I called louder: "Miko! Stop!" My upflung voice mingled with Snap's
agony of protest. Then Miko heard me. His head and shoulders showed up
there at the radio room oval.
"You--Haljan?"
Prince shouted, "I have made him yield. He will obey you if you stop
that torture."
I think that poor Snap must have fainted. He was silent. I called,
"Stop! I will do what you command."
Miko jeered, "That is good. A bargain, if you and Dean obey me. Disarm
him, Prince, and bring him out."
Miko moved back into the radio room. On the deck, Coniston was
advancing, but cautiously mistrustful of me.
"Gregg."
George Prince flung a leg over the casement and leaped lightly into
the dim chart room. His small slender figure stood beside me, clung to
me.
A moment, while we stood there together. No ray was upon us. Coniston
could not see us, nor could he hear our whispers.
"Gregg."
A different voice; its throaty, husky quality gone. A soft pleading.
"Gregg--Gregg, don't you know me? Gregg, dear...."
Why, what was this? Not George Prince? A masquerader, yet so like
George Prince.
"Gregg don't you know me?"
Clinging to me. A soft touch upon my arm. Fingers, clinging. A surge
of warm, tingling current was flowing between us.
My sweep of instant thoughts. A speck of human Earth dust falling
free. That was George Prince who had been killed. George Prince's
body, disguised by the scheming Carter and Dr. Frank, buried in the
guise of his sister. And this black-robed figure who was trying to
help me....
"Anita! Anita darling--"
"Gregg, dear one!"
"Anita!" My arms went around her, my lips pressed hers, and felt her
tremulous eager answer.
The form of Coniston showed at our window. She cast me off. She said,
with her throaty swagger of amused, masculinity:
"I have him, Sir Arthur. He will obey us."
I sensed her warning glance. She shoved me toward the window. She
said ironically, "Have no fear, Haljan. You will not be tortured, you
and Dean, if you obey our commands."
Coniston gripped me. "You fool! You caused us a lot of trouble. Move
along there!"
He jerked me roughly through the window. Marched me the length of the
deck, out to the stern space, opened the door of my cubby, flung me in
and sealed the door upon me.
"Miko will come presently."
I stood in the darkness of my tiny room, listening to his retreating
footsteps. But my mind was not upon him.
All the universe, in that instant, had changed for me. Anita was
alive!