"I could have averted her death, you know," Drake said. "If I'd put her down on Iago Iago as she asked me to, she would still be alive today. But I valued my pilot's license too highly. I thought too much of my daily bread." Penelope had sat down in a cushioned chair that faced his own. Now she leaned forward, her blue eyes full upon him. "There's no need for you to justify your action to me, Mr. Drake. My husband is a Suez Canal tech, and he can't pursue his profession without a license either. He worked very hard to get it, and he wouldn't dream of jeopardizing it. Neither would I." "That would be Annabelle's brother, wouldn't it? Is he here now?" "No. He's on Wayout, working on the 'leak'. I say 'working on it', but actually they haven't found it yet. All they know is that it's on the Wayout end of the warp. It's really quite a serious situation, Mr. Drake--much more serious than the officials let on. Warp seepages are something new, and very little is known about them, and Ralph says that this one could very well throw the continuum into a state of imbalance if it isn't checked in time." Drake hadn't come all the way to _Campagne Paisible_ to talk about warp seepages. "How well did you know your sister-in-law, Miss Leigh?" he asked. "I thought I knew her very well. We grew up together, went to school together, and were the very best of friends. I _should_ have known her very well." "Tell me about her," Drake said. * * * * * "She wasn't at all an outward person, and yet everyone liked her. She was an excellent student--excelled in everything except Ancient Lit. She never said much, but when she did say something, you listened. There was something about her voice...." "I know," Drake said. "As I said, I _should_ have known her very well, but apparently I didn't. Apparently no one else did either. We were utterly astonished when she ran away--especially Estevan Foursons." "Estevan Foursons?" "He's a Polysirian--he lives on the next farm. He and Annabelle were to be married. And then, as I said, she ran away. None of us heard from her for a whole year, and Estevan never heard from her at all. Leaving him without a word wasn't at all in keeping with the way she was. She was a kind and gentle person. I don't believe he's gotten over it to this day, although he did get married several months ago. I think, though, that what astonished us even more than her running away was the news that she was studying for the sainthood. She was never in the least religious, or, if she was, she kept it a deep dark secret." "How old was she when she left?" Drake asked. "Almost twenty. We had a picnic the day before. Ralph and I, she and Estevan. If anything was troubling her, she certainly gave no sign of it. We had a stereo-camera, and we took pictures. She asked me to take one of her standing on a hill, and I did. It's a lovely picture--would you like to see it?"