very move was analyzed for possible puff
symptoms.

"Prunella, that evening, dined as the captain's guest aboard ship. In
the mess hall, with Mr. Paulson installed in the seat of honor, the
arguments were long, loud and heated: She had 'em on. She didn't. The
puffs had her. They didn't.

"I hadn't realized there were so many synonyms for fool and idiot or
so many genteel ways to sneer until my learned colleagues that night
debated the case of the puffs versus Prunella. We went to bed still in
an agony of indecision."

* * * * *

Lee waited for me to be appropriately sympathetic. I obliged.

"The next morning, Prunella had breakfast alone in her quarters, but
then she often did. Or I should say she ordered breakfast sent and
then ate only a little of it and sent it back. A short while later,
Prunella left her room, went to the library and returned to her
quarters with a spool of microfilm in her hand. All the people who
could cram into the tiny library cubicle were in before the hiss of
Prunella's closing door died away. A wild rape of the library files
improved our digestions, dispositions and belief in the ultimate
triumph of good over evil--Prunella had withdrawn the film on 'Effects
of Xenon Life-forms on the Human Body.'

"I learned later that some far-sighted soul had added lurid details to
the section of the film dealing with the puffs, describing minutely
what one could expect after powder puff infestation. Odd thing about a
few of those added details--some of the more horrible ones had never
been noticed before nor have they been reported since.

"Prunella went aboard the supply ship _Hunter_ shortly after noon,
scratching determinedly in several places that no lady should, at
least in public.

"The captain, most of his loading done and seeing her dire need,
blasted off for Terra immediately and flipped into sub-space much
closer to the planet than he should have. Prunella was on Terra that
same night, Xenon time. The captain told me on his next trip that
Pruny had commandeered both quarantine nurses at Polar Space Field to
work on her. It still took the two women several hours to finish,
according to him. She must have been covered with the things. Bet she
looked as though she were sprouting fur."

"One thing I don't understand," I told Lee. "You kept referring to a
'treatment' of some kind for the powder puffs. Didn't Prunella know
about it? If she did, I don't see wh