below, as you know, sir.
I entered my stateroom, figuring on catching forty winks, and there
she was, seated in my big chair, smiling at me.

"Well, for a second I couldn't speak. I just stared at her, and she
kept smiling back at me. 'What are you doing here?' I managed to ask
her, at last. 'Do you know where you are?'

"'I'll talk to your commanding officer,' she told me, cool as you
please. 'Will you bring him, please?'

"'You'll see him plenty soon enough,' I snapped at her, getting over
my surprise somewhat by that time. I called in a couple of men to keep
her from getting into mischief, and reported to you. What are your
orders, sir?"

I hesitated a second, wondering. From Correy's account, she must be a
rather remarkable person.

"Bring her up here, if you will, Mr. Correy. I'd like to see her
before we put her in the brig." The brig, I might explain, was a small
room well forward, where members of the crew were confined for
discipline.

"Right, sir!" It seemed to me that there was a peculiar twinkle in
Correy's eyes as he went out, and I wondered about it while we waited
for him to return with the prisoner.

"What an infernal nuisance, sir!" complained Hendricks, looking up
from his glowing charts. "We'll be the laughing-stock of the Service
if this leaks out!"

"_When_ it leaks out," I corrected him glumly. I'd already thought of
the unpleasant outcome he mentioned. "I'll have to report it, of
course, and the whole Service will know about it. We'll just have to
grin and make the most of it, I guess." There was still another
possibility which I didn't mention: the silver-sleeves at Base would
very likely call me on the carpet for permitting such a thing to
happen. A commander was supposed to be responsible for everything that
happened; no excuses available in the Service as it was in those days.

* * * * *

I scowled forbiddingly as I heard Correy open the door; at least I
could make her very sorry she had selected the _Ertak_ for her
adventure. I am afraid, however, that it was a startled, rather than a
scowling face to which she lifted her eyes.

"This is the stowaway, sir," said Correy briskly, closing the door. He
was watching my face, and I saw, now, the reason for the twinkle in
his eye when I mentioned placing the stowaway in the brig.

The woman was startlingly beautiful; one of the most beautiful women I
have ever seen, and I have roamed the outer limits o