se. The Chemist had not spoken while he was growing; now he
greeted his friends quietly. "A close call, gentlemen. I thank you." He
smiled approvingly at the Big Business Man.

Eena and Oteo stood apart from the others. The girl was obviously
terror-stricken by the experiences she had undergone. Oteo put his arm
across her shoulders, and spoke to her reassuringly.

"Where is Jack?" Lylda asked anxiously. "And my father--and Aura?" The
Big Business Man thought her face looked years older than when he had
last seen it. Her expression was set and stern, but her eyes stared into
his with a gentle, sorrowful gaze that belied the sternness of her lips.

They told her, as gently as they could, of the death of her father and
the disappearance of the Very Young Man, presumably with Aura. She bore
up bravely under the news of her father's death, standing with her hand
on her husband's arm, and her sorrowful eyes fixed upon the face of the
Big Business Man who haltingly told what had befallen them. When he came
to a description of the attack on the palace, the death of the king, and
the triumph of Targo, the Chemist raised his hands with a hopeless
gesture.

The Doctor put in: "It's a serious situation--most serious."

"There's only one thing we can do," the Big Business Man added quickly.
"We must find Jack and your sister," he addressed Lylda, whose eyes had
never left his face, "and then get out of this world as quickly as we
can--before we do it any more harm."

The Chemist began pacing up and down the strip of the beach. He had
evidently reached the same conclusion--that it was hopeless to continue
longer to cope with so desperate a situation. But he could not bring
himself so easily to a realization that his life in this world, of which
he had been so long virtually the leader, was at an end. He strode back
and forth thinking deeply; the water that he kicked idly splashed up
sometimes over the houses of the tiny city at his side.

The Big Business Man went on, "It's the only way--the best way for all
of us and for this little world, too."

"The best way for you--and you." Lylda spoke softly and with a sweet,
gentle sadness. "It is best for you, my friends. But for me----" She
shook her head.

The Big Business Man laid his hands gently on her shoulders. "Best for
you, too, little woman. And for these people you love so well. Believe
me--it is."

The Chemist paused in his walk. "Probably Aura and Jack are together.