"That'll be a help," observed Wes. "I'd been thinking by habit that we had no way to get word back from the _Relay Girl_." "So had I," confessed Walt. "But we'll get over that." "Meanwhile, I'm going to get this alloy-selectivity investigated right down to the last nub," said Don. "Charley's gang can take it from all angles and record their findings. We'll ultimately be able to devise a system of mathematics for it from their analysis. You won't mind being bothered every fifteen minutes for the first week, will you, Wes? They'll be running to you in your sleep with questions until they catch up with your present level of ability in this job. Eventually they'll pass you up, and then you'll have to study their results in order to keep up." "Suits me. That sounds like my job anyway." "It is. O.K., Arden, I'm coming now." "It's about time," smiled Arden. "I wouldn't haul you away from your first love excepting that I know you haven't eaten in eight or nine hours. I've got roast knolla." "S'long, fellows," grinned Channing. "I'm one of the few guys in the inner system who can forget that the knolla is the North Venus brother to a pussy cat." "I could feed you pussy cat and you'd eat it if I called it knolla," said Arden. "But you wouldn't eat knolla if I called it pussy cat." "You can't tell the difference," said Walt. "Tell me," asked Wes, "what does pussy cat taste like?" "I mean by visual inspection. Unfortunately, there can be no comparison drawn. The Venusians will eat pussy cat, but they look upon the knolla as a household pet, not fit for Venusian consumption. So unless we revive one of the Ancient Martians, who may have the intestinal fortitude--better known as guts--to eat both and describe the difference, we may never know," offered Walt. "Stop it," said Arden, "or you'll have my dinner spoiled for me." "All the more for me," said Don. "Now, when I was in college, we cooked the dean's cat and offered it to some pledges under the name of knolla. They said--" "We'll have macaroni for dinner," said Arden firmly. "I'll never be able to look a fried knolla in the pan again without wondering whether it caterwauled on some back fence in Chicago, or a Palanortis Whitewood on Venus." She left, and Channing went with her, arguing as he went to the effect that she should develop a disregard for things like their discussion. As a matter of interest, Channing had his roast knolla that evening, so he must have convinced Arden. Walt said: "And then there were three. Christine, has our little pre-dinner talk disturbed your appetite?" "Not in the least," said the girl stoutly. "I wouldn't care whether it was knolla or pussy cat. I've been on Mars so long that either one of the little felines is alien to me. What have you to offer?" "We'll hit Joe's for dinner, which is the best bar in sixty million miles today. Later we may take in the latest celluloid epic, and then there will be a bit of mixed wrestling in the ballroom."