ree-fingered hand was pounding vehemently on the
arm of the chair. His guttural roughened voice came clearly to the
listener. He was talking to someone unseen from the angle of the
slowly widening slit. He was annoyed.

"For the last time I give you the opportunity," the Mercutian
howled--in English. "If you refuse I turn you over to Urga; he wants
you."

The crack in the door had widened perceptibly. Hilary's heart gave a
tremendous leap. Disclosed to his vision was a figure standing
opposite the Mercutian, slim, defiant, proud--Joan.

What unimaginable luck! The automatic leaped like a live thing into,
his hand. He crouched, the blood pounding in his temples, waiting for
the slide to come completely open. He dared not reach over for the
button control to shift the speed; the movement might be heard inside.

The path was clear now. Overpower the Mercutian, escape with Joan down
the deserted corridors back to the secret passageway, emerge below,
return to their hideout in the Ramapos and plan for revolt. It was all
as simple as that.

* * * * *

"We must have these Earth slaves," the Mercutian continued, unheeding.
"They, must be made an example of. They are responsible for the
unrest. They have killed Magnificents; and the Earth fools think they
can do the same. They will find out their error soon enough. But as
long as those three live, so long will the slaves hope, and plot."

"I cannot tell you anything about them," Joan said monotonously. It
was evident that this was not the first time she had said so.

"Yes you can," the Mercutian said as softly as his gutturals would
permit. "There is one in particular you know a great deal about. Urga
told me. A long-lost lover, no?" His gray-ridged countenance contorted
into a thick disgusting leer.

"There it something mysterious about him. He has no identification
tag; he releases Peabody; seems not to know the penalties. He has a
pistol, a forbidden weapon; he dares to kill a Magnificent; he eggs on
two others, ordinary Earth slaves to join him; he disappears out of
sight, in spite of all search." He was shouting now, pounding the
chair arm with complete loss of dignity. "Who is he, where does he
come from, where did he go? Answer me?"

The girl faced him boldly.

"You are afraid of him, Viceroy," she challenged. "You fear his
example. He has shown what a brave man can do; the Earth people will
follow him. The Mercutians are not i