[Footnote: Since
writing the above, further investigations have proved that these
Sanusian house-labels are all numbers.]
Billie turned her attention to her agent. She seemed to belong to the
same type as Smith's and Van Emmon's; otherwise she was certainly much
more active, much more interested in her surroundings, and possessed of
a far more powerful machine. She was continually changing her direction;
and Billie soon congratulated herself upon her luck. Beyond a doubt,
this party was no mere slave to orders; it was she who gave the orders.
Before one minute had passed she was approached by a Sanusian in a big,
clumsy looking machine. Although built on the bee plan, it possessed an
observation tower right on top of its "head." (The four afterward
established that this was the sort of a machine that Smith's agent had
operated.) The occupant approached to within a respectful distance from
Billie's borrowed eyes, and proceeded to hum the following through his
antennae:
"Supreme, I have been ordered to report for Number Four."
"Proceed."
"The case of insubordinancy which occurred in Section Eighty-five has
been disposed of."
"Number Four made an example of her?"
"Yes, Supreme."
"Whereupon the operator flew away, having not only kept his body totally
out of sight all the while, but having failed by the slightest token to
indicate, by his manner of communicating that he had the slightest
particle of personal interest in his report.
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