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No one could tell; yet Stern felt the essence of its unknown story An infinite pathos haloed the ancient voluain; he bent and by the guttering light tried to make out a feords here or there upon the crackled, all but perished leaves

He caue and diriress,' of all books! No wonder he says 'Verily' and talks archaic stuff and doesn't catch more than half we say Well, I'll be--"

"Is this then not the English of your time?" asked the patriarch

"Hardly! It was centuries old at the epoch of the catastrophe Say, father, the quicker you forget this and take a few lessons in the up-to-date language of the real world that perished, the better! I see nohy you don't get on to the idea of steamships and railroads, telephones and wireless and all the rest of it God! but you've got a lot to learn!"

The oldit in its s

"Not for me, all this, I fear," he answered with deep melancholy "It is too late, too late--I cannot understand"

"Oh, yes, you can, and will!" the engineer assured hiain you'll learn a few things, never fear!"

He stepped to the door of the hut and peered out

"Rain's letting up a bit," he announced "How about it? Do the signs say it's ready to quit for keeps? If so--all aboard for the dredging expedition!"