"A thousand miles of void, and then the crepe ring," Socrates explained. "We'll be turning back now. Fun, Mrs. Entwhistle?" "Great," she agreed, but she had taken off the fishbowl helmet, and now she was mopping her brow. "I must try it again sometime. In a few years, of course--" Socrates jammed down on the rocket pedal and the fore-tubes blasted their fire against the blackness. The little ship shuddered and Mrs. Entwhistle emitted a sound which could have been the shrill shriek of a tea kettle. Then Socrates turned them slowly in a great arc so as not to harm the delicate two-hundred pound creature sitting by his side with too much acceleration. Something flashed by beneath them. It could have been a meteor, except that this was a void area. Attraction of the planet Mimas, and the other satellites were such that no meteoric material could exist in this space--which explained the thousand mile separation of the crepe ring. Yet something had passed them, something shining brilliantly with reflected sunlight. A ship! It could have been nothing but a spaceship.... Socrates knew he had the only ships in the area, but the crepe ring was out of bounds. The strange ship had been gunning for it at ten per-- Socrates barked into his radio: "Hello, hello! Who's out here?" The voice mocked him. "Who do you think?" He didn't have to think at all, but he felt like crying. It was Norma. "I thought you'd tell me when you went!" "I tried to, honest. But you weren't on Mimas, Smitty. So I took off. But don't worry. I've already been through the bright ring. Pretty nice setup, Smitty." "I'm glad you like it. But you're heading in the wrong direction now." Ahead of them was the darkness which obscured part of Saturn's huge bulk--the darkness of the uncharted and mysterious crepe ring. "What do you mean? Isn't this the way to the dark ring?" "That's just it. Mimas is the other way." "Oh, pooh. You go back to Mimas with your ship if you want. I'd rather see the inside of that dark ring. I'll say hello tonight, Smitty. Have a good trip back with Mrs. Entwhistle--I checked the tourist log." Socrates called "Wait" into his radio at least a dozen times, but there was no answer. Mrs. Entwhistle said, "Why is that crazy woman going into the crepe ring?" Socrates sighed. If Norma got hurt now, his entire venture out here would be ruined. Farquhart would see to that. Besides, quite suddenly, he did not want Norma to get hurt. Not at all. Not ever. Maybe he was crazy--but he liked the girl. "What," he demanded of Mrs. Entwhistle, "is wrong with the crepe ring?" "Now, that's a silly question. You told me yourself it was dangerous. No one can see anything or some such thing--" "Ha, ha, ha. I was joking. Good joke--but it's the best part of the trip. In fact, the trip is incomplete without it. I've saved it for last." "So why are you trembling, Mr. Smith?"