"I know that," said Adam after a moment. "Because I have just been down to the bottom of the dig, and held a picture conversation with the Plutonians. Would you be good enough to look at these, sir? The Plutonians say that they are only anxious to have these compartments built against the entrance of the ocean. When I offered to replace any beryllium we took with walls of our stronger steel alloy, they agreed at once to give us all we wanted. We can use the steel from compartment eighteen." "Why ... that's fine, Mister Mate." Captain McCausland seemed to be drawing his breath in with some difficulty. "I congratulate you. You may start work at once." "Oh, my Lord!" said Reuter softly. * * * * * _"Hello, Earth! This is Paulette de Vries, recording for later broadcast. This, folks, is our last day on the planet Pluto--our last day by Earth time, though the Plutonians wouldn't recognize it. They seem to have no sense of time or time-telling instruments. I told you in our last record how the ship has been loaded with beryllium. We have her full now of as much of the metal as we can carry. Compartment eighteen has been cut away, and the ship neatly joined together along the line of the cut, the metal that armored the compartment has been worked over into partitions to replace the beryllium from Pluto. "The entire crew has been given shore leave for this last day. Only Captain McCausland and Professor Reuter will remain aboard the ship, with your radio gal, Paulette de Vries herself. I have to work up my description of the interior of Pluto, gathered on my trip a few days ago. "Just for the present I'll tell you it's a wonderful world down there--four thousand miles in the center of a planet, filled with streets and houses, plants grown by artificial chemical fertilization. Never any bad weather. The Plutonians who live here have told us in their picture language that this planet was the center of life in the solar system. Millions of years ago, when the sun was much larger, they sent out expeditions to the other planets, of which Earth was one. We may be descendants of theirs.... Just a moment, there's someone at my door. Signing off."_ She flicked off the key and opened the door to reveal Captain Walter McCausland. "Oh, hello," she said. "Paulette--Miss de Vries," he said earnestly, "can you come to my cabin for a few minutes? I want to say something very important to you where we won't be interrupted." "If it's important." "It is." He stood aside for her to pass and they moved silently down the empty corridor to his cabin. When they were seated he looked at her seriously for a moment. "I never asked you why you took it upon yourself to break off our engagement in so dramatic a manner." "The reason was sufficient for me. It doesn't matter otherwise." His lips drew back. "I suppose it has something to do with that young puppy of a mate." "That, Captain McCausland, is none of your business."