, gazing upward at us with
his habitual leer. Then he retraced his steps across the bridge and
disappeared.

A moment more, and in our lounging apartment Tarrano faced us.

CHAPTER VIII

_Unknown Friend_

"Sit down." Tarrano motioned us to feather hassocks and stretched
himself indolently upon our pillowed divan. With an elbow and hand
supporting his head he regarded us with his sombre black eyes, his face
impassive, an inscrutable smile playing about his thin lips.

"I wish to speak with you three. The Lady Elza----" His glance went to
her briefly, then to Georg. "She has told you, perhaps, what I had to
say to her?"

"Yes," said Georg shortly.

Elza had indeed told us. And with sinking heart I had listened, for it
did not seem to me that any maiden could resist so dominant a man as
this. But I had made no comment, nor had Georg. Elza had seemed
unwilling to discuss it, had flushed when her brother's eyes had keenly
searched her face.

And she flushed now, but Tarrano dismissed the subject with a gesture.
"That--is between her and me.... You have been following the general
news, I assume? I provided you with it." He rolled a little cylinder of
the arrant-leaf, and lighted it.

"Yes," said Georg.

Georg was waiting for our captor to lay his cards before us. Tarrano
knew it; his smile broadened. "I shall not mince words, Georg Brende.
Between men, that is not necessary. And we are isolated here--no one
beyond Venia can listen. As you know, I am already Master of Venus. In
Mars--that will shortly come. They will hand themselves over to me--or I
shall conquer them." He shrugged. "It is quite immaterial." He added
contemptuously: "People are fools--almost everyone--it is no great feat
to dominate them."

"You'll find our Earth leaders are not fools," Georg said quietly.

Tarrano's heavy brows went up. "So?" He chuckled. "That remains to be
seen. Well, you heard the ultimatum they sent me? What do you think of
it?"

"I think you'd best obey it," I burst out impulsively.

"I was not speaking to you." He did not change the level intonation of
his voice, nor even look my way. "You are to die tomorrow, Jac
Hallen----"

Elza gave a low cry; instantly his gaze swung to her. "So? That strikes
at _you_, Lady Elza?"

She flushed even deeper than before, and the flush, with her instinctive
look to me that accompanied it, made my heart leap. Tarrano's face had
darkened. "You would not have me put him to d