Sam held his hand over the meat and the slender tentacles disengaged themselves and writhed down over the plate like tiny red snakes. They began to suck the juices out of the meat, and, as the thing filled itself, the strange flower slowly faded in color, until it was a pale pink. Observing my instinctive horror of the thing, Sam said: "That's the way it was meant to eat, Mel. Nothing unnatural about it. Our table manners might not seem very elegant to an angel!" "I guess you're right. But that thing just gets on my nerves." When he went to put the little creature back in the box, it clung to his finger as if reluctant to go, and strange bright patterns of color flashed over the thin membrane. It seems fantastic enough, but even then I was sure that the little thing possessed intelligence, and that it was beginning to feel affection for Sam. The next time he took it out it seemed larger and stronger--and hungrier! We stayed there for what must have been ten days, though we kept no accurate account of time. It grew rather astonishingly, and always its odd appearance of intelligence was greater. It seemed to feel a real affection for Sam. He whistled ancient tunes to it sometimes, and it seemed to listen in great delight. And for long hours he would sit with the thing in his lap and talk to it. He declared that it was getting so that it could understand. Bright colors crawled on the membranous fringe, and it seemed to listen to him with great intentness. CHAPTER XXI Back to the Haunted Hill On the morning--if one may speak of morning in that world of eternal day--after we had slept off the fatigue of our visit to the hill where we had seen the lights of terror, Sam took me aside for a short talk. "Mel," he said, "we can't forget what we've come here for! My generator is still keeping up the interference in the ether; but, sooner or later, the force we have come to fight--and it must be that 'Lord of Flame' of Xenora's, and the thing we saw from the hill--will break down the interference! And then the earth--will freeze!" "But what can we do against--that? And Xenora! Sam, I can't leave her. She's worth more to me than the earth! There's plenty of room in here for us to live our lives out. I've been thinking about it--and I can't go!" He nodded sympathetically. "I know, Mel. She means a lot to you. But perhaps we will win and save our lives, too." "Not a chance!" I said bitterly. "Not against that thing we saw! It means death--or worse! But I suppose we have to go on and do our best!" The old man was beaming. He patted me on the shoulder. "I knew you would be with me, when you had time to think," he said. "Now, when the life of the world is at issue, we can't consider ourselves." "What do you think we can do?"