rested in the
scene outside the window?" he added.

"Yes. Very."

"A strange sight. It must seem very strange to you. This traveling
through my world--"

"Did you come to tell me that?" she interrupted.

He smiled. "I came for nothing in particular. Let us say I came to
get acquainted with you. My little prisoner--you do not like me, do
you?"

She tried to meet his gaze calmly. This was the first time Jane had
had opportunity to regard Tako closely. She saw now the aspect of
power which was upon him. His gigantic stature was not clumsy, for
there was a lean, lithe grace in his movements. His face was
handsome in a strange foreign fashion. He was smiling now; but in
the set of his jaw, his wide mouth, there was an undeniable cruelty,
a ruthless dominance of purpose. And suddenly she saw the
animal-like aspect of him; a thinking, reasoning, but ruthless,
animal.

"You do not like me, do you?" he repeated.

* * * * *

She forced herself to reply calmly, "Why should I? You abduct my
friends. There is a girl named Eunice Arton whom you have stolen.
Where is she?"[7]

[7] Neither Eunice Arton, nor any of the stolen girls, have
ever been heard from since. Like the thousands of men, women
and children who met their death in the attack upon New
York, Eunice Arton was a victim of these tragic events.

He shrugged. "You could call that the fortunes of war. This is
war--"

"And you," she said, "are my enemy."

"Oh, I would not go so far as to say that. Rather would I call
myself your friend."

"So that you will return me safely? And also Bob Rivers, and my
cousin, Don--you will return us safely as you promised?"

"Did I promise? Are you not prompting words from my lips?"

Jane was breathless from fear, but she tried not to show it.

"What are you going to do with us?" she demanded. There is no woman
who lacks feminine guile in dealing with a man; and in spite of her
terror Jane summoned it to her aid.

"You want me to like you, Tako?"

"Of course I do. You interest me strangely. Your beauty--your
courage--"

"Then if you would be sincere with me--"

"I am; most certainly I am."

"You are not. You have plans for me. I told Tolla I supposed I was
destined for someone's harem. Yours?"

It startled him. "Why--" He recovered himself and laughed. "You
speak with directness." He suddenly turned solemn. He bent toward
her and lowered his voice; his hand would h