x. Take it easy and stop worrying. It'll
just be like last time."

"Not the last time at all. We hadn't--"

"As soon as we are able to leave here," he said, drawing her close and
squeezing her gently, "I'll take steps to have him declared legally
dead. Then we'll get married."

"That's not much of a proposal," she smiled. "But I guess I'll have to
accept you. You have Clyde's power of attorney."

"And we'll be rich. Richer than ever. I'll be able to use some of my own
ideas about the investments. As a matter of fact, I have already." And
he frowned slightly.

"We have enough," Beryl said quickly. "Don't try to speculate. You know
how Clyde felt about that."

"But he spent so damned much on the machine. I had to make back those
expenses somehow."

Steps sounded outside and they drew apart. The reporter came in with a
companion of about his own age.

"Better wipe the lipstick off," he grinned. "It's almost time for
something to happen."

Stern dabbed at his mouth angrily with his handkerchief.

At first the sound was so soft that it could hardly be heard, but soon a
whistling grew until it became a threat to the eardrums. The reporters
looked at each other with glad, excited eyes.

The whistling stopped abruptly and, slowly, the door opened. The
reporters rushed in immediately.

Beryl gripped Stern's hand convulsively. "He's come back."

"Yes, but that mustn't change our plans, Beryl dear."

"But, Al ... Oh, why were we so foolish?"

"Not foolish, dear. Not at all foolish. Now we have to go in."

Inside the room was the large sphere of metalloy. It had lost its
original gleam and was stained and battered, standing silent, closed,
enigmatic.

"Where's the door?" called the first reporter.

The sphere rested on a number of metal stilts, reaching out from the
lower hemisphere, which held it about three feet from the floor, like a
great pincushion turned upside down.

Slowly, a round section of the sphere's wall swung outward and steps
descended. As they touched the floor, both reporters, caught by the same
idea, sprinted for it and fought to see which would climb it first.

"Wait!" shouted Stern.

The reporters stopped their scuffling and followed Stern's gaze.

* * * * *

Something old and leathery and horrible was emerging from the circular
doorway. Several tentacles, like so many snakes, slid around the hand
rail which ran down the steps. Then, at the top, it pa