"That's right. Glen isn't anything to be ashamed of really. But that Senator Arnold--my, the stories my mother told me about him!" "I've heard," Doak said, "he was pretty wild as a young man." "Wild?" Mrs. Klein sniffed. "Degraded would be a better word. If his father didn't have all the money in the county he'd have gone to jail more than once, that man. And then the people of this state sending him to the Senate." Doak said nothing, staring out at the quiet night. "Would you like a little snack?" Mrs. Klein asked. "I've some baked ham and rolls out in the kitchen." "No thanks," Doak said. "I'm not very hungry. Was Glen Ryder a friend of Senator Arnold's?" "Not until Glen went to work for the government. I don't think the Senator had any friends except those who could profit by it." "This Ryder was something of an--opportunist?" "If that means what it sounds like, I guess that would describe Glen. He wasn't one to overlook any opportunity to better himself and he cut it pretty thin at times." Doak looked over but could not see her face in the darkness. He said slowly, "I guess we all have to look out for ourselves and the devil take the hindmost." "I suppose," she said placidly. "Though it would depend on what you wanted out of life. Here in Dubbinville I think we're a little more neighborly than that." "It's a nice town," Doak said. "A real nice town." In front a car was stopping on the other side of the road. Someone got out from the door on the far side and the car moved on. "That would be Martha, I guess," Mrs. Klein said. "She'll want some of that ham, I know. You may as well have a cup of coffee with us anyway." IV Doak had some coffee and some rolls and ham. And some talk with both of them in the bright comfortable kitchen. They talked about the ridiculous price of food in the city and how cool the house was after the heat of the day and what was it like on Venus? Neither of the women had ever been to Venus. Doak told them about the lakes, the virgin timber, the glareless warmth that came from the generative earth. And about the lack of communication facilities. "There isn't enough commerce to make any video installations worthwhile," he explained, "and the only information transmission is by amateur radio operators. But nobody seems to miss it. It's got enough vacation facilities without video." Martha looked at him evenly. "The--Arnold Law applies there, too, doesn't it?" Doak met her gaze. "Of course." And then, "Why do you ask?" She smiled. "I was thinking it would be a good place to curl up with a book." Her chin lifted. "Or establish a newspaper." He didn't answer. He took another roll and buttered it. Mrs. Klein said, "Martha's too young to know what a newspaper is--or a book. And so are you, Mr. Parker. I say we're not missing much." He grinned at her. "Bad, were they?"