Rhoda sat beautifully poised, a picture of sophisticated perfection. She wore an obviously expensive costume featured by lounging slacks that could have been molded to her body. The afternoon sun glinted on a hairdo right out of _Vogue_ or _Harper's Bazaar_. Her expression was distant; a look of impersonal pity showed on her face as she regarded Frank. "Tell me about it, sweetie." Frank cringed inwardly at the appellation. In Manhattan, everyone called everyone else _sweetie_. "There wasn't much to it. I called Taber and then went down to see him. I told him exactly how I felt about things and demanded more information." Rhoda frowned. "You _demanded_? Frank! I'm disappointed in you. The indignant citizen bit, I suppose. Don't you know how to talk to people? Your bedside manner must be tremendous." "Rhoda! For God's sake!" She brushed his anger away with a graceful, deprecating wave of her hand. "What did you say to him?" "I was just telling you. I said that with a man killed in my room I had a right to some protection. I--" "Protection! What did you do? Ask the man to hide you? Why didn't you get down on your knees and beg his pardon for living?" Frustrated anger made Corson's lips tremble. "I did the best I could! I told him that if I couldn't find out from him what was going on, I'd go to the New York police. I told him I had a right to know about these androids." "And he told you the only right you had was to drop dead, I suppose." Frank Corson got to his feet. His face was stiff. His eyes were tortured. He ran a helpless hand along his jaw. "All right, Rhoda. All right. If this is the way you want it, there's nothing I can do." "What do you mean--the way I want it? All I've been trying to do is put a little courage into you? Didn't Taber tell you a thing about the androids?" "He wasn't as brutal as I made it sound. In fact, he's a rather nice guy in a tough spot." "I'm sure of that, but we couldn't care less. What did he say about the androids?" A new, desperate wariness had been born in Frank Corson. He could take only so much and now he regarded Rhoda with a hostility of his own. "A short time ago you hooted the android idea. What changed you?" "I use it as a term of identification! Good heavens! You act like a child. All I'm trying to do is get a little information--" "For whom, Rhoda?" He threw the question so suddenly it put Rhoda off balance. Quick fear flashed into her eyes. Then it vanished behind a wall of defiance. "Are you out of your mind? Why would I have any interest in this mess except by way of protecting your interests?" "_My_ interests. I can remember not long ago when you'd have called them _our_ interests." "There you go again. Talking like a child!" Frank crossed the room and stood close to Rhoda's chair. He looked down at her, and when he spoke there was a change in his manner. Now there was a finality in his tone that had ice in it.