Not so good, that. Loose talk. Actually it was an Undersecretary of War who had said it. Pell ran over the rest of the article quickly and came to what seemed to him a significant excerpt. "_Certain patriotic groups in the world today are ready and willing to make the necessary sacrifices to get it over with. There is a fundamental difference between Earthmen and other creatures of the system, and this difference can be resolved only by the dominance of one over the other._" Supremist stuff. Strictly. If this Undersecretary were not actually a member he was at least a supporter of the Supremist line. And that line had an appeal for the unthinking, Pell had to admit. It was pleasant to convince yourself that you were a superior specimen, that you were chosen.... VENUSIAN SPY SUSPECTS HELD ON MARS Pell frowned deeply at that one and read the story. A couple of Venusian miners on Mars had wandered too close to one of the Earth military outposts, and had been nabbed. He doubted that they were spies; he doubted that the authorities holding them thought so. But it seemed to make a better story with a slight scare angle. He thought about how Mars was divided at an arbitrary meridian--half to Venus, half to Earth. The division solved nothing, pleased nobody. Joe Citizen, the man in the tunnels could see these things, why couldn't these so-called trained diplomats? Pell finished his report, questioned the Postmaster a little on routine facts concerning the town, and went back to the hotel. * * * * * Ciel was waiting for him. She was in a smart, frontless frock of silvercloth. Her golden hair shone. Her large, dark eyes looked deep, moist, alive. She looked at him questioningly? and he read the silent question: _Now can you spare a little time?_ "Baby," he said softly, and kissed her. "Mm," he said when he had finished kissing her. The voice-phone rang. He said, "Damn it." It was Kronski, in his own room next door. "Did Wilcox leave yet?" he asked. "Wilcox?" "Yeah. The Doc. Is he still there?" "I didn't know he was here at all." Kronski said, "Huh?" Pell said, "Maybe we better back up and start all over again." "Wilcox, the Resident Surgeon Doc Wilcox," said Kronski, not too patiently. "He was in my room a little while ago. Said he'd drop by on his way out and see if you were in." Pell glanced at Ciel. She was busy lighting a cigarette at the other end of the room. Or pretending to be busy. Pell said, "I just got here. Just this minute. I didn't see any Wilcox. What'd he want?" "I don't know exactly. He was kind of vague about it. Wanted to know if he could answer any more questions for us, or anything like that." "Sounds screwy." "Yeah. It sure does, now that I think it over." "Let me call you back," said Pell and hung up. He turned to Ciel. "Was Doc Wilcox here?" "Why, yes. He stopped in." Nothing but blank innocence on her face. "Why didn't you tell me?"