double grating. When my father came to see me for the first

"Believe your senses. The real devil is Crystalman."

They continued descending the landslip. The sun's rays had grown insufferably hot. In front of them, down below in the far distance, Maskull saw water and land intermingled. It appeared that they were travelling toward a lake district.

"What have you and Nightspore been doing during the last four days, Krag? What happened to the torpedo?"

"You're just about on the same mental level as a man who sees a brand-new palace, and asks what has become of the scaffolding."

"What palace have you been building, then?"

"We have not been idle," said Krag. "While you have been murdering and lovemaking, we have had our work."

"And how have you been made acquainted with my actions?"

"Oh, you're an open book. Now you've got a mortal heart wound on account of a woman you knew for six hours."