“No,” continued the captain; “it is not for man to disturb the order of the universe. That belongs to a Higher Power than ours!”
CHAPTER XIV. THE PROFESSOR PERPLEXED
Another month passed away, and it was now September, but it was still impossible to leave the warmth of the subterranean retreat for the more airy and commodious quarters of the Hive, where “the bees” would certainly have been frozen to death in their cells. It was altogether quite as much a matter of congratulation as of regret that the volcano showed no symptoms of resuming its activity; for although a return of the eruption might have rendered their former resort again habitable, any sudden outbreak would have been disastrous to them where they were, the crater being the sole outlet by which the burning lava could escape.
“A wretched time we have had for the last seven months,” said the orderly one day to his master; “but what a comfort little Nina has been to us all!”
“Yes, indeed,” replied Servadac; “she is a charming little creature. I hardly know how we should have got on without her.”
“What is to become of her when we arrive back at the earth?”
“Not much fear, Ben Zoof, but that she will be well taken care of. Perhaps you and I had better adopt her.”
“Ay, yes,” assented the orderly. “You can be her father, and I can be her mother.”
Servadac laughed. “Then you and I shall be man and wife.”