laced the golden
platters.

But we found, after several hours, that we did not have sufficient
heat--or rather that the vessel was too thick to transmit it. And
again we set to work with our improvised chisels and hammers, to shave
off its sides and bottom. That was more difficult and required many
hours for completion.

Finally, with the profane portion of our vocabularies completely
exhausted and rendered meaningless by repetition, and with bruised and
bleeding hands, we again arranged our furnace and sat down to wait. We
had waited until the dishes from our dinner had been removed, and we
were fairly certain to be alone for several hours.

Finally the gold was melted, stubbornly but surely. We took the thick
hide cover from the couch and, one on each side, lifted the vessel of
liquid metal and filled our mold. In an hour it was hardened into a
bar the shape of a half-cylinder. We removed it and poured in the
remainder of the gold.

It would appear that the gain was hardly worth the pains, and I admit
it. But at the least I had kept Harry occupied with something besides
his amatory troubles, and at the best we had two heavy, easily handled
bars of metal that would prove most effective weapons against foes who
had none whatever.

We had just removed the traces of our work as completely as possible
and secreted the clubs of yellow metal in a corner of the apartment
when the sound of pattering footsteps came from the corridor.

Harry gave me a quick glance; I moved between him and the door. But it
was Desiree.

She entered the room hurriedly and crossed to the farther side, then
turned to face the door. Her cheeks were glowing brightly, her eyes
flashed fire, and her breast heaved with unwonted agitation. Before
either she or I had time to speak Harry had sprung to her side and
grasped her arm.

"What has he done now?" he demanded in a tone scarcely audible in its
intensity.

"I--don't--know," said Desiree without removing her eyes from the door.
"Let me go, Harry; let me sit down. Paul! Ah! I was afraid."

"For us?" I asked.

"Yes--partly. The brute! But then, he is human, and that is his way.
And you--I was right--you should have gone to the Cave of the Sun when
he required your presence."

"But it was merely an invitation. Cannot one refuse an invitation?" I
protested.

"But, my dear Paul, the creature is royal--his invitations are
commands."

"Well, we were busy, and we've already