"I heard of him when I was in Venus," said Dr. Brende. "He was at that time a lower official in the Cold Country. Evidently he has risen in his world. "I come now to conjecture--but I think it must be fairly close to truth. Tarrano, leading the Cold Country, has risen to open rebellion. His attack upon the Central State must have come suddenly--" "You mean, just this evening?" Elza asked. "No, of course not. But hoping to quell the rebellion, the Central State has suppressed news of it. At such a time--with this controversy going on--such reports would only injure the Central State's inter-planetary position. That's obvious, isn't it? Then tonight, when things were desperate, the Central State gave out its call. Tarrano has conquered Venus, I'm sure. And at the last, before destroying its helio, the Central State tried to warn us." "Of what?" I demanded. "And what about these murders?" "Done by emissaries of Tarrano, no doubt. For revenge, because of the Martian and Earth legislation--or for--" "I think we should not speculate too much," said Georg. "At least, not on that line. They warned you personally, father. We were so careful to keep everything secret--" Dr. Brende mopped his forehead. He was trying to appear calm--I knew he did not want unduly to alarm Elza; but I could see that he was laboring under great emotion nevertheless. "Things get out, Georg," he said. "We have been careful--yes. But two years ago, when I visited the Central State, I told them there what I hoped to accomplish. There were no grave inter-planetary problems then--I thought I had no need of great secrecy. And since then, though, we have been very careful--" Careful! With a Venus girl from the Cold Country living in their household! Truly, humans are a strange mixture of sagacity and folly! "The Central State has heard something concerning you," Georg said. "That could easily happen--prisoners captured from Tarrano's forces, for instance. With dispatches--or perhaps some intercepted aerial message." What was this secret they were discussing? I was the only one in the room who did not know it. And why had Dr. Brende sent for me tonight? I asked him both questions. His face went even more solemn than it had been before. "I sent for you, Jac, because in a measure I anticipated what has now befallen. Danger specifically to us Brendes, I mean. We count you as our friend--" How it warmed my heart to hear him say that; and to see the glance that Elza cast me! "--Our friend. I am an old man--you are young. Yet you are wise, too. We need you tonight." He raised his hand when I would have told him how glad I was to be with them. "You know something of my work," he said, as a statement, rather than a question. "I should say, mine and Georg's and Elza's, for they have both helped me materially."