"And cozy dungeons," said Hoddan. He wiped his mouth. "No." Don Loris started violently. "No, what?" "No deathrays," said Hoddan. "I can't make 'em. Nobody can. If they could be made, some star somewhere would be turning them out, or some natural phenomenon would let them loose from time to time. If there were such things as deathrays, all living things would have died, or else would have adjusted to their weaker manifestations and developed immunity so they wouldn't be deathrays any longer. As a matter of fact, that's probably been the case, some time in the past. So far as the gadget goes that they're talking about, it's been in use for half a century in the Cetis cluster. Nobody's died of it yet." Don Loris looked bitterly disappointed. "That's the truth?" he asked unhappily. "Honestly? That's your last word on it?" "Much," said Hoddan, "much as I hate to spoil the prospects of profitable skulduggery, that's my last word and it's true." "But those men from Walden are very anxious!" protested Don Loris. "There was no ship available, so their government got a liner that normally wouldn't stop here to take an extra lifeboat aboard. It came out of overdrive in this solar system, let out the lifeboat, and went on its way again. Those two men are extremely anxious--" "Ambitious, maybe," said Hoddan. "They're prepared to pay to overcome your sense of gratitude to me. Naturally, you want all the traffic will bear. I think you can get half a million." Don Loris looked suspicious again. "You don't seem worried," he said fretfully. "I don't understand you!" "I have a secret," said Hoddan. "What is it?" "It will develop," said Hoddan. * * * * * Don Loris hesitated, essayed to speak, and thought better of it. He shrugged his shoulders and went slowly back to the flight of stone steps. He descended. The Lady Fani started to wring her hands. Then she said hopefully: "What's your secret?" "That your father thinks I have one," said Hoddan. "Thanks for the breakfast. Should I walk out the gate, or--" "It's closed," said the Lady Fani forlornly. "But I have a rope for you. You can go down over the wall." "Thanks," said Hoddan. "It's been a pleasure to rescue you." [Illustration] "Will you--" Fani hesitated. "I've never known anybody like you before. Will you ever come back?" Hoddan shook his head at her. "Once you asked me if I'd fight for you, and look what it got me into! No commitments." He glanced along the battlements. There was a fairly large coil of rope in view. He picked up his bag and went over to it. He checked the fastening of one end and tumbled the other over the wall. Ten minutes later he trudged up to Thal, waiting in the nearby woodland with two horses. "The Lady Fani," he said, "has the kind of brains I like. She pulled up the rope again."