ry Young Man did so, and the Doctor poured the water down the
bird's throat. Most of it spilled; the sparrow twisted its head
violently, but evidently some of the liquid had gone down the bird's
throat.

Silence followed, broken after a moment by the scared voice of the Very
Young Man. "He's getting smaller, I can feel him. He's getting smaller."

"Hold on to him," cautioned the Doctor. "Bring him over here." They went
over to the table by the ring, the Banker and the Big Business Man
standing close beside them.

"Suppose he tries to fly when we let go of him," suggested the Very
Young Man almost in a whisper.

"He'll probably be too confused," answered the Doctor. "Have you got
him?" The sparrow was hardly bigger than a large horse-fly now, and the
Very Young Man was holding it between his thumb and forefinger.

"Better give him to me," said the Doctor. "Set him down."

"He might fly away," remonstrated the Very Young Man.

"No, he won't."

The Very Young Man put the sparrow on the handkerchief beside the ring
and the Doctor immediately picked it up with the callipers.

"Don't squeeze him," cautioned the Very Young Man.

The sparrow grew steadily smaller, and in a moment the Doctor set it
carefully on the rim of the ring.

"Get him up by the scratch," whispered the Very Young Man.

The men bent closer over the table, as the Doctor looking through his
magnifying glass shoved the sparrow slowly along the top of the ring.

"I can't see him," said the Banker.

"I can," said the Very Young Man, "right by the scratch." Then after a
moment, "he's gone."

"I've got him right over the scratch," said the Doctor, leaning farther
down. Then he raised his head and laid the magnifying glass and the
callipers on the table. "He's gone now."

"Gosh," said the Very Young Man, drawing a long breath.

The Banker flung himself into a chair as though exhausted from a great
physical effort.

"Well, it certainly does work," said the Big Business Man, "there's no
question about that."

The Very Young Man was shaking the cardboard box in his hands and
lifting its cover cautiously to see inside. "Let's try a lizard," he
suggested.

"Oh, what's the use," the Banker protested wearily, "we know it works."

"Well, it can't hurt anything to try it, can it?" the Very Young Man
urged. "Besides, the more we try it, the more sure we are it will work
with us when the time comes. You don't want to try it on yourself, now,
do you?