"Well, yes. What I was going to say is that she isn't in sympathy with certain views I hold, and--" "Do we have to rationalize? You wanted to be with me, and you are. You're with me, and we're alone. Unless you've brought your conscience?" "Darling," he said "I'm an artist." Her face was close now, her lips slightly parted. Her arms trembled around his neck. Her lips were warm and soft and seeking.... The opalescence grew to a soft brilliance, growing and ebbing, ebbing finally to a languid dusk. The smell of grass was like a violet mist and the willows sighed in envy. "Aren't you ever going to get up, Ted?" He looked up sleepily to see his wife standing in the doorway. Her dark hair was high off her neck and her pert face was freshly scrubbed. She wore a red, tailored dressing robe. He said, "Red brings you to life, Ann. You should wear it oftener." "Thank you. Buckwheat cakes and Canadian bacon, sleepy head." She came over to sit on the edge of his bed. "Ted--I probably worded that badly last night about the job, but--" "But let's not talk about it before breakfast," he said quickly. "I'll be down in a few minutes." "All right." She rose, and her voice changed. "All _right_." Her back was stiff, as she marched out. In his bathroom, Ted studied himself in the mirror. His eyes were shadowed, his face wan. "You dog," he told his image, and smiled. * * * * * _El thought, "I wonder if Ha's had any success. I don't trust him, for some reason, dear."_ _"Ha's all right," Bee thought. "Inclined to whimsey, but generally sound. And he wants a body as badly as we do. But only Lust can give us one."_ _"We gave Ha a body. We projected him successfully."_ _"On Earth, Darling, you don't want to live on Earth."_ _"Why?"_ _"It's all city, like Valdora and Velugia. They have no lover's county, like this. Would you like that, dearest?"_ _"No, no, no. We'll have to rely on Ha. I wonder what he's done."_ _"Working. And another thing, dearest, I wouldn't want you in any body but the one I loved."_ _"Sweet."_ _"Beloved."_ * * * * * Across the breakfast table, Ann's level scrutiny was annoying. Ted concentrated on the cakes and bacon. He was just lighting a cigarette to go with his second cup of coffee, when he said, "What's the matter with you, this morning?" The cigarette trembled very little. "Matter?" "You seem so--oh, it would sound silly." "Let's have it, anyway." "So--sort of--_guilty_." He picked up the cigarette before it burned the cloth. "What kind of--Well, I like that. Of all the silly observations!" He shook his head vexedly. "Ted, why don't you look at me? Ted, you _did_ go right to bed, last night?" He looked at her, his chin tilted pugnaciously. "No, I went to Venus and met a blonde. Of course I went to bed." "Well, what are you so nervous about? Heavens, it wasn't that little spat we had, or _you_ had, rather, about your going to work?"