down.

3

I have no idea how long it was before Halsey came back. Snap and I
were seated on a low metal bench against the wall. The effect of the
paralysing ray was wearing off. We were tingling all over, our senses
still confused.

Halsey stalked in upon us. "So you are recovered?"

Snap stammered, "We--I say, we're sorry as hell we acted like that."

"I know you are." His voice softened. "If I could have done anything
else, believe me, I would have. But I don't think harm will come to
them. They're clever."

"Are they outside?" I asked. "Did they find a way of meeting the
Martians? How long have you been gone?"

Halsey merely stared at me as though he had no intention of answering.
And then the audiphone on the desk buzzed.

"This is Halsey," he said. "Yes, I have them here. Bring them--did you
say bring them?"

We could not hear the answering voice, for Halsey had the muffler in
contact.

"No, I would prefer not to come. I'm watching something. I'm at the
Red Spark Cafe. Well, I'm going back to my office presently to wait
there."

He continued in code. Like Snap, I had never had occasion to learn it.
The words were a strange sounding staccato gibberish. He ended, "I
will send them, Grantline. Very well, I'll tell them to locate him. At
once, yes." He closed off the audiphone.

Halsey swung on us. "You're all right now?"

"Yes." I stood up, drawing Snap up with me. "What is wanted of us
Colonel?"

"That's better, Gregg." He smiled, but he was still grim. "I wanted
you here to wait for this call from the Conclave of Public Safety. It
met at midnight. They have ordered both of you there."

"That's a secret meeting, isn't it?" asked Snap. "There was no report
of it over the air tonight."

"Yes. Secret." He was leading us to the door. "They won't need you for
more than half an hour. When they finish, come back to my office. You
can come openly." He stood with his finger on the door lever.
"Good-by, lads. Foley will lead you to the service room. You are to
take a mail cylinder for Postal Switch-station 20. They'll re-route
you from there to the conclave auditorium."

The door slid up. "When you disembark," he added, "Ask for Johnny
Grantline. You are to sit with him."

He showed us out and the door slid down before him. We trudged the
corridor, and Snap gripped me.

"For myself," he whispered swiftly, "I'll go to the damnable conclave
because I'm ordered. But I won't stay there long. Onc