“After six weeks of fasting,” said the Colonel diplomatically, “a man should be willing to go quietly to a meal, I think.”
They had passed beyond the limits of the town and, having reached the highway, were flying along at a rapid rate. Such was their speed that Kearns and the Professor were not loth to hold their tongues and attend to the matter of breathing. Along the road they flew, finally turning down a side road and drawing up in front of an ornamented iron gate, opened to them by a lodge keeper; then down a winding path, bordered by trees, until they stopped before the steps of a stately house. The Colonel stepped out of the vehicle.
“Welcome to Idleslip!” he said as he politely assisted them to alight.
He led the way up the steps, across a spacious foyer and turned into one of the rooms to the left. Drawing up two comfortable armchairs, he motioned them to be seated.
“Do you feel very weak?” he inquired with anxious concern. “Shall I order you some refreshment, or don’t you think it would be better to wait for the doctor?”
“Doctor!” cried Kearns. “I thank you. I have had all the doctor I want for some time to come.”
“Doctor!” exclaimed the Professor, who regarded the question in a different light. “Let us cease playing at cross-purposes. May I ask you frankly, sir, why you think we need a physician?”
“Pray calm yourselves,” urged the Colonel soothingly, “or, as I have already warned you, no one can foresee the results! See a doctor? Why not! After your remarkable—I may say, indeed, very extraordinary experiences——”
“You refer to our sleep in the cave?” interposed the Professor. “By the way, is it really possible that we have slept six weeks? What is the date?”
“No, no,” protested the Colonel. “Don’t seek any explanation now. Wait until later.”