The sun, invisible to them now behind the building, touched the horizon. The bleached earth turned brown, and its surface, apparently flat before, shaped itself into small, shadowed rises and ridges. The air was cooler. "I saw you leave the Research Center this morning," Hendley said. "Where were you going?" For an instant something like dismay was naked in her eyes. "You must have seen somebody else," she said quickly. "Do you think I'd mistake anyone else for you?" Her face was pink, and now she didn't meet his eyes. "Oh, I--I don't really work there." The words spilled out in a rush. "I was--afraid of you--and I didn't know what to think. So I said I worked there. I really work up the street--I'm a clerk in a dress shop." She looked up at him beseechingly. "I shouldn't have lied." He was so relieved that he found it easy to forgive her. "You didn't have to be afraid." "I know that now." Smiling, he caressed the round curve of her shoulder. The fabric of her coverall, which was still open at the front, was smooth to his touch. Her red garment had been rougher, cheaper.... "Why did you wear blue?" he asked suddenly. "Because you do. Then if we were seen together, we wouldn't be noticed especially. It's illegal for a 3-Dayman to go out with a girl in red. You know that." "It's illegal to wear the wrong color, too. Where did you get it--this coverall?" "From a--a friend." "She's bigger than you are--here. I like your waist." "She's not bigger here." "No." He smiled. "I like that too." He regarded her objectively. "You're very beautiful." "Don't say that." "Why not? It's true." "It's what I'm supposed to be." Her mouth had a sad, reflective curve. "What does that mean?" "Just tell me--do you like me?" "Very much. Don't you know, Ann?" "Tell me that." He told her. And the sun went down completely beyond the unseen horizon, leaving behind a gray world. The concrete cylinders loomed larger in the dusk, more forbidding. A wind whined across the unprotected land. "It's been wonderful out here," she said. "I'll never forget it. At first it scared me, but--not now." "You'll come out again." She smiled, staring off into the distance. "Yes, of course." He felt her shiver. "You're getting cold. We'll have to go in." "I'm not really cold." She gazed at him seriously. "I'm glad we were both free this afternoon." He weighed his answer, wondering how she would react. "I wasn't," he said. "Today was a work day for me. I didn't report." She frowned, staring at him without comprehension. "It's true," he said. "This wasn't a free day. But I'm glad I didn't work. I'd never have met you." She was instantly concerned. "You'll be penalized!" "I suppose so." He smiled at her shocked expression. "What do you think would happen if we were caught together out here? Or if you were found wearing blue?"