CHAPTER XX. "THAT IS HOW I LOVE YOU"
For several days the subject of the great perforation made by theautomatic shell was not mentioned between Margaret and Roland. Thistroubled her a great deal, for she thoroughly understood her lover'smind, and she knew that he had something important to say to her, butwas waiting until he had fully elaborated his intended statement. Shesaid nothing about it, because it was impossible for her to do so. Itmade her feel sick even to think of it, and yet she was thinking of itall the time.
At last he came to her one morning, his face pale and serious. Sheknew the moment her eyes fell upon him that he had come to tell hersomething, and what it was he had to tell.
"Margaret," said he, beginning to speak as soon as he had seatedhimself, "I have made up my mind about that shaft. It would beabsolutely wicked if I were not to go down to the bottom and see whatis there. I have discovered something--something wonderful--and I do notknow what it is. I can form no ideas about it, there is nothing on whichI can base any theory. I have done my best to solve this problem withoutgoing down, but my telescope reveals nothing, my camera shows me nothingat all."
She sat perfectly quiet, pallid and listening.
"I have thought over this thing by day and by night," he continued, "butthe conclusion forces itself upon me, steadily and irresistibly, thatit is my duty to descend that shaft. I have carefully consideredeverything, positively everything, connected with the safety of sucha descent. The air in the cavity where my shell now rests is perfectlygood; I have tested it. The temperature is simply warm, and there is nodanger of quicksands or anything of that sort, for my shell still restsas immovable as when I first saw it below the bottom of the shaft.
"As to the distance I should have to descend, when you come to considerit, it is nothing. What is fourteen miles in a tunnel through amountain? Some of those on the Great Straightcut Pacific Railroad areforty miles in length, and trains run backward and forward every daywithout any one considering the danger; and yet there is really moredanger from one of those tunnels caving in than in my perpendicularshaft, where caving in is almost impossible.
"As to the danger which attends so great a descent, I have thoroughlyprovided against that. In fact, I do not see, if I carry out my plans,how there could be any danger, more than constantly surrounds us, nomatter what we are doing. In the first place, we should not think ofthat great depth. If a man fell down any one of the deep shafts in oursilver mines, he would be as thoroughly deprived of life as if he shouldfall down my shaft. But to fall down mine--and I want you to considerthis, Margaret, and thoroughly understand it--would be almostimpossible. I have planned out all the machinery and appliances whichwould be necessary, and I want to describe them to you, and then, I amsure, you will see for yourself that the element of danger is more fullyeliminated than if I should row you on the lake in a little boat."
She sat quiet, still pale, still listening, her eyes fixed upon him.
"I have devised a car," he said, "in which I can sit comfortably andsmoke my cigar while I make the descent. This, at the easy and steadyrate at which my engines would move, would occupy less than three hours.I could go a good deal faster if I wanted to, but this would be fastenough. Think of that--fourteen miles in three hours! It would beconsidered very slow and easy travelling on the surface of the earth.This car would be suspended by a double chain of the very best toughenedsteel, which would be strong enough to hold ten cars the weight of mine.The windlass would be moved by an electric engine of sufficient powerto do twenty times the work I should require of it, but in order to makeeverything what might be called super-safe, there would be attached tothe car another double chain, similar to the first, and this would bewound upon another windlass and worked by another engine, as powerful asthe first one. Thus, even if one of these double chains should break--anaccident almost impossible--or if anything should happen to one of theseengines, there would be another engine more than sufficient for thework. The top of this car would be conical, ending in a sharp point, andmade of steel, so that if any fragment in the wall of the tunnel shouldbecome dislodged and fall, it would glance from this roof and fallbetween the side of the car and the inner surface of the shaft; for thecar is to be only twenty-six inches in diameter-quite wide enough formy purpose--and this would leave at least ten inches of space all aroundthe car. But, as I have said before, the sides of this tunnel are hardand smooth. The substances of which they are composed have been pressedtogether by a tremendous force. It is as unlikely that anything shouldfall from them as that particles should drop from the inside of arifle-barrel.
"I admit, Margaret, that this proposed journey into the depths of theearth is a very peculiar one, but, after all, it is comparatively aneasy and safe performance when compared to other things that men havedone. The mountain-climbers of our fathers' time, who used to ascend thehighest peaks with nothing but spiked shoes and sharpened poles, ran farmore danger than would be met by one who would descend such a shaft asmine.
"And then, Margaret, think of what our friends on board the Dipsey havebeen and are doing! Think of the hundreds of miles they have travelledthrough the unknown depths of the sea! Their expedition was fifty timesas hazardous as the trip of a few hours which I propose."
Now Margaret spoke.
"But I am not engaged to be married to Samuel Block, or to Mr. Gibbs, orto any of the rest of them."
He drew his chair closer to her, and he took both of her hands in hisown. He held them as if they had been two lifeless things.
"Margaret," he said, "you know I love you, and--"
"Yes," she interrupted, "but I know that you love science more."
"Not at all," said he, "and I am going to show you how greatly mistakenyou are. Tell me not to go down that shaft, tell me to live on withoutever knowing what it is I have discovered, tell me to explode bombs inthat great hole until I have blocked it up, and I will obey you. That ishow I love you, Margaret."
She gazed into his eyes, and her hands, from merely lifeless things,became infused with a gentle warmth; they moved as if they might returnthe clasp in which they were held. But she did not speak, she simplylooked at him, and he patiently waited. Suddenly she rose to her feet,withdrawing her hands from his hold as if he had hurt her.
"Roland," she exclaimed, "you think you know all that is in my heart,but you do not. You know it is filled with dread, with horror, with asickening fear, but it holds more than that. It holds a love for youwhich is stronger than any fear or horror or dread. Roland, you must godown that shaft, you must know the great discovery you have made--evenif you should never be able to come back to earth again, you must dieknowing what it is. That is how I love you!"
Roland quickly made a step forward, but she moved back as if she wereabout to seat herself again, but suddenly her knees bent beneath her,and, before he could touch her, she had fallen over on her side and laysenseless on the floor.