This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.

"They had no more structural defects," denied Pete, his tone hardening again, "than I had ten minutes ago."

"When you fell?" she asked in her clear, concerned voice. "You fell, didn't you?"

"Yes," admitted Pete, not knowing how to take that. "I fell. But I had the luck to be able to jump out."

"Why did you fall?"

I think that Pete was about to tell her when she brought her hands into plainer view and Pete and I saw again the grey gauntlets identical with the one under his jacket. He plucked it out.

"This your property?" he challenged her.

She looked at both her hands, which were gloved. "Why no," she said; but instantly corrected herself. "Yesterday I did lose a pair of gauntlets."

"Did you?" rejoined Pete, his recollections clear in his head again. "Sorry I can't return the pair to you; but we found only one." And he flung it to her.

She caught it and examined it, while we watched her. She recognized it immediately,