lucked at my shirt front, took a pinch, as it were, just
as he had seen the professor do--"I can not find any transmigration. The
materialization appears to be wholly optical."

"Never mind," I said anxiously, for I knew he was talking about the
rubies; "_we_ don't care." I smiled brightly. "Let's go down and see the
car--_nice_ car!" And I tried to get hold of his fat side, but missed
it.

"Car?" Billings looked puzzled. Then his face broke into a smile.
"_Carpe diem_--eh, am I not right? True, true! Whither you say." He
looked about on a table. "Um--my notes, now," he muttered; and he caught
up a small book and a pencil.

The professor's man protested: "Professor Doozenberry don't like--"

"Oh, dash it, let him have them!" I exclaimed, for Billings was already
chuckling happily and writing in the little blank book.

"Come on," I pleaded, catching a fold of the pajamas. "Wouldn't you like
to come get some clothes on?"

He drew back in alarm. "No, no--not yet--not until I complete my notes,"
was his crazy answer. "You know: _sublata causa, tollitur effectus_!"
And he looked as though he thought this would finish me.

"But your friend," he exclaimed suddenly, as he allowed me to throw a
blanket about his shoulders and we moved out of the door, "the gentleman
I met last night--Billings--is not that the name?"

I looked at him miserably as we entered the car to go down.

"Oh, I say, Billings, old chap," I protested earnestly, "don't you know
me?" I pointed to the little panel of mirror in the cage. "Don't you
know _you_ are Billings? Can't you _see_?"

His fat head pecked at the glass for an instant. Then he looked at me
with eager, batting eyes. He chuckled hoarsely, gurglingly, and out came
the note-book and pencil from his sleeve.

"Better and better," he muttered. "Now, if we could only go to _him_!"
He caught my arm. "In the interest of this investigation of scientific
phenomena, would he consider a call intrusive--could we not seek your
friend, Mr. Billings?"

"It's all right, you know," I gently reassured him. "Yes, we're going to
him--going right there. Just a little ride, you know."

By Jove, the way he cackled made my heart ache! I whispered to Jenkins
to run ahead and prepare the ladies. But the first thing we saw as the
cage hit the bottom was a woman--and, dash it, the frump from China!

She gave a little scream and fell on Billings' neck, almost bearing him
to the ground.

"Oh, Jacky, Jacky!