led surface, blood came with a gush.

Nippor and Brayley staggered backward. The scream of the brain ended
in a choking gurgle. The little legs and tiny body wilted under it;
the round ball of membrane sank to the table. It rolled sidewise upon
one arm and ear, and in a moment its palpitation ceased. A purple-red
mass of blood, it lay deflated and flabby.

It was dead.

4

"But see here," I said, "did they mention the Martian, Molo, at all?"

"They were discussing Molo before you arrived," Grantline told us.

We had drawn back from the doorway. The conference, with the dead
thing removed, was proceeding. Snap and I had momentarily forgotten
Anita and Venza; but now we were in a panic to get back to the Red
Spark.

"But you can't go," said Grantline. "Brayley ordered you here. He'll
want to see you in a moment."

"Well, why doesn't he see us now?" Snap protested. "I'm not going to
cool myself off sitting here."

"Oh yes, you are."

Grantline sent word to Brayley that we were here. In a moment the
answer came. We were to wait a short time; he would want to see us.

We swiftly told Grantline what had happened at the Red Spark, and
found that already he knew. Francis had relayed it to the conference,
and Halsey was in constant communication with the officials here.

"Then what is happening?" I demanded. "Where are the girls? Has Halsey
heard from them?"

Again Grantline went to a nearby room.

"Anita sent a message," he said, when he returned. "They are with
Molo. Halsey is ordering a squad of men to be ready."

Grantline told us what had been happening in the Red Spark. Anita and
Venza, simulating drunkenness with a skill for acting which I knew
both of them possessed, had joined Molo's party. Perhaps if Meka had
been there she would have seen through them.

But Molo did not. And they have since told me that the Martian himself
was far from sober, although he was probably not aware of it. He
yielded to their demands to leave the restaurant with him. He wanted,
as we know, to leave unobtrusively; and Venza threatened a scene
unless she could go.

He took them, leaving openly in a public fare-car. Doubtless he at
first intended to de-rail them somewhere, but they convinced him that
he was not being followed. Twice he used his detector, and Anita and
Halsey were clever enough to throw off their rays in time to avoid it.
Then Halsey lost connection with the fleeing car, and after that Molo
change