away from it, running swiftly, when there appeared in the doorway the
feet and legs of two men who were coming in. The Very Young Man and Aura
stopped abruptly, shrinking up against the side of the wall. Then there
came a heavy metallic clanging sound; the two men entered the room,
closing the door.

CHAPTER XXXII

AN ANT-HILL OUTRAGED

"We'll have to get smaller," said the Doctor.

"There's Rogers' house."

They had been walking along the beach from the king's palace hardly more
than a hundred yards. The Doctor and the Big Business Man were in front,
and Oteo, wide-eyed and solemn, was close behind them.

The Doctor was pointing down at the ground a few feet ahead. There, at a
height just above their ankles, stood the Chemist's house--a little
building whose roof did not reach more than half-way to their knees,
even though it stood on higher ground than the beach upon which they
were walking. On the roof they could see two tiny figures--the Chemist
and Lylda--waving their arms.

The Big Business Man stopped short. "Now see here, Frank, let's
understand this. We've been fooling with this thing too damned long.
We've made a hell of a mess of it, you know that." He spoke
determinedly, with a profanity unusual with him. The Doctor did not
answer.

"We got here--yesterday. We found a peaceful world. Dissatisfaction in
it--yes. But certainly a more peaceful world than the one we left. We've
been here one day--one day, Frank, and now look at things. This child,
Loto--stolen. Jack disappeared--God knows what's happened to him. A
revolution--the whole place in an uproar. All in one day, since we took
our place in this world and tried to mix up in its affairs.

"It's time to call a halt, Frank. If only we can get Jack back. That's
the bad part--we've got to find Jack. And then get out; we don't belong
here anyway. It's nothing to us--why, man, look at it." He waved his arm
out over the city. In the street beside them they could see a number of
little figures no bigger than their fingers, staring up into the air.
"What is all that to us now, as we stand here. Nothing. Nothing but a
kid's toy; with little animated mannikins for a child to play with."

"We've got to find Jack," said the Doctor.

"Certainly we have--and then get out. We're only hurting these little
creatures, anyway, by being here."

"But there's Rogers and Lylda," added the Doctor. "And Loto and Lylda's
sister."

"Take them with us. They'