own at him, "Good-by, my boy," said the Banker. His voice came from far
away in a great roar to the Very Young Man's ears.

"Good-by, sir," said the Very Young Man, and waved his hand.

Several minutes passed, and still the Very Young Man stood holding to
his companion, and watching the expanse of handkerchief widening out and
the gleaming ring growing larger. Then he thought of the Doctor, and
turned suddenly to look behind him. Across the wide, glistening surface
of the floor stood the Doctor, leaning against the tremendous column
that the Very Young Man knew was the leg of the center-table. And as the
Very Young Man stood staring, he could see this distance between them
growing steadily greater. A sudden fear possessed him, and he shouted to
his friend.

"Good Lord, suppose he can't make it!" said the Big Business Man
fearfully.

"He's coming," answered the Very Young Man. "He's got to make it."

The Doctor was running towards them now, and in a few moments he was
beside them, breathing heavily.

"Close call, Frank," said the Big Business Man, shaking his head. "You
were the one said we must keep together." The Doctor was too much out of
breath to answer.

"This is worse," said the Very Young Man. "Look where the ring is."

More than two hundred yards away across the black expanse of silk
handkerchief lay the ring.

"It's almost as high as our waist now, and look how far it is!" added
the Very Young Man excitedly.

"It's getting farther every minute," said the Big Business Man. "Come
on," and he started to run towards the ring.

"I can't make it. It's too far!" shouted the Doctor after him.

The Big Business Man stopped short. "What'll we do?" he asked. "We've
got to get there."

"That ring will be a mile away in a few minutes, at the rate it's
going," said the Very Young Man.

"We'll have to get him to move it over here," decided the Doctor,
looking up into the air, and pointing.

"Gee, I never thought of that!" said the Very Young Man. "Oh, great
Scott, look at him!"

Out across the broad expanse of handkerchief they could see the huge
white face of their friend looming four or five hundred feet in the air
above them. It was the most astounding sight their eyes had ever beheld;
yet so confused were they by the flood of new impressions to which they
were being subjected that this colossal figure added little to their
surprise.

"We must make him move the ring over here," repeated the Doctor.