old us before she died."

"Died!..." I leaped to my feet. "She ... died...."

"Yes, Gregg. An hour ago. Miko got into her stateroom and tried to
force his love upon her. She repulsed him. He killed her...."

It struck me blank. And then with a rush came the thought, "He says
Miko killed her"....

I heard myself stammering, "Why--why we must get him!" I gathered my
wits; a surge of hate swept me; a wild desire for vengeance.

"Why, by God, where is he? Why don't you go get him? I'll get
him--I'll kill him!"

"Easy, Gregg!" Dr. Frank gripped me.

The Captain said gently. "We know how you feel, Gregg. She told us
before she died."

"I'll bring him in here to you! But I'll kill him, I tell you!"

"No you won't, lad. We don't want him killed, not attacked, even. Not
yet. We'll explain later."

They sat me down, calming me....

Anita dead. The door of the shining garden was closed. A brief glimpse
given to me and to her of what might have been. And now she was
dead....

X

I had not been able at first to understand why Captain Carter wanted
Miko left at liberty. Within me there was that cry of vengeance, as
though to strike Miko down would somehow lessen my own grief. Whatever
Carter's purpose, Snap had not known it. But Balch and Dr. Frank were
in the Captain's confidence--all three of them working on some plan of
action.

It was obvious that at least two of our passengers were plotting with
Miko and George Prince; trying on this voyage to learn what they could
about Grantline's activities on the Moon--scheming doubtless to seize
the treasure when the _Planetara_ stopped at the Moon on the return
voyage. I thought I could name those masquerading passengers. Ob Hahn,
supposedly a Venus mystic. And Rance Rankin, who called himself an
American magician. Those two, Snap and I agreed, seemed most
suspicious. And there was the purser.

I sat for a time on the deck outside the chart room with Snap. Then
Carter summoned us back, and we sat listening while he, Balch and Dr.
Frank went on with their conference. Listening to them, I could not
but agree that our best plan was to secure evidence which would
incriminate all who were concerned in the plot. Miko, we were
convinced, had been the Martian who followed Snap and me from Halsey's
office in Greater New York. George Prince had doubtless been the
invisible eavesdropper outside the radio room. He knew, and had told
the others that Grantline had found that