ire for power, for
its own sake, their consideration for themselves as superior beings,
caused them to be distrusted and feared by their more simple-minded
companion nation.

"You can almost guess the rest, gentlemen. Lylda told me little about
the Malites, but the loathing disgust of her manner, her hesitancy, even
to bring herself to mention them, spoke more eloquently than words.

"Four years ago, as they measure time, came the second attack, and now,
in a huge arc, only a few hundred miles from Arite, hung the opposing
armies."

The Chemist paused. "That's the condition I found, gentlemen," he said.
"Not a strikingly original or unfamiliar situation, was it?"

"By Jove!" remarked the Doctor thoughtfully, "what a curious thing that
the environment of our earth should so affect that world inside the
ring. It does make you stop and think, doesn't it, to realize how those
infinitesimal creatures are actuated now by the identical motives that
inspire us?"

"Yet it does seem very reasonable, I should say," the Big Business Man
put in.

"Let's have another round of drinks," suggested the Banker--"this is dry
work!"

"As a scientist you'd make a magnificent plumber, George!" retorted the
Big Business Man. "You're about as helpful in this little gathering as
an oyster!"

The Very Young Man rang for a waiter.

"I've been thinking----" began the Banker, and stopped at the smile of
his companion. "Shut up!"--he finished--"that's cheap wit, you know!"

"Go on, George," encouraged the other, "you've been thinking----"

"I've been tremendously interested in this extraordinary story"--he
addressed himself to the Chemist--"but there's one point I don't get at
all. How many days were you in that ring do you make out?"

"I believe about seven, all told," returned the Chemist.

"But you were only away from us some forty hours. I ought to know, I've
been right here." He looked at his crumpled clothes somewhat ruefully.

"The change of time-progress was one of the surprises of my adventure,"
said the Chemist. "It is easily explained in a general way, although I
cannot even attempt a scientific theory of its cause. But I must confess
that before I started the possibility of such a thing never even
occurred to me."

"To get a conception of this change you must analyze definitely what
time is. We measure and mark it by years, months, and so forth, down to
minutes and seconds, all based upon the movements of our earth arou