George met her eyes suddenly, caught by the urgency in her voice. And slowly, in front of his eyes, she changed. Her features shifted, until George saw a beautiful young girl with pink white skin and red lips. He saw shining blue eyes and shimmering golden hair that fell over her shoulders. Gistla's body had changed to a lithe, smooth figure that revealed its contours beneath the gray cape. He caught his breath and wiped a hand at his eyes. "What you see," said Gistla softly, "is an illusion. You see what would be in your values, a beautiful girl." George opened his mouth but was unable to find his voice. "Do not be afraid, George. Beneath the illusion of your senses, I am still Gistla. I am still a Venusian." George reached out and touched his fingers against a white arm and a white shoulder bared by the cape. He touched the golden hair. "Gistla," he said, amazed. "You're beautiful." "Yes," she said sadly. "But--you really are! Your hair and your eyes and your mouth. How did you do it?" She shook her head to show its unimportance. "It is something--like your hypnotism." George raised himself from his knees and sat beside her. "But I can't believe it!" "You can see, you can feel." "Yes," George said. "Yes." "You are happy with me this way, aren't you, George?" "But you're so beautiful." The golden-haired girl nodded her head, and the shining blue eyes watched him carefully. "You see then," Gistla said. "It does make a difference. You love me more this way." "No," George said, touching her hair again. "I don't love you more, but if you can do this, why then, we'll have no more worries. Don't you see?" "I think so," Gistla said, looking away. George's voice was excited, and his eyes darted over her face and body. "Would other people see you as I do?" "If I wished, yes." "Then you see? It's all changed! You are what I see. Golden-haired and pale-skinned--" "I am still Gistla. You would always know that. Would you love something that is not real, just because you see it with your eyes?" * * * * * "But I can feel that you're real," George said, putting his hands on her shoulders. He pulled her closer and kissed her hair. "You're Gistla," he said, "and you're beautiful." He tipped her face up to his and bent to kiss her mouth. His lips touched smooth green skin and he looked into Gistla's large round lidless eyes. He recoiled as though he had been touched by fire. She watched him as he wiped a trembling hand across his chest, and her globular head glistened in the reflection of the late sun. She nodded. "When you see what I really am, the difference _is_ important." She gathered her cloak around her and stood up. George felt the flush of his face, and he could not meet her eyes. He heard her walk a few steps away. "Good-by, George," she said. He jumped up quickly. "That wasn't fair." "No," she said slowly, "but it proved the value of things."