At the beginning of the dialogue above recorded she had been reading unnoticed in a corner of the room; but, little by little, she had become interested in the conversation, and had gradually approached the two speakers. And now, while her father paused, she profited by the interruption to put a question on her own account:
"Dr. Giles," said she, "when you get your hole dug through the earth, will you send only baggage and things like that through it? Won't you send people through as well?"
Mr. Curtis laughed. "I guess nobody would care to go on such a trip as that, Flora," he said.
"I 'm not so sure of that," returned Dr. Giles, drawing the young girl to him, and looking at her kindly. "In fact, I have seriously been thinking of sending passengers through my tunnel."
"What," exclaimed Mr. Curtis, in utter amazement, "you mean to say that you actually think of dropping a living man down a bottomless pit eight thousand miles deep!"
"Yes," said Dr. Giles, "I most assuredly do!"
