Marc observed these surroundings without alarm. He knew at a glance that he had retreated into the valley of his subconscious mind and, now that he was there, he was just as glad. He ran his hand sensuously over the soft greenness upon which he lay and turned his eyes heavenward to the warmly glowing, yet sunless, sky. Then, folding his hands beneath his head, he lay back and closed his eyes. A moment passed, then there was a quick stirring at his side. Two slender fingers closed viciously over his left ear and twisted. "Stinker!" a voice hissed. "Redolent reptile!" Marc sat up abruptly. "Hey!" he yelled. Toffee's pert face was almost nose to nose with his own. "Let go!" "If I do," Toffee threatened, "it will only be to grab something much worse!" "Don't be vulgar," Marc said uneasily. She was kneeling beside him, her red hair cascading like inverted flame on one beautifully-molded shoulder. Her green eyes were aglitter with a lovely fury. As always, she was clothed only in the brief emerald tunic which, because of its extreme transparency, did nothing to hide her lithesome body, though it made up for this failure by accentuating each softly-curved perfection to the utmost. On her feet was a pair of gold sandals of some undetermined material. "I should twist your faithless head off," she said. "In fact I've been keeping some plasma on ice just in case I decide to murder you in cold blood." "This is hardly the greeting I expected," Marc said, nursing his ear. "Of course not," Toffee said. "You expected me to fawn on you. You wanted me to chuck you under the chin and stroke your brow. Well, if I ever do, it will probably be with a ball bat." "I'm darned if I see what you're so sore about," Marc said injuredly. "You don't?" Toffee said. "I should be content, I suppose, just because you're here! Well, I'm not. I saw what you were thinking about me a while ago." "What I was thinking?" "Good old Toffee!" Toffee sighed. "Keep her repressed. Let her languish. Let her rot. Who cares that this is the first day of spring and everyone else is enjoying it?" She traced the curve of his jaw fatefully with her finger. "I ought to bust you one." "But I was having so much trouble...." Marc protested weakly. "Trouble!" Toffee said. "You just _thought_ you had trouble." Marc met her insinuating gaze with a sense of inner trembling. "What do you mean by that?" he asked. "Guess," Toffee said. "Just guess." "You wouldn't materialize, would you? You wouldn't...." "Give the man a cigar, a baby doll and a kick in the pants," Toffee said lightly. "You got it right on the first try." Marc paled. "But you can't!" he said. "Not now!" "Can't I?" "But you mustn't!" * * * * *