h the heavy sand to the foot of the hill. When
they arrived they found themselves at the beginning of a broad stone
roadway--only a path to those of normal Oroid size--that wound back and
forth up the hill to the palace. They walked up this road, and as they
progressed, saw that it was laid through a grassy lawn that covered the
entire hillside--a lawn with gray-blue blades of grass half as high as
their bodies.

After walking about ten minutes they came to a short flight of steps.
Each step was twice as high as their heads--impossible of ascent--so
they made a detour through the grass.

Suddenly Aura clutched the Very Young Man by the arm with a whispered
exclamation, and they both dropped to the ground. A man was coming down
the roadway; he was just above the steps when they first saw him--a man
so tall that, standing beside him, they would have reached hardly above
his ankles. The long grass in which they were lying hid them effectually
from his sight and he passed them by unnoticed. When he was gone the
Very Young Man drew a long breath. "We must watch that," he said
apprehensively. "If any one sees us now it's all off. We must be
extremely careful."

It took the two adventurers over an hour to get safely up the hill and
into the palace. Its main entrance, approached by a long flight of
steps, was an impossible means of ingress, but Aura fortunately knew of
a smaller door at the side which led into the basement of the building.
This door they found slightly ajar. It was open so little, however, that
they could not get past, and as they were not strong enough even with
their combined efforts, to swing the door open, they were again brought
to a halt.

"We'd better get still smaller," the Very Young Man whispered somewhat
nervously. "There's less danger that way."

They reduced their size, perhaps one half, and when that was
accomplished the crack in the door had widened sufficiently to let them
in. Within the building they found themselves in a hallway several
hundred feet wide and half a mile or more in length--its ceiling high as
the roof of some great auditorium. The Very Young Man looked about in
dismay. "Great Scott," he ejaculated, "this won't do at all."

"Many times I have been here," said Aura. "It looks so very different
now, but I think I know the way."

"That may be," agreed the Very Young Man dubiously, "but we'd have to
walk miles if we stay as small as this."

A heavy tread sounded far away i