It was obvious that even if she had taken this seriously, it still wouldn't be what she wanted. "I'd like to go away from here," she told him. "Far away." "Just because you want a change--is that it?" She hesitated. "That's partly it. But there's more. Somehow, ever since we've been married, I keep feeling all the time like--like I'm being watched." His smile was strained. "Well, naturally, in 'Rytheia City, people will tend to--watch. Let's go far away from where people are. There's an island on this planet, way off in the western seas. I'll buy you that island, Lyddy. I'll build you a villa there--a chateau, a castle, whatever you want." But she shook her golden head. "No, nothing like that. I want to go to another system. It's not that I don't want to be where people are. I like crowds. I just want to be where there are _different_ people." He forced another smile. "What's gotten into you, Lyddy? In the old days, you used to be so calm." * * * * * She wriggled her shoulders uncomfortably. "I keep seeing things, shadows that shouldn't be there, reflections of nothing. Only, when I turn, they don't get out of the way fast enough to be nothing." "They?" he repeated. "I only see one at a time, but I don't know if it's always the same one." She shivered again. "It must be your nerves." He went on resolutely, "Maybe you do need a change of scene." Actually it was absurd to feel so apprehensive about the Jump. She'd be safer in hyperspace in his ship than anywhere else in the universe. And a large metropolis might provide distractions to take her mind off--shadows. "How would you like to go to Burdon?" "That would be real nice!" But she was not as enthusiastic about it as he had expected. * * * * * She laid a hesitant hand on his arm. "Honey," she began tentatively, "you--you seem to spend so much time all by yourself. Do I bore you?" "Of course not, dear," he said awkwardly. "It just seems that way to you. Pressure of business...." "But why do you play chess with yourself all the time?" "I've spent so much time in space that I got into the habit of playing alone. Many spacemen do that." She bit her painted lip. "Sometimes--sometimes when you're alone in your room, I hear your voice. Why do you talk to yourself?" It was an effort for him to meet the beautiful, blank blue eyes. "When you're alone a lot of the time, sweetheart, you have to hear the sound of a voice even if it's your own, or you start hearing voices." "But you have me," she said. "You're _not_ alone. But you still do it." "Old habits are hard to break, dear." She looked up at him, trying to force her way past the wall in his eyes. God help her, he thought, if she ever succeeds. "Would you like me to learn to play chess?" "Would you like to?" "I--don't know," she murmured doubtfully. "I've never been much good at mind things. But I want to be _everything_ to you."