The latest news, Elza and Wolfgar could not give me. The instrument room of our tower had been disconnected by Tarrano when he left some hours before. As they said it, we heard a familiar buzz; then the drone of an announcer's voice. Tarrano's guard had doubtless observed my recovery and had had orders to throw current into our instruments. Strange man, this Tarrano! He wished the news spread before us again. Confident of his own dominance over every crisis, he wanted Elza and me to hear it as it came from the discs.
We went to the instrument room. I found myself weak, but quite uninjured. Elza left us there, and went to prepare food which I needed to strengthen me.
The public events of those hours and days following, I have recounted as Georg saw them and took part in them in Washington. We observed them, here in the tower, with alternate hopes and fears. Our life of imprisonment went on much as before. Occasionally, Tarrano visited us, always making us sit like children before him, while at his ease he reclined on our divan.
But he would never give us much real information; the man always was an enigma.
"Your friend Georg has a wonderful plan," he announced to us ironically early one evening. He smiled his caustic smile. "You have seen the tape?"
"Yes," I said. It was Georg's plan to address with Maida, the publics of Earth, Venus and Mars.
Tarrano nodded. "He and the Princess are going to convince everyone that I am an impostor."
I did not answer that; and abruptly he chuckled. "That would be unfortunate for me—if they could do that. Do you think they'll be able to?"
"I hope so," I said.
He laughed openly. "Of course. But they will not. That long note of mine to your government—you read it, naturally. But you didn't read in it my secret instructions to my agents in Washington, did you? Well, they were there in it—my commands—the letters ending its words made another message."