ard across. It
flittered lightly to a plant and seemed to wait, and abruptly a vivid
carmine blossom opened wide; wide enough to admit it.

Denham watched curiously enough, smoking the rank and plainly
unsatisfying dried leaves. He turned his head and spoke over his
shoulder. The door opened again. Again Tommy Reames was dazed. Because
a girl came out of the huge steel sphere--and she was a girl of the
most modern and most normal sort. A trim sport frock, slim silken
legs, bobbed hair....

Tommy did not see her face until she turned, smiling, to make some
comment to Denham. Then he saw that she was breath-takingly pretty. He
swore softly under his breath.

* * * * *

The butterfly backed clumsily out of the gigantic flower. It flew
lightly away, its many-colored wings brilliant in the sunshine. And
the huge crimson blossom closed slowly.

Denham watched the butterfly go away. His eyes returned to the girl
who was smiling at the flying thing, now out of the field of vision of
the telescope. And there was utter discouragement visible in every
line of Denham's figure. Tommy saw the girl suddenly reach out her
hand and put it on Denham's shoulder. She patted it, speaking in an
evident attempt to encourage him. She smiled, and talked coaxingly,
and presently Denham made a queer, arrested gesture and went heavily
back into the steel globe. She followed him, though she looked wearily
all about before the door closed behind her, and when Denham could not
see her face, her expression was tired and anxious indeed.

Tommy had forgotten Von Holtz, had forgotten the laboratory, had
forgotten absolutely everything. If his original suspicions of Von
Holtz had been justified, he could have been killed half a dozen times
over. He was oblivious to everything but the sight before his eyes.

Now he felt a touch on his shoulder and drew his head away with a
jerk. Von Holtz was looking down at him, very pale, with his
weak-looking eyes anxious.

"They are still all right?" he demanded.

"Yes," said Tommy dazedly. "Surely. Who is that girl?"

"That is the Herr Professor's daughter Evelyn," said Von Holtz
uneasily. "I suggest, Herr Reames, that you swing the dimensoscope
about."

"The--what?" asked Tommy, still dazed by what he had seen.

"The dimensoscope. This." Von Holtz shifted the brass tube. The whole
thing was mounted so that it could be swung in any direction. The
mounting was exactly like