ttitude of ease on the fountain-rim; the little conical golden weapon
dangled untouched at his belt.

Elza was frightened. "Jac! You must do what he says. I'm--not afraid."

Again Tarrano was smiling. "No--of course not." His gaze went to Georg.
"You are her brother--your fear is very natural. So I give you my
word--the honorable word of Tarrano--that she shall come to no harm."

Elza murmured: "Go, Georg." Afraid for us, and doubtless she had good
reason to be. It struck me then as queer that Tarrano should waste these
words with us; but I realized, as did Elza and Georg, that we were
treading very dangerous ground. Georg said, with a sudden dignity at
which I marveled:

"Your word is quite enough." He gestured to me. With a last glance at
Elza, standing there frightened, but for our sakes striving not to show
it, we let this Wolfgar lead us away.

Elza later told us what occurred. With her father, she had been twice to
the Venus Central State--the visit of two years ago Dr. Brende had
mentioned to me, and a former one. It was upon this first trip Elza had
met Tarrano. He was an under-officer then, in the Army of the Central
State--his name then was Taro. She--herself no more than a slip of a
girl at that time--remembered him as a queerly silent young
man--insignificant in physique and manner. He had escorted her once to a
Venus festival; in a strange, brooding, humble, yet dignified fashion,
he had spoken of love. She had laughed, and soon forgot the incident.
But Tarrano had not forgotten. The daughter of the great Dr. Brende had
fired his youthful imagination. Who knows what dreams even then--born of
the genius as yet merely latent--were within him? He had never crossed
Elza's mind from that time, until today she saw and recognized him.

When they were alone, still without moving from his seat, he signed her
to come to him, to sit on the carpet of grass at his feet. She was
frightened, but she would not show it. He made no move to touch her; he
gazed down to meet her upturned, fascinated stare, still with his
gentle, whimsical smile.

"Queer that I should meet you again, Lady Elza. Yet, I must admit, it
comes not by chance, for I contrived it. My prisoner! Dr. Brende's
daughter, held captive by little Taro!"

It seemed to amuse him, this whimsical reminiscence of those days when
he was struggling unknown. "I want to confess something to you, Lady
Elza. You were so far above me then--daughter of the famous Dr