"I want to be near you at the end, George," she told him. "It's good to have you near, Ada. But I have no time to spare." "I won't take up any of your time. I merely want to sit near you and watch you." Then she fell silent again, and he went about his work once more. In the afternoon he dozed off, and only when the bell rang and he awoke with a start did he realize that she had adjusted a pillow at his head so that he might sleep more comfortably. Not until evening did she interrupt him, and then in order to get him to eat a meal she had ordered. He ate without tasting the food, but the few minutes of intermission did him good. He said gratefully, "Thank you, dear. Without your thoughtfulness I don't know what would become of me." "The same thing that will become of all of us, George.... I hear that you are surrendering the Pleasure Planet." "Yes. There it is." Through the transparent walls of the room they could see in the sky a luminous dot that moved slowly in the direction of the Hop planet. "After all that it has cost us, George, doesn't it hurt you to give it up?" He nodded slowly. Whatever else might be returned to them, the Pleasure Planet would be gone forever. He recalled now the years of planning for a vacation spot that would be capable of serving the entire System; he recalled the two decades during which they had swept up asteroids and interplanetary meteor swarms for raw material, and then the decade following, in which the surface of the new planet had first been blasted into shape, and then swept and ordered, landscaped and built upon until it had become the pride of the System. It was Everson's task merely to turn it over to the Hops. "George." She was biting her lips. "You know that I'm not going to be able to live through this." "You may change your mind, dear." "No, darling, I can't live with the horrible thoughts that keep running through my mind. You know how much I've always loved and admired you, and now, after what you've done--" She fumbled in her purse and brought out a tiny metal rod. "I'm going to shoot myself." He stared at her gravely. "Not now. Wait, dear." "Through this agony? Why prolong it?" "Because I need you." It was the most effective argument he could have used. "You know that I won't be able to live without you. Wait till I finish my work. And then, if you haven't changed your mind, shoot me along with yourself." "I couldn't--" "I can." He took the tiny weapon away from her. "When I have turned the Pleasure Planet finally over to the Hops, and given a few more orders, my work will be done. If you still want to die after that, I'll shoot you and myself." He looked into her eyes. "I promise, you, dear. And even the Hops know that I carry out my promises," he added bitterly. He took her in his arms and kissed her, the weapon still in his right hand. Then he put it in a drawer of his desk, and returned to his work. * * * * *