water for his marine experiments, Roland Clewe had built an
unusually high and strong dam, and this body of water, which was
called the lake, widened out considerably behind the dam and
stretched back for more than half a mile.

He was standing on the shore of this lake, early the next morning,
in company with several workmen, examining a curious-looking
vessel which was moored near by, when Margaret Raleigh came
walking towards him. When he saw her he left the men and went
to meet her.

"You could not wait until I came to your house to tell you what I
was going to do?" he said, smiling.

"No," she answered, "I could not. The Artesian ray kept me awake
nearly all night, and I felt that I must quiet my mind as soon as
I could by giving it something real and tangible to take hold of.
Now what is it that you are going to do? Anything in the ship
line?"

"Yes," said he, "it is something in that line. But let us walk
back a little; I am not quite ready to tell the men everything.
I have been thinking," he said, as they moved together from the
lake, "of that practical enterprise which we must take up and
finish, in order to justify ourselves to the public and those who
have in various ways backed up our enterprises, and I have
concluded that the best thing I can do is to carry out my plan of
going to the north pole."

"What!" she exclaimed. "You are not going to try to do that