Well!--Pass that for the present! But there is one thing I _must_ know!" "Hear! hear the Captain!" cried Barbican, stamping with his foot, like an excited fencing master.

"There is one thing he _must_ know!" "I want to know what we're going to do when we get there!" "He wants to know what we're going to do when we get there! A sensible question! Answer it, Ardan!" "Answer it yourself, Barbican! You know more about the Moon than I do! You know more about it than all the Nasmyths that ever lived!" "I'm blessed if I know anything at all about it!" cried Barbican, with a joyous laugh.

"Ha, ha, ha! The first eastern shore Marylander or any other simpleton you meet in Baltimore, knows as much about the Moon as I do! Why we're going there, I can't tell! What we're going to do when we get there, can't tell either! Ardan knows all about it! He can tell! He's taking us there!" "Certainly I can tell! should I have offered to take you there without a good object in view ?" cried Ardan, husky with continual roaring.

"Answer me that!" "No conundrums!" cried the Captain, in a voice sourer and rougher than ever; "tell us if you can in plain English, what the demon we have come here for!" "I'll tell you if I feel like it," cried Ardan, folding his arms with an aspect of great dignity; "and I'll not tell you if I don't feel like it!" "What's that ?" cried Barbican.

"You'll not give us an answer when we ask you a reasonable question ?" "Never!" cried Ardan, with great determination.