Holman stopped as the lion crossed the kitchen between him and Nancy. "Don't panic, Nancy," he said in a calm voice. "If nobody moves, it'll go away." Nancy smiled. "Why should he go away? It's only Shandy." The lion nuzzled his head over the backs of Nancy's knees and made a growling, purring sound. The tip of his tail flipped against the smooth white stove. Holman frowned at the lion and dropped back into his chair. "Shandy? The last time I saw him he was a St. Bernard dog." Nancy rumpled the lion's mane. "Well, you know how Shandy is. He doesn't stay one thing for long. He saw a picture of a lion on a sack of meal last week and off he went." "When you're through fondling him I'd like my coffee. And where's the rum?" Gently pushing the leaning lion away from her legs, Nancy said, "I'll get it, Ken." She patted Shandy on the back. "Go outside and play, Shandy. That's a nice boy." Without looking at Holman, the lion left the kitchen. "That's ridiculous," Holman said, turning from the empty doorway. "Damn it, Ken. He's my pet and I like him." The rum bottle made a hard flat sound as she put it in front of Holman. "You might try to accept him. He's a very nice pet." Holman unscrewed the bottle cap. "Love me, love my whatever the hell he is." "For somebody who came by to court me you're not being very pleasant." She poured out two cups of coffee. Looking at the red bottle cap, Holman said, "Okay. I'm sorry." "You know Shandy's been with me since I was just ten or so. And since dad died, Shandy's been a real help." "You don't have to live out here." Holman poured some rum into his coffee. "Just because your father was a naturalist and all." "We don't have to talk about my father. I like living here. We've always lived here. Since we came out to Enoch." "All right." He paused to look across the table at her. "You want to keep arguing or will you let me propose now?" Nancy shook her head. "Don't now, Ken. Later sometime." "You do know, though, that I want you. And you know I want you with me at the settlement." Nancy folded her hands on the white tablecloth. "Oh, yes." Holman drank the hot coffee fast. "And, really, Nancy, I don't see how we could keep something like Shandy in the settlement." "Come and have dinner with me tonight and we'll talk then." Putting down his empty cup, Holman said, "I'll go set up my tent at a safe distance." Outside it was nearly night. A few yards from the ship, the lion was rolling on his back in a patch of yellow flowers and growling to himself. Holman kept his back to the lion while he assembled his tent. And when he had it finished he went inside and didn't come out until Nancy called him for dinner. * * * * * The sky, up through the yellow-green leaves, was clear. The afternoon was warm, with a slight feel of coming rain. Holman locked his hands behind his head and half-closed his eyes. "And living alone by the woods is dangerous," he said.