Her lips were trembling; she
could not trust herself to speak. Her husband stared at her with
eyes that were still bewildered and tried hard to understand.
Smith could say nothing. The doctor, however, got to his feet and
stretched.
"Phew!" taking off the brass bracelets and reaching for a handful of
the Venusian books. "That was--going some!"
He located a passage in one of the books. "I guess we've had enough
of people like ourselves. What do you say," eagerly, "to visiting a
place where they're not even the same sort of animals as we are?"
He looked around enthusiastically. Smith made a brief sound of
agreement, and remained in his chair. Both he and the doctor looked
to Billie and Van Emmon for comment.
But the man and the woman were content to look at one another. Their
minds had room for only one problem; their eyes saw nothing, cared
to see nothing, save that which love seeks and, having found, is
satisfied with.
Did it make any difference to Billie that her husband had
sympathized with Capellette's greatest despot and worst failure? Did
it make any difference to Van that Billie approved when the woman
she was allied with discarded the despot for the devolutionist?
Or was Billie still his chief reason for existing, and was Van hers?
That was the real question! Small matters like life in other
worlds--they could wait!
THE EMANCIPATRIX
I
THE MENTAL EXPEDITION
The doctor closed the door behind him, crossed to the table,
silently offered the geologist a cigar, and waited until smoke was
issuing from it.
Pages:
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183