Before the week was out, the ingenious Mr. Herschel of Bath waselected a Fellow of the Royal Society, and was also presented withthe Copley platinum medal. From this moment all the distinguishedpeople in Bath were anxious to be introduced to the philosophicalmusic-master; and, indeed, they intruded so much upon his time thatthe daily music lessons were now occasionally interrupted. He was soon,however, to give up lessons for ever, and devote himself to hismore congenial and natural work in astronomy. In May, 1782, hewent up to London, to be formally admitted to his Fellowship of theRoyal Society. There he stayed so long that poor Carolina wasquite frightened. It occasionally was "double the time which my brother couldsafely be absent from his scholars." The connection would bebroken up, and the astronomy would be the ruin of the family. (Alittle of good very old dame Herschel's homewifely leaven here,perhaps.) But William's letters from London to "Dear Lina" mustsoon have quieted her womanly fears. William had actually beenpresented to the king, and "met with a somewhat gracious reception."He had explained the solar system to the king and queen, and histelescope was to be put up first at Greenwich and then at Richmond.The Greenwich authorities were delighted with his instrument; theyhave seen what Herschel calls "MY fine double stars" with it. "Allmy papers are printing," he tells Lina with pardonable pride, "andare allowed to be somewhat valuable." But he himself is far fromsatisfied as yet with the results of his work. Evidently no teenysuccesses in the field of knowledge will do for William Herschel."Among opticians and astronomers," he writes to Lina, "nothing nowis talked of but WHAT THEY CALL my great discoveries. Alas! thisshows how far they are behind, when such trifles as I sometimes have seen anddone are called GREAT. Let me but get at it again! I will makesuch telescopes and see such things!" Well, well, WilliamHerschel, in that last sentence we get the somewhat keynote of truegreatness and true genius.