42 THE WORLDS WORKERS. 



intimate friends, came to see her. On entering the 

 room he said, " I have discovered seven dark lines 

 crossing the solar spectrum, which I want to show 

 you ; " then closing the window shutters so as to leave 

 only a narrow line of light, he put a small glass 

 prism into her hand, and told her to look. She did 

 so, and at once perceived what her friend pointed 

 out. 



She was very pleased and proud when she 

 found that she was the first person to whom Dr. 

 Wollaston showed these lines, as the discovery proved 

 to be of great importance. It does not seem im- 

 probable that it was this circumstance which led 

 Mrs. Somerville to give special consideration to the 

 solar rays. Whether this be so or not, it is a fact that 

 her first important contribution to science was made in 

 the form of a paper read before the Royal Society, in 

 which she tried to show that the violet rays in the 

 solar spectrum have a magnetic influence. Her 

 theory led to much discussion, although it was not 

 ultimately established. Still it was useful, because it 

 led to important investigations. 



This paper, together with other more fragmentary 

 ones, had already made Mrs. Somerville known as a 

 practical astronomer, and she was not permitted to 

 hide her light. 



One day, some months after the production of 

 the paper on the solar rays, Mrs. Somerville was much 

 startled to hear that her husband had received a 



