“Let’s kill her and have done with it,” Tad whispered. But that would not get us to the flood-gates. Nereid’s voice whispered: “I have a plan. I can talk like a woman of the Gians--let me try.” We crept across the room, up the empty staircase. At the top, near the grating, we paused. My heart was beating fast. It might work, or within an instant we might be discovered. Tad murmured: “They’ll see us here against the stairs.” But Nereid tried it. Her voice rang out, startlingly loud in the silence up here at the top of the stairs. She spoke in her own language, imitating the Gian accent: “Let me in, please!” Rhana looked up, startled. Every woman in the room was staring at us. “Let me in, please!” Would they see us? They might have noticed the blur of us against the stairs near the top. But they did not. They were puzzled. Rhana spoke: “Where are you?” “Here, on the roof. Open, please, for an instant--you will want to hear my news.” The bars slid aside. We jammed our way out before they were fairly open. Freedom! Rhana called, puzzled: “Come down then. Hurry!” Some imp within Nereid must have prompted her. She called back sweetly: “Thanks. You may close it now!” We dashed across the empty roof, down the ladder, and safely threaded the turmoil of the garden, plunging into the dark city streets. * * * * * “Why, there is Entt!” Nereid saw him. We were almost to Fen’s home. The street chanced to be deserted. Entt rounded a corner, riding his _arras_. We were visible now; there seemed no Gians in this part of the city; we had cut the current from our robes and thrown back the hoods for greater comfort. “Oh, Entt!” He pulled up and we crowded around him explaining what had happened. He was pleased; he smiled as he shook my hand. But he was very solemn. Arturo and I were told by Tad where Entt had been. Arturo said: “Are the people getting away safely?” He nodded. The first of them were past the tunnel-entrance; many were well on their way. But a million people could not be started on a march like that at once. It would take several days before they were all away. Much confusion had been reported. From the opposite surface across the abyss the Middge were being brought in aëros. But there was a shortage of cars. Many families were starting to march around, following the surface curve. It would take them too long; when cars were available, these Middge would have to be rounded up and brought across. Entt was increasingly solemn. Nereid demanded: “What is it? Something is wrong?” The Middge attack upon the gate-house had been defeated! The expedition had got close up to the gates. The place seemed abandoned by the Gians. And then an armed aëro had arrived from the City of the Mound. The Middge were caught by surprise by the counterattack. An utter rout; there were no more than twenty of the Middge band alive to struggle back to the tunnel, and the Gians remained in possession of the gates.