"And I've noticed during my convalescence that the internes that continually hover around my door have a look as if--well, shall I say that they look more like policemen than internes?"
I laughed nervously. "I think you are a mental case, Miss Mayo," I said. "I shall have to call in a specialist."
"You do not need to deny it, Fred," she said. "Why do you suppose I insisted that you perform the operation? Why didn't I let you call in someone else? It was because you are the only man in the world that I trust, Fred. How much did Gustav Keeshwar offer you to do me in?"
Before I could stop myself I opened my mouth and blurted the truth.
"Whew!" Trella whistled softly. "I'm worth a lot to you! I must be getting close if Keeshwar will pay a million to see me out of the way."
"Trella," I pleaded. "What is it all about? What's behind this mystery?"
"If you turned down a million dollars for my sake, I think I can trust you," she said. "Supposing I was about to invent a new method of locomotion? Can you see where Keeshwar might find me obnoxious?"
Trella shook her head. "A new kind of locomotion. Animals either swim or walk. Man also uses wheels."
"Flying is simply swimming through the air and crawling, as a worm or snake, is gliding, like swimming. Space ships swim, too, after a fashion. Boats swim through the sea and sleds swim on ice. Therefore we have only three kinds of locomotion: Legs, wheels and sleds. Another might revolutionize everything."
"But there couldn't be any other way to travel. Even the planets 'sled' through ether."
"There is another way. It will open exploration to the furthest limits of the galaxy."
"I can see why Keeshwar was so interested."
"As soon as I'm out of bed, I want you to call on me at my laboratory, Fred. I'll show you something that will make your eyes pop out of your head."
I turned to leave, when something on the window pane caught my eye. It was a small, cherry-red spot, about the size of a twenty-five cent piece.
The minute I saw it, I knew what it was. I shouted to the interne--really a detective--outside the door, and lifted Trella into my arms. I must admit that I handled her a little roughly and she groaned as I hurried her out of the room. But what I did was necessary.