ll the
worlds."

Her terror receded. The old Tarrano over whom she still held sway. She
summoned a look of haughty questioning.

"You are bold, Tarrano--"

His gesture was deprecating; he seated himself on the edge of her couch.
She saw now that he was fully dressed and armed with a belt of many
instruments.

At this time Elza had been in the City of Ice for a considerable period.
Irksome, worried days of semi-imprisonment; and through them, Tarrano's
attitude toward her was unchanged. She saw little of him; he seemed very
busy, though to what end, and what his activities, she could not learn.

Within the palace, half as guard, half as maid-servant, Tara was
generally Elza's only companion. And then, one evening when Tara's
smouldering jealousy broke forth in Tarrano's presence and Elza uttered
an involuntary cry of fear, Tara was summarily removed.

Elza was left practically alone; until at length came this night when
invading the privacy of her sleeping room, Tarrano awakened her. He sat
now upon the edge of her couch.

"I have a confession to make to you, Lady Elza." He smiled slightly. "As
you know, there is no one else in our habitable universe to whom I would
speak thus frankly."

"I am honored, Tarrano. But here, at this hour of sleep--"

He waved away the words. "I have asked your pardon for that. My
confession--as once before, Lady Elza, I come to you most humbly,
confessing that my affairs are not going as I would like. You do not
know, of course, that Mars--"

"I know nothing," she interrupted. "You have kept me from the
news-mirrors, if indeed there are any here--"

"Mars revolted against me," he went on imperturbably. "The Little People
are again in control. Fools! They do not realize, those governors of
Mars, that their public ultimately will demand this _Everlasting Life_
of mine--the Brende secret--"

She frowned. "No one knows better than you, Tarrano, that my father's
secret does not bestow immortality. To cure disease, in a measure--"

He checked her; his smile was ironical. "You and I know that, Lady Elza.
We know that on this plane we would not want everlasting life if we
could have it. But the public does not know that--let us not discuss it.
I was telling you--confessing to you--I have lost Mars. Temporarily, of
course. Meanwhile, I have been preparing to invade the Earth." His
gesture was expansive. "I have been planning, from here in the Cold
Country, to send armies to your Eart