Destyn looked at his wife. He was dying to try it.

"Will!" she exclaimed, "suppose we are not going to like Rissa's possible
f--fiance! Suppose father doesn't like him!"

"You'll all probably like him as well as I shall," said her sister
defiantly. "Willy, stop making frightened eyes at your wife and start
your infernal machine!"

There was a vicious click, a glitter of shifting clockwork, a snap, and
it was done.

"Have you now, _theoretically_, got my psychical current bottled up?" she
asked disdainfully. But her lip trembled a little.

He nodded, looking very seriously at her.

"And now you are going to switch me on to this unknown gentleman's
psychical current?"

"Don't let him!" begged Linda. "Billy, dear, how _can_ you when nobody
has the faintest idea who the creature may turn out to be!"

"Go ahead!" interrupted her sister, masking misgiving under a careless
smile.

Click! Up shot the glittering, quivering tentacle of Rosium, vibrating
for a few moments like a thread of silver. Suddenly it was tipped with a
blue flash of incandescence.