t. You wouldn't have a chance. Leave
it to me." She literally pushed them with her little hands to the
stairway. "Go, if you love me."

"The girl's right," Grim said, "there's a chance. If not," he shrugged
his shoulders, "we can always come down again."

Outside were heavy thuddings on the portico.

"You in there," a heavy alien voice resounded, "open or we blast our
way in." The door had been slid back into position.

There was no room for further argument. Very reluctantly Hilary
followed his companions up the winding stairway.

At the top of the stairs an entrance slide showed darker on the left.
Wat fumbled for a moment until he found the button. The door whirred
open, even as they heard Joan's clear voice below: "Come in,
Magnificents!" There was a trampling of feet.

CHAPTER IV

_The Kidnapping of Joan_

The Earthmen moved quickly and quietly into Joan's room. Thin, crinkly
draperies of heavy silk impregnated with lead in colloidal solution,
covered all the walls, the door itself. But Hilary shot no more than a
cursory glance around; he had left the slide slightly ajar; he was
listening intently. The gun was in his hand. There were only two
bullets in the chambers--all that were left of the thousands of rounds
the expedition had started out with. He must not waste them.

The thick rough voice of a Mercutian floated up from below.

"Three Earth slaves came in here. Where did they go?"

"They did," Joan admitted readily. "They frightened me out of my wits.
I screamed and they ran through the house and out the back way."

The Mercutian was suspicious.

"Hmm. Funny there's no sign of a struggle here. Nothing is upset."

"They ran out the back way," the girl repeated tonelessly.

"We'll see; but if you are lying...." He said no more, but the pause
was significant in its implications.

"I would not lie to the Magnificents."

"Not if you are wise." He seemed to be the leader. He evidently turned
to his companion, for there issued a flood of throaty consonants to
which the other grunted once. Then the listeners heard his heavy
stamping as he walked through the house to the rear. A door whirred;
he had gone out.

* * * * *

The remaining Mercutian said suddenly: "He won't find them."

"Why not?" Joan asked, a bit tremulously.

The Mercutian laughed harshly. "Because you lied. You've hid them in
the house."

Hilary heard Joan's sudden sharp intake of breath