They made their way toward the Planetarium which in the light of day lost most of its mystery.
At their request the aged professor made the sun, moon, stars and planets do their little part in their artificial universe.
The Planetarium, as you doubtless know, consists for the most part of a great white dome. Inside this dome one may sit with comfort while a great bug-like affair made of steel and glass, winking and blinking through its scores of white eyes, reproduces for him the starry heavens and throws in the planets, the moon and the stars for good measure. It was in this dome that the boy and girl had strayed in their flight of the night before. They had chanced to arrive just as the professor was testing some new form of projector.
With the light of day outside, all this seemed rather commonplace. But when they showed the professor what they had found beneath the sand, he fairly sprang at them.
“Where did you get that?” he demanded.
“In the sand.” Grace stared at him.
“What sand?”
“Out there.” She pointed out the window.
“It was stolen early last evening.” He took it from her as if afraid it would disappear again.
“This,” he said, handling it with real affection, “is one of the oldest telescopes in existence; perhaps the oldest. When you think how much the telescope has done to widen man’s knowledge of the universe, you will know how priceless it is.