iss the curves
of her woman's figure. A dangerous game she was playing. Her hair had
been cut short to the base of her neck, in the fashion of her dead
brother. Her eyelashes had been clipped; the line of her brows altered.
And now, in the light of my ray tube as it shone upon her earnest face,
I could remark other changes. Glutz, the little beauty specialist, was
in this secret. With plastic skill he had altered the set of her jaw
with his wax--put masculinity there.

She was whispering: "It was--was poor George whom Miko shot."

* * * * *

I had now the true version of what had occurred. Miko had been forcing
his wooing upon Anita. George Prince was a weakling whose only good
quality was a love for his sister. Some years ago he had fallen into
evil ways. Been arrested, and then discharged from his position with the
Federated Radium Corporation. He had taken up with evil companions in
Great-New York. Mostly Martians. And Miko had met him. His technical
knowledge, his training with the Federated Corporation, made him
valuable to Miko's enterprise. And so Prince had joined the brigands.

Of all this, Anita had been unaware. She had never liked Miko. Feared
him. And it seemed that the Martian had some hold upon her brother,
which puzzled and frightened Anita.

Then Miko had fallen in love with her. George had not liked it. And that
night on the _Planetara_, Miko had come and knocked upon Anita's door.
Incautiously she opened it; he forced himself in. And when she repulsed
him, struggled with him, George had been awakened.

She was whispering to me now. "My room was dark. We were all three
struggling. George was holding me--the shot came--and I screamed."

And Miko had fled, not knowing whom his shot had hit in the darkness.

"And when George died, Captain Carter wanted me to impersonate him. We
planned it with Dr. Frank, to try and learn what Miko and the others
were doing. Because I never knew that poor George had fallen into such
evil things."

* * * * *

I could only hold her thankfully in my arms. The lost
what-might-have-been seemed coming back to us.

"And they cut my hair, Gregg, and Glutz altered my face a little, and I
did my best. But there was no time--it came upon us so quickly."

And she whispered, "But I love you, Gregg. I want to be the first to say
it: I love you--I love you."

But we had the sanity to try and plan.

"Anita, whe