mind what you did to the guard--"

Suddenly the image of an officer strange to Mich'l stood in the room
and saluted smartly.

"Has Captain Ilgen Mr. Lane Mollon's leave to stay?" he asked.

Mollon started forward, but before he could disclose his predicament
Mich'l had sidled over to him and thrown one arm affectionately over
his shoulder. In his hand, concealed by the rich folds of Lane's robe,
Mich'l held his needle-ray, and it was pressed firmly against Lane's
ribs.

"Mr. Mollon will be glad to hear you," Mich'l said smoothly.

* * * * *

He fancied that the eyes of the officer's image dilated slightly, but
it lost none of its military rigor. But some explanation of his
presence there in his still damp uniform must be given Ilgen, so he
growled, in a voice that he tried to make a bit thick, as if he had
chewed too much merclite:

"At ease, Captain. At ease! Damn it man, you don't have to be so
damned military. You're among friends!" And he towseled Lane's dark
hair affectionately.

Captain Ilgen looked his disgust.

"Sir," he said to Lane, "we recaptured Nida Mane as she tried to board
a public car near the Executive Mansion."

The black lens at the end of Mich'l's needle-ray pressed hard, and
Lane said naturally:

"You have her in custody?"

"Sir, we have." And to Mich'l's dismay, Nida, defiant, her lovely form
half revealed by rents in her garments, seemed to materialize beside
the officer. Her wrathful eyes were fixed on Lane, and then she saw
Mich'l.

The technie put all his will into the pleading stare which he
returned, and she understood. She gave no sign of recognition, but
favored both Lane and Mich'l equally with the chill of her disdain.

"Sir, what are your orders?"

Lane glanced aside at Mich'l, acutely conscious of the lethal pressure
in his ribs.

"'Sall right with me, old fellow," Mich'l squawked good-humoredly.
"This your girl that got away from you? Let's both go over and bring
her back."

Lane nodded assent. The soldier saluted, and his vision and that of
the girl disappeared.

"And we're going to do just that!" Mich'l added in an entirely changed
voice. "Get up, you. Act right, speak right, do right, and you may
live to see another day."

* * * * *

So the two left the warren in apparent amity, and walked the beautiful
street, with its richly formed, brightly colored arches, its seemingly
illimitable vistas