back any
time."

* * * * *

Tina had seen the Government Council. The city was proceeding
normally. There was no difficulty with Robots anywhere save here in
New York, and the council felt that the affair would come to nothing.

"The Council told me," said Tina indignantly, "that much of the menace
was the exaggeration of my own fancy, and that Tugh has the Robots
well controlled. They place much trust in Tugh; I wish I could."

"You told them about me?"

"Yes, of course; and about George Rankin, and Mary Atwood. And the
loss of Harl: he is missing, not proven murdered, as they very well
pointed out to me. They have named a time to-morrow to give you
audience, and told me to keep you out of sight in the meanwhile. They
blame this Time-traveling for the Robots' insurgent ideas. Strangers
excite the thinking mechanisms."

"You think my friends will be rescued?" demanded Larry.

She regarded him soberly. "I hope so--oh, I do! I fear for them as
much as you do, Larry. I know you think I take it lightly, but--"

"Not that," Larry protested. "Only--"

"I have not known what to do. The officials refuse any open aggression
against the Robots, because it would precipitate exactly what we
fear--which is nearly a fact: it would. But there is one thing I have
to do. I have been expecting Tugh to return every moment, and this I
do not want him to know about. There's a mystery concerning Harl, and
no one else knows of it but myself. I want you with me, Larry: I do
not want to go alone; I--for the first time in my life, Larry--I think
I am afraid!"

* * * * *

She huddled against him and he put his arm about her. And Larry's true
situation came to him, then. He was alone in this strange Time-world,
with only this girl for a companion. She was but a frightened, almost
helpless girl, for all she bore the title of traditional Princess, and
she was surrounded by inefficient, fatuous officials--among them Tugh,
who was a scoundrel, undoubtedly. Larry suddenly recalled Tugh's look,
when, in the garden, the domestic Robots had told the story of Harl's
murder; and like a light breaking on him, he was now wholly aware of
Tugh's duplicity. He was convinced he would have to act for himself,
with only this girl Tina to help him.

"Mystery?" he said. "What mystery is there about Harl?"

She told him now that Harl had once, a year ago, taken her aside and
made her promis