were passing, and that he was denied the opportunity of putting out his
capital in advantageous investments, or securing a proper interest.

Neither did Palmyrin Rosette find leisure to take any share in
the mutualintercourse. His occupation was far too absorbing for him

to suffer it to be interrupted, and to him, living as he did perpetually
in a world of figures, the winter days seemed neither long nor wearisome.

Having ascertained every possible particular about his comet,
he was now devoting himself with equal ardor to the analysis of all

the properties of the satellite Nerina, to which he appeared to assert
the same claim of proprietorship.

In order to investigate Nerina it was indispensable that he should
make several actual observations at various points of the orbit;

and for this purpose he repeatedly made his way up to the grotto above,
where, in spite of the extremeseverity of the cold, he would

persevere in the use of his telescope till he was all but paralyzed.
But what he felt more than anything was the want of some retired apartment,

where he could pursue his studies without hindrance or intrusion.
It was about the beginning of February, when the professor brought

his complaint to Captain Servadac, and begged him to assign
him a chamber, no matter how small, in which he should be free

to carry on his task in silence and without molestation.
So readily did Servadac promise to do everything in his power

to provide him with the accommodation for which he asked,
that the professor was put into such a manifest good temper

that the captain ventured to speak upon the matter that was ever
uppermost in his mind.

"I do not mean," he began timidly, "to cast the least imputation
of inaccuracy upon any of your calculations, but would you

allow me, my dear professor, to suggest that you should revise
your estimate of the duration of Gallia's period of revolution.

It is so important, you know, so all important; the difference
of one half minute, you know, would so certainly mar the expectation

of reunion with the earth--"
And seeing a cloud gathering on Rosette's face, he added:

"I am sure Lieutenant Procope would be only too happy to render
you any assistance in the revision."

"Sir," said the professor, bridling up, "I want no assistant;
my calculations want no revision. I never make an error.

I have made my reckoning as far as Gallia is concerned.
I am now making a like estimate of the elements of Nerina."

Conscious how impolitic it would be to press this matter further, the captain
casually remarked that he should have supposed that all the elements

of Nerina had been calculated long since by astronomers on the earth.
It was about as unlucky a speech as he could possibly have made.

The professor glared at him fiercely.
"Astounding, sir!" he exclaimed. "Yes! Nerina was a planet then;

everything that appertained to the planet was determined;
but Nerina is a moon now. And do you not think, sir, that we have

a right to know as much about our moon as those _terrestrials_"--
and he curled his lip as he spoke with a contemptuous

emphasis--"know of theirs?"
"I beg pardon," said the corrected captain.

"Well then, never mind," replied the professor, quickly appeased;
"only will you have the goodness to get me a proper place for study?"

"I will, as I promised, do all I can," answered Servadac.
"Very good," said the professor. "No immediate hurry;

an hour hence will do."
But in spite of this condescension on the part of the man of science,

some hours had to elapse before any place of retreat could be discovered
likely to suit his requirements; but at length a little nook was found

in the side of the cavern just large enough to hold an armchair and a table,
and in this the astronomer was soon ensconced to his entire satisfaction.

Buried thus, nearly 900 feet below ground, the Gallians
ought to have had unbounded mentalenergy to furnish an.

adequate reaction to the depressing monotony of their existence;
but many days would often elapse without any one of them ascending

to the surface of the soil, and had it not been for the necessity
of obtaining fresh water, it seemed almost probable that there

would never have been an effort made to leave the cavern at all.
A few excursions, it is true, were made in the downward direction.

The three leaders, with Ben Zoof, made their way to the lower
depths of the crater, not with the design of making any further

examination as to the nature of the rock--for although it
might be true enough that it contained thirty per cent.

of gold, it was as valueless to them as granite--but with
the intention of ascertaining whether the subterranean fire

still retained its activity. Satisfied upon this point,
they came to the conclusion that the eruption which had so suddenly

ceased in one spot had certainly broken out in another.
February, March, April, May, passed wearily by; but day

succeeded to day with such gloomy sameness that it was little
wonder that no notice was taken of the lapse of time.

The people seemed rather to vegetate than to live,
and their want of vigor became at times almost alarming.

The readings around the long table ceased to be attractive,
and the debates, sustained by few, became utterly wanting

in animation. The Spaniards could hardly be roused to quit
their beds, and seemed to have scarcely energy enough to eat.

The Russians, constitutionally of more enduring temperament,
did not give way to the same extent, but the long and

drear confinement was beginning to tell upon them all.
Servadac, the count, and the lieutenant all knew well enough

that it was the want of air and exercise that was the cause
of much of this mentaldepression; but what could they do?

The most serious remonstrances on their part were entirely in vain.
In fact, they themselves occasionally fell a prey to the same

lassitude both of body and mind. Long fits of drowsiness,
combined with an utter aversion to food, would come over them.

It almost seemed as if their entire nature had become degenerate,
and that, like tortoises, they could sleep and fast till

the return of summer.
Strange to say, little Nina bore her hardships more bravely than

any of them. Flitting about, coaxing one to eat, another to drink,
rousing Pablo as often as he seemed yielding to the common languor,

the child became the life of the party. Her merry prattle enlivened
the gloom of the grim cavern like the sweet notes of a bird;

her gay Italian songs broke the monotony of the depressing silence;
and almost unconscious as the half-dormant population of Gallia

were of her influence, they still would have missed her bright
presence sorely. The months still glided on; how, it seemed

impossible for the inhabitants of the living tomb to say.
There was a dead level of dullness.

At the beginning of June the general torpor appeared slightly to relax
its hold upon its victims. This partialrevival was probably due

to the somewhat increased influence of the sun, still far, far away.
During the first half of the Gallian year, Lieutenant Procope had

taken careful note of Rosette's monthly announcements of the comet's
progress, and he was able now, without reference to the professor,

to calculate the rate of advance on its way back towards the sun.
He found that Gallia had re-crossed the orbit of Jupiter, but was

still at the enormous distance of 197,000,000 leagues from the sun,
and he reckoned that in about four months it would have entered

the zone of the telescopic planets.
Gradually, but uninterruptedly, life and spirits continued to revive,

and by the end of the month Servadac and his little colony had
regained most of their ordinary physical and mental energies.

Ben Zoof, in particular, roused himself with redoubled vigor,
like a giant refreshed from his slumbers. The visits, consequently,

to the long-neglected galleries of Nina's Hive became more
and more frequent.

One day an excursion was made to the shore. It was still bitterly cold,
but the sphere" target="_blank" title="n.大气；空气；气氛">atmosphere had lost nothing of its former stillness, and not a cloud

was visible from horizon to zenith. The old footmarks were all as distinct
as on the day in which they had been imprinted, and the only portion

of the shore where any change was apparent was in the little creek.
Here the elevation of the ice had gone on increasing, until the schooner

and the tartan had been uplifted to a height of 150 feet, not only rendering
them quite inaccessible, but exposing them to all but certain destruction

in the event of a thaw.
Isaac Hakkabut, immovable from the personal oversight of his property