Clio rose magnificently to the occasion. Fear forgotten, her
courageous spirit flashed from her clear, young eyes and emanated from
her slender, rounded young body, erect in defiance. "Since I am a
captive, you can of course do anything you please with me up to a
certain point--but no further, believe me!"

With no sign of having heard her outburst Roger pressed a button and a
tall, comely woman, appeared--a woman of indefinite age and of uncertain
nationality.

"Show Miss Marsden to her apartment," he directed, and as the two women
went out a man came in.

"The cargo is unloaded, sir," the newcomer reported. "The two men and
the five women indicated have been taken to the hospital," was the
report of the man.

"Very well, dispose of the others in the usual fashion." The minion went
out, and Roger continued, emotionlessly:

"Collectively, the other passengers may be worth a million or so, but it
would not be worth while to waste time upon them."

"What are you, anyway?" blazed Costigan, helpless but enraged beyond
caution. "I have heard of mad scientists who tried to destroy the earth,
and of equally mad geniuses who thought themselves Napoleons capable of
conquering even the Solar System. Whichever you are, you should know
that you can't get away with it."

"I am neither. I am, however, a scientist, and I direct many other
scientists. I am not mad. You have undoubtedly noticed several peculiar
features of this place?"

"Yes, particularly the artificial gravity, which has always been
considered impossible, and those screens. An ordinary ether-wall is
opaque in one direction, and doesn't bar matter--yours are transparent
both ways and something more than impenetrable to matter. How do you do
it?"

"You could not understand them if I explained them to you, and they are
merely two of our smaller developments. I have no serious designs upon
the earth nor upon the Solar System, nor have I any desire to rule over,
or to control the destinies of masses of futile and brainless men. I
have, however, certain ends of my own in view. To accomplish my plans I
require hundreds of millions in gold, other hundreds of millions in
platinum and noble metal, and some five kilograms of the bromide of
radium--all of which I shall take from the planets of this Solar System
before I leave it. I shall take them in spite of the puerile efforts of
the fleets of your Triplanetary League.

"This structure, floating in a planetary orbi