"It's rather like a pansy--or--"

"Anything else?"

"A human face!"

"Not far out," rejoined Gazen. "It is called the Devil Nebula!"

"And what is it?" enquired Miss Carmichael.

"It is a cluster of stars--a spawn of worlds, if I may use the
expression," answered Gazen.

"And what are they made of? I know very little of astronomy."

"The same stuff as the earth--the same stuff as ourselves--hydrogen,
iron, carbon, and other chemical elements. Just as all the books in the
world are composed of the same letters, so all the celestial bodies are
built of the same elements. Everything is everywhere--"

Gazen was evidently in his own element, and began a long lecture on the
constitution of the universe, which appeared to interest Miss Carmichael
very much. Somehow it jarred upon me, and I retired to the little
smoking-room, where I lit a cigar, and sat down beside the open scuttles
to enjoy a quiet smoke.

"Why am I displeased with the lucubrations of the professor?" I said to
myself. "Am I jealous of him because he has monopolised the attention of
Miss Carmichael? No, I think not. I confess to a certain interest in
Miss Carmichael. I believe she is a noble girl, intelligent and