nd spoke swiftly. "It's
gruesome and--and loathsome, but it is not dangerous--yet. But we cannot
run from it. We must kill it--here, now, before it gets any larger."

The Banker tore himself loose and started again towards the door.

"You fool!" said the Doctor, with a withering look. "Don't you see, it's
life or death later. That--that thing will be as big as this house in
half an hour. Don't you know that? As big as this house. We've got to
kill it now--now."

The Big Business Man ran towards the paper-weight. "I'll hit it with
this," he said.

"You can't," said the Doctor, "you might miss. We haven't time. Look at
it," he added.

The cockroach was noticeably larger now--considerably over two feet; it
had turned away from the wall to face them.

The Very Young Man had said nothing; only stood and stared with
bloodless face and wide-open eyes. Then suddenly he stooped, and picking
up a small rug from the floor--a rug some six feet long and half as
wide--advanced slowly towards the cockroach.

"That's the idea," encouraged the Doctor. "Get it under that. Here, give
me part of it." He grasped a corner of the rug. "You two go up the other
sides"--he pointed with his free hand--"and head it off if it runs."

Slowly the four men crept forward. The cockroach, three feet long now,
was a hideous, horrible object as it stood backed into the corner of the
room, the front part of its body swaying slowly from side to side.

"We'd better make a dash for it," whispered the Very Young Man; and
jerking the rug loose from the Doctor's grasp, he leaped forward and
flung himself headlong upon the floor, with the rug completely under
him.

"I've got the damned thing. I've got it!" he shouted. "Help--you. Help!"

The three men leaped with him upon the rug, holding it pinned to the
floor. The Very Young Man, as he lay, could feel the curve of the great
body underneath, and could hear the scratch of its many legs upon the
floor.

"Hold down the edges of the rug!" he cried. "Don't let it out. Don't let
it get out. I'll smash it." He raised himself on his hands and knees,
and came down heavily. The rug gave under his thrust as the insect
flattened out; then they could hear again the muffled scratching of its
legs upon the floor as it raised the rug up under the Very Young Man's
weight.

"We can't kill it," panted the Big Business Man. "Oh, we can't kill it.
Good God, how big it is!"

The Very Young Man got to his feet and sto