wholly calm now; methodical with her last directions. There had been no
time for her to tell us anything about herself. Alan had asked her why
she had come here and how she had gotten the drugs. She waved him away.

"On the way down. Plenty of time then."

"How long will it take us?" Alan demanded.

"Not too long if we are careful with managing the trip. About ten
hours."

And now we were ready to start. She told us calmly:

"I will give you each your share of the drugs, but then you take only as
I tell you."

She produced from her robe several small vials a few inches long. They
were tightly stoppered. The feel of them was cool and sleek; they seemed
to be made of some strange, polished metal. Some of them were tinted
black while the others glowed opalescent. She gave each of us one vial
of each kind.

"The light ones are for diminishing," she said. "We take them very
carefully, one small pellet only at first."

Alan was opening one of his, but she checked him.

"Wait! The drug evaporates very quickly. I have more to say. First we
sit here together. Then you follow me to the white slab. We climb upon
the little rock."

She laid her hands on my arms. Her blue eyes regarded us earnestly. Her
manner was naive; childlike. But I could not mistake her intelligence or
the force of character stamped on her face for all its dainty, ethereal
beauty.

"Alan--" She smiled at him, and tossed back a straying lock of her hair
which was annoying her. "You pay attention, Alan. You are very young,
reckless. You listen. We must not be separated. You understand that,
both of you? We will be always in that little piece of rock. But there
will be miles of distance. And to be lost in size--"

What a strange journey upon which we were now starting! Lost in size?

"You understand me? Lost in size. If that happens, we might never find
each other. And if we come upon the Doctor Polter and the girl he holds
captive--if we can overtake them--"

"We must!" I exclaimed. "And we must get started."

She showed us which pellet to select. They were of several sizes, I
found. And as she afterward told us, the larger ones were not only
larger but of an intensified strength. We took the smallest. It was
barely a thousandth part of the strength of the largest. In unison we
placed the pellets on our tongues, and hastily swallowed.

The first sensations were as before. And, familiar now, they caused no
more than a fleeting discomfort. But