doorway.

"What is it, Oteo?" asked the Chemist quickly. The boy answered him with
a flood of words in his native tongue.

The Chemist listened quietly. Then he turned to his companions.

"Targo has escaped," he said briefly. "They sent word to me at home, and
Oteo ran here to tell me. A crowd broke into the court-house and
released him. Oteo says they went away by water, and that no one is
following them."

The youth, who evidently understood English, added something else in his
own language.

"He says Targo vowed death to all who have the magic power. He spoke in
the city just now, and promised them deliverance from the giants."

"Good Lord," murmured the Very Young Man.

"He has gone to Orlog probably," the Chemist continued. "We have nothing
to fear for the moment. But that he could speak, in the centre of Arite,
after this morning, and that the people would listen--"

"It seems to me things are getting worse every minute," said the Big
Business Man.

Oteo spoke again. The Chemist translated. "The police did nothing. They
simply stood and listened, but took no part."

"Bad; very bad," repeated the old man, shaking his head.

"What we should do I confess I cannot tell," said the Chemist soberly.
"But that we should do something drastic is obvious."

"We can't do anything until Lylda gets back," declared the Very Young
Man. "We'll see what she has done. We might have had to let Targo go
anyway."

The Chemist started towards the door. "To-night, by the time of sleep,
Reoh," he said to the old man, "I expect Lylda will have returned. You
had better come to us then with Aura. I do not think you should stay
here alone to sleep to-night."

"In a moment--Aura comes," Reoh answered. "We shall be with you--very
soon."

The Chemist motioned to his companions, and with obvious reluctance on
the part of the Very Young Man they left, followed by Oteo.

On the way back the city seemed quiet--abnormally so. The streets were
nearly deserted; what few pedestrians they met avoided them, or passed
them sullenly. They were perhaps half-way back to the Chemist's house
when the Very Young Man stopped short.

"I forgot that piece of stone," he explained, looking at them queerly.
"Go on. I'll be there by the time you are," and disregarding the
Chemist's admonition that he might get lost he left them abruptly and
walked swiftly back over the way they had come.

Without difficulty, for they had made few turns, the Very