ill for the few minutes he would require for
Ellen.

Now, however, he quickly donned the metal cap and the little ball, and
inserted into the orifice in his cap the swinging key which connected
by chain with the key which fitted into the slot under the button
marked "C-3".

He had returned to his puppets just in time. "C-3" was Cleve, who was
driving the car sent out to bring in the Colombian ape. As Barter got
in touch with the car it narrowly averted a crash with a police car
... and the perspiration broke forth afresh on the body of Barter as
he resumed control of his puppets.

The second creature, in the front seat of the car, was Morton, and it
didn't matter particularly about him as he was not driving. But Morton
was now becoming all ape. Barter did not wish to use any more of his
mental energy than was necessary. He contented himself by sending his
will into Cleve, who began at once to drive like a master. Whenever
Morton, beside him, showed an inclination to jump out of the car or
otherwise interfere with Cleve in his work, Barter had but to express
the thought, and Cleve either pulled him back to his place beside him,
or gave him a walnut from his pocket.

- - -

Barter could as easily have had them change places, since he assumed
control of either at will, or could have controlled a score
simultaneously. But that would have required additional thought
stimulus, and he wished to conserve his mental energies for the work
which yet faced him.

Once he switched his attention from the heliotube which controlled
Cleve--and through which, concurrently, he saw everything that
transpired near Cleve, because his televisory apparatus and his radio
control were co-workers on almost identical vibratory waves--to the
area of Manhattan immediately surrounding his own neighborhood.

"Hmm," he said to himself, "the police are getting too close. As soon
as I have completed my labors to-night I shall destroy some of them as
a warning to others to keep their distance."

Morton and Cleve drew up to the curb while Barter watched carefully on
all sides, through the heliotube, to make sure that their arrival was
unmarked by the police.

They climbed out quickly and raced across the sidewalk to the green
gate which gave on a gloomy old court, inside which they were
swallowed by the shadows from all eyes save those of Caleb Barter.

Five minutes after the strange trio had entered the "place," the great
chrome