ing feeling of surface life
once more. This feeling, for no reason that he could have determined
consciously, released Nuwell's tongue.

"Maya," he said, in a voice that betrayed determination behind its
mildness, "I don't see any real reason for waiting. When we've cleared
up this matter at Ultra Vires and get back to Mars City, I think we
should get married."

She glanced at his handsome profile and smiled affectionately.

"I'm complimented by your impatience, Nuwell," she said. "But there is a
good reason for waiting, for me. When we're married, I want to be your
wife, completely. I want to keep your home and mother your children.
Don't you understand that?"

"That's what I want, too," he said. "That's my idea of what marriage is.
But, Maya, if you insist on finishing this government assignment, that
could be a long time off."

"I know, and I don't like it any better than you do, darling," said
Maya. "But it's cost the Earth government a great deal of trouble and
money to send me here, and you know how long it would take for them to
get a replacement to Mars for me. I don't feel that I can let them
down, and I don't think it would be much of a beginning to our marriage
for me to be running around ferreting out rebels during the first months
of it."

"That's another thing I don't like, Maya," said Nuwell. "It's dangerous,
and I don't want anything to happen to you."

"It's your work, too, and it's not absolutely safe for you, either. I'll
be sharing it with you when we're married, and for you it will go on for
a long time. I have a specific mission here, to locate the rebel
headquarters, and as soon as I've done that I'll be more than happy to
become just a contented housewife and leave the rest of it to you."

Nuwell shrugged, a little disconsolately, and turned his attention to
the task of negotiating the groundcar up the ascending slope.

She was a strange creature, this little Maya of his. She had been born
on Mars and, orphaned by some unknown disaster, had been cared for
during her first years by the mysterious, grotesque native Martians.
When they took her at last to one of the dome cities, she was sent to
Earth for rearing. And now she was back on Mars as an undercover agent
of the Earth government, seeking to ferret out the rebels known to be
engaging in widespread forbidden activities.

Often he did not understand her, but he wanted her, nevertheless.

Nuwell steered the groundcar slowly up the