cked compartment of his
armor a small steel box, which housed a surgeon's hypodermic and three
vials. One, two, three, he injected small, but precisely measured
amounts of the fluids into the three vital localities, then placed the
inert form upon a deeply cushioned couch.

"There! That'll take care of the gas in five or six hours. The paralysis
will wear off before that, so he'll be all right when he wakes up; and
we're going away from here with every watt of power we can put out. We
have done everything I know how to do, for the present."

Then only did Costigan turn and look down, directly into Clio's eyes.
Wide, eloquent blue eyes that gazed back up into his, tender and
unafraid; eyes freighted with the oldest message of woman to chosen man.
His hard young face softened wonderfully as he stared at her; there were
two quick steps and they were in each other's arms. Clio's lithely
rounded form nestled against Costigan's powerful body as his mighty arms
tightened around her; his neck and shoulder were no less
enthusiastically clasped, and less strongly only because of her woman's
slighter musculature. Lips upon eager lips, blue eyes to gray,
motionless they stood clasped in ecstasy; thinking nothing of the
dreadful past, nothing of the fearful future, conscious only of the
glorious, the wonderful present.

"Clio mine ... darling ... girl, girl, how I love you!" Costigan's deep
voice was husky with emotion. "I haven't kissed you for seven thousand
years! I don't rate you, by hundreds of steps; but if I can just get you
out of this mess, I swear by all the space...."

"You needn't, lover. Rate _me_? Good Heavens, Conway? It's just the
other way...."

"Chop it!" he commanded in her ear. "I'm still dizzy at the idea of your
loving me at all, to say nothing of loving me _this_ way! But you do,
and that's all I ask, here or hereafter!"

"Love you? _Love_ you!" Their mutual embrace tightened and her low voice
thrilled brokenly as she went on: "Conway, dearest.... I can't say a
thing, but you know.... Oh, Conway!"

After a time Clio drew a long and tremulous, but supremely happy breath
as the realities of their predicament once more obtruded themselves upon
her consciousness. She released herself gently from Costigan's arms.

"Do you really think that there is a chance of us getting back to the
earth, so that we can be together ... always?"

"A chance, yes. A probability, no," he replied, unequivocally. "It
depends