boy. I wanted to be sure that you kept your mind on the business at hand, something I knew would be difficult once you caught sight of Miss Sera. Then you are supposed to give the picture of a man who wants to get rid of his wife and the Canopusians are famous for the habit of peeking through keyholes."

"And the third reason?" Manning prompted.

"Believe me, my boy, I also did it for your own protection," J. Barnaby said in his most fatherly manner. "I have an abiding concern for your welfare."

Manning told J. Barnaby what he could do with his paternal concern. Although humanity had progressed far by the 35th Century, there had been very little improvement in such suggestions and his words were almost the same as might have been spoken two thousand years earlier. The censor on Procyon covered her ears tightly. If one of the men hadn't been an important figure in the Federation, she would have jammed the call. As it was, she merely tried not to listen and hoped that no one else was tapping that frequency.

J. Barnaby laughed as he broke the connection. The ship's screen faded to a dull gray, leaving Manning more frustrated than before.

Sitting in the comfortable pilot-chair, Manning finally caught a few hours sleep, but it was far from restful and he awakened in pretty much the same mood.

When Fanya Sera rejoined him, he tried to maintain a dignified silence. But it was almost impossible to sulk in the presence of so much beauty. Finally, he got the idea of trying to talk her into removing the ultrasonic device—whatever it was. It was a lost cause. She was flattered by his eagerness, but that was all.

"I promised Mr. Cruikshank I wouldn't remove it until we were finished with the case," she said. She gave him a lingering glance. "I didn't promise anything about what would happen when you've cleaned it up."

"Is that the best we can do?" Manning asked.

She smiled. "What's wrong, honey?" she asked. "Afraid it'll take you a long time to solve this?"

He gave her a hard look. "Baby," he said, "you're going to see speed that will make your head spin."

Within an hour, they were entering the atmosphere of Canopus I. With the ship back on manual, Manning brought it down on instructions from the spacetower.

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