away, Migul. You understand?"

"Yes, Master." The Robot left our doorway, tramping with stiff-legged
tread across the glade. Tugh was in the room behind us, and I turned
to him and asked:

"What are you going to do?"

He was at the telespectroscope. I saw on its recording mirror the
wraith-like image of the other vehicle. It was coming! It would be
retarding, maneuvering to stop at just this Time when now we existed
here; but across the glade, where Migul now was leaning against a
great black tree-trunk, there was yet no evidence of it.

Tugh did not answer my question. Mary said quaveringly:

"What are you going to do?"

He looked up. "Do not concern yourself, my dear. I am not going to
hurt you, nor this young man of 1935. Not yet."

He left the table and came at us. His cloak parted in front and I saw
his crooked hips, and shriveled bent legs.

"You stay at the window, both of you, and keep looking out. I want
this Harl to see you, but not me. Do you understand?"

"Yes," I said.

"And if you gesture, or cry out--if you do anything to warn him,"--he
was addressing me, with a tone grimly menacing--"then I will kill you.
Both of you. Do you understand?"

I did indeed. Nor could I doubt him. "We will do what you want." I
said. What, to me, was the life of this unknown Harl compared to the
safety of Mary Atwood?

* * * * *

Tugh crouched behind the table. From around its edge he could see out
the doorway and across the glade. I was aware of a weapon in his hand.

"Do not look around again," he repeated. "The other cage is coming;
it's almost here."

I held Mary, and we gazed out. We were pressed against the bars, and
sunlight was on our heads and shoulders. I realized that we could be
plainly seen from across the glade. We were lures--decoys to trap
Harl.

How long an interval went by I cannot judge. The scene was very
silent, the blackened forest lying sullen in the noonday sunlight.
Against the tree, five hundred feet or so from us, the dark towering
metal figure of the Robot stood motionless.

Would the other cage come? I tried to guess in what part of this open
glade it would appear.

At a movement behind me I turned slightly. At once the voice of Tugh
hissed:

"Do not do that! I warn you!"

His shrouded figure was still hunched behind the table. He was peering
toward the open door. I saw in his hand a small, barrel-like weapon,
with a wire dangling from it. T