to be despite the laughter, "but you'll have to ask Mr. Cruikshank."

"J. Barnaby? What's he got to do with it?"

"I promised I wouldn't tell you." She hesitated, then went on: "Manning, I'm truly sorry—but it won't last forever."

For once in his life, Manning Draco was not to be consoled by the promise in a woman's eyes and voice. He retreated to the other end of the ship and sulked.

Later, when Fanya Sera went into the small stateroom to sleep, an angry Manning Draco put in a visicall to Terra. He was even oblivious of the fact that it was probably well after J. Barnaby's bed time. A sleepy butler tried to convince him that the hour was untimely, but failed. A few minutes later J. Barnaby, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, appeared on the screen.

"What are you up to?" Manning demanded.

If there had been any doubt that J. Barnaby Cruikshank was up to something, his appearance would have removed it. Normally, any interference with the slumber of the president of Greater Solarian would have resulted in an explosion of temper like a major planet-quake. Instead, however, he was staring out of the screen with the benign expression of an indulgent uncle.

"My dear boy," he said sweetly, "what are you talking about?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about," Manning snapped. "This Fanya Sera. What did you do to her?"

"I am a happily married man," J. Barnaby said solemnly. "It never occurred to me to do anything to her."

"You know what I'm talking about. Every time I get within an inch of her, something starts shaking my teeth loose."

"Oh, that." J. Barnaby managed the impossible feat of a chuckle that was both fatherly and sinister. "As a matter of fact, she is equipped with a little device I insisted upon. If you were the father of a growing girl, as I am, you'd probably be more familiar with it. Known as the Parents' Comforter, it uses ultrasonic sound to fend off predatory males. I suppose you might call it an ultrasonic chastity belt. But you'll be perfectly safe as long as you keep your passes visual." The chuckle grew into a full-blown laugh.

"Very funny," snarled the man. "Why?"

"You might say I had three reasons, my 

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