"Finished your wine? Good. Explanations are in order, though first perhaps you'd care to join me in a brief turn about the premises?" "Fine. Friden, you stay here and wait for the men." Captain Webber winked a number of times and frowned briefly, then he and Mr. Greypoole walked out onto the porch and down the steps. Mr. Friden drummed his fingers upon the arm of a chair, surveyed his empty glass and hiccoughed softly. * * * * * "I do wish you'd landed your ship elsewhere, Captain. Mr. Bellefont was quite particular and, as you can see, his park is hopelessly disfigured." "We were given no choice, I'm afraid. The fuel was running out." "Indeed? Well then, that explains everything. A beautiful day, don't you find, sir? Fortunately, with the exception of Professor Carling, all the Guests preferred good weather. Plenty of sunshine, they said, or crisp evening. It helps." They walked toward a house of colored rocks. "Miss Daphne Trilling's," said Mr. Greypoole, gesturing. "They threw it up in a day, though it's solid enough." When they had passed an elderly woman on a bicycle, Captain Webber stopped walking. "Mr. Greypoole, we've _got_ to have a talk." Mr. Greypoole shrugged and pointed and they went into an office building which was crowded with motionless men, women and children. "Since I'm so mixed up myself," the captain said, "maybe I'd better ask--just who do you think _we_ are?" "I'd thought you to be the men from the Glades of course." "I don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about. We're from the planet Earth. They were going to have another war, the 'Last War' they said, and we escaped in that rocket and started off for Mars. But something went wrong--fellow named Appleton pulled a gun, others just didn't like the Martians--we needn't go into it; they wouldn't have us so Mars didn't work out. Something else went wrong then, soon we were lost with only a little store of fuel and supplies. Then Mr. Friden noticed this city or whatever it is and we had enough fuel to land so we landed." Mr. Greypoole nodded his head slowly, somehow, sadder than before. "I see.... You say there was a war on Earth?" "They were going to set off X-Bomb; when they do, everything will go to pieces. Or everything has already." "What dreadful news! May I inquire, Captain, when you have learned where you are--what do you intend to do?" "Why, live here, of course!" "No, no--try to understand. You could not conceivably fit in here with us." Captain Webber glanced at the motionless people. "Why not?" Then he shouted, "What is this place? _Where am I?_" Mr. Greypoole smiled. "Captain, you are in a cemetery." * * * * * "Good work, Peterson!" "Thanks, sir. When we all got back and Friden didn't know where you'd gone, well, we got worried. Then we heard you shouting." "Hold his arms--there. You heard this, Friden?"