e woke up in bed with a
feeling of many bandages and an impression that his lungs hurt.

Denham seemed to have heard him move. He looked in the door.

"Hullo, Reames. You're all right now."

Tommy regarded him curiously until he realized. Denham was shaved and
fully clothed. That was the strangeness about him. Tommy had been
watching him for many days as his clothing swiftly deteriorated and
his beard grew.

"You are, too, I see," he said weakly. "I'm damned glad." Then he felt
foolish, and querulous, and as if he should make some apology, and
instead said, "But five dimensions does seem extreme. Three is enough
for ordinary use, and four is luxurious. Five seems to be going a bit
too far."

Denham blinked, and then grinned suddenly. Tommy had admired the man
who could face so extraordinary a situation with such dogged courage,
and now he found, suddenly, that he liked Denham.

"Not too far," said Denham grimly. "Look!" He held up one of the
weapons Tommy had seen in that other world, one of the golden-colored
truncheons. "I brought this back. The same metal they built that wagon
of theirs with. All their weapons. Most of their tools--as I know.
It's gold, man! They use gold in that world as we use steel here.
That's why Jacaro was ready to kill to get the secret of getting
there. Von Holtz enlisted him."

"How did you know--" began Tommy weakly.

"Smithers," said Denham. "We dragged both of you out before the lab
went-up in smoke. He's going to be all right, too. Evelyn's nursing
both of you. She wants to talk to you, but I want to say this first:
You did a damned fine thing, Reames! The only man who could have saved
us, and you just about killed yourself doing it. Smithers saw you
swing that clutch lever with three bullets in your body. And you're a
scientist, too. You're my partner, Reames, in what we do in the fifth
dimension."

* * * * *

Tommy blinked. "But five dimensions does seem extreme...."

"We are the Interdimensional Trading Company," said Denham, smiling.
"Somehow, I think we'll find something in this world we can trade for
the gold in that. And we've got to get there, Reames, because Jacaro
will surely try to make use of that catapult principle you worked out.
He'll raise the devil; and I think the people of that Golden City
would be worth knowing. No, we're partners. Sooner or later, you'll
know how I feel about what you've done. I'm going to bring Evelyn in