"In any case," Hannah replied, "if I had not the knowledge I would not fail through any lack of good will."
"And with good will——" Ernest went on.
"One can build lighthouses two hundred feet above the level of the Indian Ocean," Jack answered lightly. "So I rely upon Hannah to lay the first stone."
"Whenever you like, my dear Jack," she answered, laughing.
On the morning of the 25th of July, M. and Mme. Zermatt were in their room when Ernest came to them, looking even more serious than usual, his eyes shining brightly.
He wanted to acquaint his father with a discovery, which, if properly worked, might, he thought, have results of the very highest importance in the future.
In his hand he held something which he handed to M. Zermatt after a final look at it.
It was one of the pebbles he had picked up in the gorge on the occasion of his trip in the canoe, with Mr. Wolston, on the upper reaches of the Montrose River.
M. Zermatt took the pebble, the weight of which surprised him to begin with. Then he asked his son why he brought it to him with such an air of mystery.
"Because it is worth while to give it a little careful attention," Ernest replied.