ox."

"That's right," said Calvin Full.

Watkins eyed him a moment. "I'm sorry, Summersby," he said then. "I shot
off my mouth too quick."

"They filled the nursery with it once," went on Summersby, "but it seems
logical to think they could also let it into this room alone. Maybe it
works on them, maybe not; if it does, then they wouldn't flood the
nursery with it every night, because the adults have to come in and
clean the place up."

"A clever thought, Mr. Summersby," said the woman.

"Not particularly. At any rate, I'm going to stand by the crack and try
to get enough air to stay awake; then when I think the coast's clear,
I'll shove the door open and scout around. If I find a way out, I'll
come back and drag you into the nursery and wake you."

"Why are you doing this?" asked Villa suspiciously. "No, Mr. Big Man, I
don't like you going out alone. I think you wouldn't come back. You
don't like us."

Watkins, evidently on edge from his mauling by the children, whirled on
the Mexican. "Oh, shut your yap! The guy's doing you a favor." Then he
said to Summersby, "I'll come along."

Summersby grinned wryly.

"I'm not saying you'd run out on us, man." Watkins made the motions of
going through his pockets for a cigarette, which some of them still did
occasionally out of hopeful habit. "I know locks and I might be able to
help if you ran into trouble."

"Come on along, then." He put an eye to the thin slit. "Here comes one
of them. It's the head scientist." He grinned. "Or the kid who owns us,
who lives in this house and invites his little pals in every day to play
with his toys and his pets."

The monster disappeared. Presently Watkins said, "It's in. I'm sleepy."

Summersby stretched as tall as he could and put his mouth to the crack,
trying to breathe only what air came through from the nursery. He saw
the enormous child pass on its way to the door, and shortly the sound of
its heavy feet stopped. He felt drowsy, his eyelids flickered. He beat
his hands together, sucking in air from the opening. Villa started to
snore.

Watkins said, "I'm about done, Summersby." He was kneeling at the crack
below Summersby, and his voice was sluggish. In a few seconds he rolled
over on the straw.

When did the adults come in to clean up? Summersby didn't dare wait much
longer. He was fighting sleep with all his vigor. Possibly they wouldn't
come till morning.

He had to chance it. He forced his fingers into the gap an