phs.

"... and so I want to confess to you that I have been taking
credit for that which is not mine. I wish I had the courage
to tell you personally; someday I think I shall. I did not
help Tugh invent our Time-traveling cages. I was in the
palace garden one night some years ago when the cage
appeared. Tugh is a man from a future Time-world; just what
date ahead of now, I do not know, for he has never been
willing to tell me. He captured me. I promised him I would
say nothing, but help him pretend that we had invented the
cage he had brought with him from the future. Tugh told me
he invented them. It was later that he brought the other
cage here.

"I was an obscure young man here a few years ago. I loved
you even then, Tina: I think you have guessed that. I
yielded to the temptation--and took the credit with Tugh.

"I do love you, though I think I shall never have the
courage to tell you so.

Harl."

* * * * *

Tina rolled up the paper. "Poor Harl! So all the praise we gave him
for his invention was undeserved!"

But Larry's thoughts were on Tugh. So the fellow was not of this era
at all! He had come from a Time still further in the future!

A step sounded in the doorway behind them. They swung around to find
Tugh standing there, with his thick misshapen figured huddled in the
black cloak.

"Tugh!"

"Yes, Princess, no less than Tugh. Alent told me as I came through
that you were down here. I saw your light, here in Harl's room and
came."

"Did you find Migul and his captives--the girl from 1777 and the man
of 1935?"

"No, Princess, Migul has fled with them," was the cripple's answer. He
advanced into the room and pushed back his black hood. The blue light
shone on his massive-jawed face with a lurid sheen. Larry stood back
and watched him. It was the first time that he had had opportunity of
observing Tugh closely. The cripple was smiling sardonically.

"I have no fear for the prisoners," he added in his suave, silky
fashion. "That crazy mechanism would not dare harm them. But it has
fled with them into some far-distant recess of the caverns. I could
not find them."

"Did you try?" Larry demanded abruptly.

Tugh swung on him. "Yes, young sir, I tried." It seemed that Tugh's
black eyes narrowed; his heavy jaw clicked as he snapped it sh