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hesitantly. Lafayette stared open-mouthed at the vision of feminine enchantment who
stood there, gowned, jeweled, perfumed, elegant, her golden hair a gleaming aura about
her perfect face.
"P-Princess Adoranne!" he gulped. "Wha how "
"Lafe! Are you O.K, sugar?" Swinehild's familiar voice inquired worriedly.
"I confess we need to do a little work in her diction before she makes her public
appearance," Goruble said blandly. "But that's a mere detail."
"Swinehild you wouldn't help this fiend with his dirty schemes would you?"
O'Leary implored.
"He ... he said if I didn't he'd slice you up into sandwich meat, Lafe so "
"Enough! Take her away!" Goruble roared, red-faced. He whirled on O'Leary as
Groanwelt bowed Swinehild out.
"The doxy is merely attempting to save face," he snarled. "She leaped at the chance to
play princess, as well she might, kitchen slavey that she is! To sleep on silken sheets,
dine from dishes of gold "
"And what about the real Adoranne?"
"There appears to be a certain symmetry in these matters of intercontinual transfer,"
Goruble said with a foxy smile. "The former princess will find herself here in Melange in
the role of scullery wench, a fitting comeuppance in return for her arrogant assumption of
my throne." Goruble rubbed his hands together. "Yes, you opened new vistas, lad, once I
realized you were who you are. My original plan in decoying the Lady Andragorre into
my hands was designed merely to place me in an advantageous position, trump-wise, vis-
à-vis Rodolpho, who'd been recalcitrant in seeing the wisdom of my plans. But now wide
vistas open. She'll be a useful pawn in the vast new game I'll play, as will the feckless
Rodolpho, lending their countenances to my pronouncements. And you, too, have your
little role to perform." His face hardened. "Assist me willingly and you'll retain your
comfortable Artesian sinecure as palace hanger-on. Refuse, and I'll arrange a fate for you
to make strong men shudder!"
"You've lost what wits you ever had if you think I'd help you with your miserable
plot!"
"So? A pity. I had in mind that after their usefulness to me had ended, I might hand the
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females along to you to use as you will. But in your absence, alas, I fear they'll end up in
the harem of some more devoted servant."
"You wouldn't!"
"Oh, but I would." Goruble wagged a finger. "That's the true secret of success, my
boy: total ruthlessness. I've learned my lesson now. Had I disposed of the infant Princess
Adoranne in the beginning and of a certain infant Prince Lafayette as well none of
this unfortunate business would have occurred."
"I won't help you," Lafayette gulped. "Do your worst. Central will catch up with you
and "
Goruble laughed. "That's the true beauty of the plan, my dear boy! I admit that for
long the threat of Central's meddling inhibited the free play of my imagination but the
new equation of power renders that prospect nugatory. The reciprocal transfer of
personnel will maintain the net energy equations; there will be no imbalance in the
probability matrix, nothing to attract Central's attention to peaceful Artesia, one locus
among a myriad. No, look for no assistance from that direction. As a former inspector of
continua, please be assured that I know whereof I speak. Now, be sensible: throw in with
me, and share in the rewards of success."
"Go hang yourself," O'Leary suggested sharply. "Without me, Swinehild will never
cooperate and without her, the whole thing flops."
"As you will." Goruble smiled a crafty smile. "My offer to you was based on
sentiment, my lad, nothing more. I have more than one string to my bow or should I say
more than one beau to my string?"
"You're bluffing," Lafayette said. "You talk about using Lady Andragorre to
impersonate Daphne but I happen to know she got away clean!"
"Did she?" Goruble yawned comfortably, turned to Groan-welt. "By the way, my
man," he said. "It won't be necessary to extract the whereabouts of the Lady Andragorre
from this treacher. She and her companion were nabbed half an hour ago, and will be
arriving within minutes. Just throw him in the pit with Gorog the Voracious, who I'm
informed hasn't been fed for several days, and will appreciate a good meal."
"The breaks of the game, buddy," Groanwelt said sorrowfully as he led Lafayette,
chains clanking, along the dim passage. "I got enemies around this place, that's plain to
see. Me, a inoffensive guy that never stepped on a toe in his life except in line o' duty.
But that goes to show you what years o' faithful service do for a guy." He peered through
the inch-thick bars of a vast, barred door. "Good; he's in his den, sleeping. I won't have to
use the electric prod to keep him back while I slip you in. I hate to be cruel to dumb
beasts, you know?"
"Listen, Groanwelt," Lafayette said hastily, recoiling from the dank odor and the bone-
littered straw of the monster's cage. "In view of our long-standing relationship, couldn't
you see your way clear to just slip me out the back way? I mean, the duke need never
know "
"And leave Gorog miss another meal? I'm ashamed o' you, pal. The suggestion does
youse no credit."
The P.P.S. unlocked the door, swung it open just far enough to admit O'Leary, whom
he helped forward with a hand like a winepress clamped to his shoulder. Lafayette dug in
his heels, but Groanwelt's thrust propelled him into the noisome cage and the door
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clanged behind him.
"So long, kid," the P.P.S. said, re-securing the lock. "You would of been a swell client.
Too bad I never really got to the nitty wit' you." As his footsteps died away, a low,
rumbling growl sounded from the dark opening cut in the side wall of the den. Lafayette
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