“Microbe, did you say?” asked Godfrey, incredulously. “Yes, certainly!” “Why certainly? not grub, for instance?” “Perhaps; microbe, or grub; they’re the same thing,” answered Dennis, lightly. “Are they? It’s about time you had a tutor, young man!” said Godfrey, severely. “Why! what’s the difference?” “Poor fellow! get on with your story!” said Godfrey, wearily, and Dennis proceeded,— “Briefly, Godfrey, what we want is this. You are to go with us to Jupiter—not to help us, or do anything at the vessel; you’ll have to promise us that—but to lay in a stock of these microbes, or grubs, or whatever you call them, and feed them up so that they’ll cocoon for us; then you’ll unwind these cocoons or deal with them so as to give us some material to make into fine gauze, or cloth, or net—we shall have to experiment with it to see which form is best, and if things turn out well we will all go to the sun!” “The sun!” almost shouted Godfrey, in amazement, sitting bolt upright with a jerk. “Are you mad?” “Not at all,” said Ross, calmly; “and you are coming with us, Godfrey. We can’t do without you.” “But the heat! You would all be burnt up!” “If our experiments are successful,” said Gilbert, “we shall not be more than warm. The idea is startling at first, it startled us; but if what the Bonians told us is correct—and we have no reason to doubt it—this cocoon should not admit the passage of heat and flame; and we thought that if the net really would withstand heat and was also sufficiently strong to withstand passage through air, we would envelop the whole ship in it and be proof against any heat, even that of the sun.” “But you might want millions and millions of grubs and cocoons, which would probably take years,” broke in Godfrey, still incredulous. “That’s why we want you, Godfrey,” replied Ross; “you see we don’t understand these things.” “Cela va sans dire!” observed Godfrey, drily. “You must come with us,” pressed Dennis. “The folk in Jupiter will tell you all about them, and you’ve got to provide us with enough net or gauze to cover the ship. For doing this we’ll take you to the sun as a specially privileged passenger. Now, is that a bargain?” “If any one else had asked me that question but you two,” returned Godfrey, looking at Dennis and Ross, whom he had known for many years, “I should have said they had gone stark, staring mad. You, sir,” looking at Gilbert, “I only know by repute; I never met you before, so I have no means of gauging your mental balance, but if it is anything like as far gone as theirs, there never was such a foolhardy, crack-brained project as we four idiots will be engaged in.” “Then you’re going with us?” exclaimed all three excitedly. “Of course I am! I’ve said so all along,” replied Godfrey, quietly, “and if we come back in an uncremated form I shall be surprised.” “Of course we shall test the thing severely first,” said Gilbert. “When can you start?” “Any time. Where’s Jupiter now?”