forego the pleasure and profit of my course of studies at the College of Engineers for about half a year.
I answered expressing my willingness to do so if any good end could be served thereby.
'That being the case,' said he, 'you will receive an intimation from the Central after its next meeting. The Minister of Agriculture has decided to make a trial of your discovery and invention on a moderately large scale during the next spring and summer. He is therefore preparing to lay tubes and wires in a piece of land five miles square, now inside the snow line. The land gets free from snow and ice in summer and rapidly grows a lot of grass, and even a crop of tubers is sometimes grown; but we cannot trust the land, and unless a crop can he got in very early it cannot be ripened and secured.'
'The Central, then,' I asked, 'wishes me to clear this twenty-five miles of land and apply electrical warmth?'
'Yes,' said Grayson, 'the men and the materials are already there: two engineers also are directing operations. You are wanted to supervise the special part with which you are most familiar, so that the experiment may have a fair chance.'
I now know for the first time that Grayson is a member of that august body, the Central Executive.
CHAPTER XV.
In the North.
AS I expected, I received a note from the Secretary of the Central asking me if I could make it convenient to supervise the subwarming of a strip of level and pretty good land twenty miles in length, from east to west, and five in width, from north to south. I had not to consider myself bound to go, and I was to have a special swift air boat to take me to and from as often as I choose.
I at once and gladly accepted the commission, knowing that I could at any time go on with my studies at the College.
I wrote mother and father asking them to defer for a little while their visit to Sidonia, and next day found me rapidly flying to the north. I took with me Fred Harley, an aspiring young engineer, who had completed his college course, and wanted to make himself useful. For several weeks I directed the operations of the staff of men employed, and had the satisfaction of making a practical test. For a late snowstorm came and covered my completed work and suspended operations in other parts, I turned on my heat and had the satisfaction of seeing the snow melt and the land grew green, while all around was locked up in a wintry sleep.
