longer the Dunark
they had known. He now wore a metal-and-leather harness which was one
blaze of precious gems, and a leather belt hung with jeweled weapons
replaced the familiar hollow girdle of metal. His right arm, between the
wrist and the elbow, was almost covered by six bracelets of a
transparent metal, deep cobalt-blue in color, each set with an
incredibly brilliant stone of the same shade. On his left wrist he wore
an Osnomian chronometer. This was an instrument resembling the odometer
of an automobile, whose numerous revolving segments revealed a large and
constantly increasing number--the date and time of the Osnomian day,
expressed in a decimal number of the karkamo of Kondalian history.

"Greetings, oh guests from Earth! I feel more like myself, now that I am
again in my trappings and have my weapons at my side. Will you accompany
me to koprat, or are you not hungry?" as he attached the peculiar
timepieces to the wrists of the guests, with bracelets of the deep-blue
metal.

"We accept with thanks," replied Dorothy promptly. "We're starving to
death, as usual."

As they walked toward the dining hall, Dunark noticed that Dorothy's
eyes strayed toward his bracelets, and he answered her unasked question:

"These are our wedding rings. Man and wife exchange bracelets as part of
the ceremony."

"Then you can tell whether a man is married or not, and how many wives
he has, simply by looking at his arm? We should have something like that
on Earth, Dick--then married men wouldn't find it so easy to pose as
bachelors!"

Roban met them at the door of the great dining hall. He also was in full
panoply, and Dorothy counted ten of the heavy bracelets upon his right
arm as he led them to places near his own. The room was a replica of the
other Osnomian dining hall they had seen and the women were decorated
with the same barbaric splendor of scintillating gems.

After the meal, which was a happy one, taking the nature of a
celebration in honor of the return of the captives, DuQuesne went
directly to his room while the others spent the time until the zero hour
in strolling about the splendid grounds, always escorted by many guards.
Returning to the room occupied by the two girls, the couples separated,
each girl accompanying her lover to the door of his room.

Margaret was ill at ease, though trying hard to appear completely
self-possessed.

"What is the matter, sweetheart Peggy?" asked Crane, solicitously.

"I