able to work her back, reversed.” “It was very good of you, Godfrey,” replied Dennis, laughing, as did the others. “Very good indeed, but I think that between us we can manage the working all right—anyway we have done so far. What we want you for is not that at all.” “Oh!” ejaculated Godfrey in surprise. “While we were on Bona,” resumed Dennis, “the folks there told us of a microbe that would stand fire of any degree of heat, and we have been thinking you could help us to cultivate some for a little scheme we have.” “Microbe? Rubbish!” snapped Godfrey. “We think it’s a microbe,” said Ross. “Tell me all you know,” ordered Godfrey, now keenly interested. “Tell him, Ross,” said Dennis. “No, you,” said Ross; and Dennis began,— “You are aware, from our ‘waves,’ that the Bonians supply the solar system with vegetation of all kinds, even that which grows in hot climates and, in some places, on volcanoes, for which purpose they import a microbe from Jupiter, which in some way fertilises the plant, or does something else——” “That’s extremely lucid,” interrupted Godfrey; “we shall come to something at this rate!” “This microbe goes through several metamorphoses,” continued Dennis, smiling, “and finally winds itself in a cocoon and then——”