Part 59 (1/2)
Toave proof of his readiness a few days later, when the broken s had been replaced, fresh solutions ular natural state of repose; for, upon his uncle proposing that they should proceed at once to silver the big speculuet all ready for his uncle's coet aithout encountering Pete, who hurried up to the wall to shout over at hiet it, so look out”
Then hearing soe, he ducked down like a wild ani concealone through to the smallest minutiae, and only an hour after the silvered face of the azed in triureyish-drab powder about theseemed unnecessary
The next day it was polished, till by a side light it looked black, while in face it was a brilliant looking-glass ready to reflect the faintest stars; and after being put away securely, the great tube was set about, and in due tiether A shallow tray was contrived deep enough to hold the speculum, and fitted with screws, so that it could be secured to one end Next followed the fitting of a properly-constructed eye-piece froles into a small reflector, which also had to be carefully fixed in the axis of the great speculum
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
”What's the matter, Tom?” said Uncle Richard one day, as they were busy at work over the telescope, and To the matter, uncle, only I'lass It's going to be so different to the old one”
”Of course; that is a refractor, and this is going to be a reflector”
”Yes, uncle, but it seems so queer The refractor is a tube h it, but the reflector will be, if you are right, so that you can't look through it, because instead of being at the end, the hole will be in the side Is that correct?”
”Quite right, and you are quite wrong, Tom, for you do not understand the first simple truth in connection with a telescope”
”I suppose not, uncle,” replied the lad, with a sigh ”I anorant as lasses I have explained the matter to you, but you have not taken it in”
”I suppose not, uncle,” said To his brow
”Then understand it now, once for all It is very sirasp it Now look here: what do you do with an ordinary telescope or opera-glass, single or double? Hold it up to your eyes, do you not?”
”Yes, uncle”
”And then?”
”Look through it at so distant, and it seeh it, uncle”
”Nothing of the kind, sir, you do not”
Toht, looked through a pair of field-glasses scores of times at home in the old days
”I lad to see it, for it shows ht I am, and that you do think as everybody else does who has not studied optics, that you look through a glass at an object”
Tom stared harder, and once more the old idea came to him, and he asked himself whether there were ti
”But you do, uncle,” he cried at last Then he qualified this declaration by saying, ”Don't you?”