The appliances for increased electric energy were working well, and Clewe was entirely satisfied with the operation of his photic borer.
One morning he came hurriedly to Margaret at her house, and announced with glistening eyes that his ray had now gone to a greater degree into the earth than man had ever yet reached.
"What have you found ?" she asked, excitedly.

"Rock, rock, rock," he answered.

"This little State of ours rests upon a firm foundation." Although Roland Clewe found his observations rather monotonous work, he was regular and constant at his post, and gave little opportunity to his steadily progressing cylinder of light to reach and pass unseen anything which might be of interest.
It was nearly a week after he had announced to Margaret that he had seen deeper into the earth than any man before him that he mounted his ladder to take his final observation for the night.

When he looked through his telescope his eye was dazzled by a light which obliged him suddenly to close it and lift his head.

At first he thought that he had reached the fabulous region of eternal fire, but this he knew to be absurd; and, besides, the light was not that of fire or heated substances.