"Long enough," muttered Horker. He raised his voice. "Can you hear me?" he called to the motionless figure on the couch. There was no response, but Pat fancied she saw a slight change in Nick's expression. "Can you hear me?" repeated Horker in louder tones. "Yes, I can hear you," came in icy tones from the figure on the couch. Pat started violently as the voice sounded. The eyes opened, and she saw in sudden terror the ruddy orbs of the demon! 30 The Demon Free Pat emitted a small, startled shriek, and heard it echoed by a surprised grunt from Dr. Horker. "Queer!" he muttered. "The stuff must be mislabeled. Scopolamine doesn't act like this; it's a narcotic." "He's--the other!" gasped Pat, while the being on the couch grinned sardonically. "Eh? An attack? Can't be!" The Doctor shook his head emphatically. "It's not Nick!" cried the girl in panic. "You're not, are you?" she appealed to the grim entity. "Not your sweetheart?" queried the creature, still with his mocking leer. "A few hours ago you were lying here all but naked, confessing you were mine. Have you forgotten?" She shuddered at the reference, and shrank back in her chair. She heard the Doctor's ominous, angry rumble, and the evil tittering chuckle of the other. "Pathological or not," snapped Horker, "I can resent your remarks! I've considered several times varying my treatment with another solid cut to the jaw!" He rose from his chair, stamping viciously toward the other. "A moment," said Nicholas Devine. "Do you know what you've done? Have you any idea what you've done?" He turned cool, mocking, red-glinting eyes on the Doctor. "Huh?" Horker paused as if puzzled. "What _I've_ done? What do you mean?" "You don't know, then." The other gave a satyric smile. "You're stupid; I gave you the clue, yet you hadn't the intelligence to follow it. Do you know what I am?" He leaned forward, his eyes leering evilly into the Doctor's. "I'll tell you. I'm a question of synapses. That's all--merely a question of synapses!" He tittered again, horribly. "It still means nothing to you, doesn't it, Doctor?" "I'll show you what it means!" Horker clenched a massive fist and strode toward the figure, whose eyes stared, steadily, unwinkingly into his own. "Back!" the being snapped as the great form bent over him. The Doctor paused as if struck rigid, his arm and heavy fist drawn back like the conventional fighting pose of a boxer. "Go back!" repeated the other, rising. Pat whimpered in abject terror as she heard Horker's surprised grunt, and saw him recede slowly, and finally sink into his chair. His bewildered eyes were still fixed on those of Nicholas Devine. "I'll tell you what you've done!" said the strange being. "You've freed me! There was nothing wrong with your scopolamine. It worked!" He chuckled. "You drugged _him_ and freed me!" Horker managed a questioning grunt.