to see or hear of any of us again, ever!
Why, they don't _think_ straight--as Norman would say it, they're _full_
of little red _ants_! Why, they aren't even _human_!"

"Sure not." Brandon turned to the flushed speaker. "They couldn't be,
hardly, with their make-up. But is it absolutely necessary that all
intelligent beings should possess such an emotion as gratitude? Such a
being without it does seem funny to us, but I can't see that its lack
necessarily implies anything particularly important. Keep still a
minute," he went on, as Nadia tried to interrupt him, "and listen to
some real wisdom. Quince, _you_ tell 'em."

"They are, of course, very highly developed and extremely intelligent;
but it should not be surprising that intelligence should manifest
itself in ways quite baffling to us human beings, whose minds work so
differently. They are, however ... well, peculiar."

"I _won't_ keep still!" Nadia burst out, at the first opportunity.
"I don't want to talk about those hideous things any more, anyway.
Come on, Steve, let's go up and dance!"

Crowninshield turned to Verna, with the obvious intention of leading
her away, but Brandon interposed.

"Sorry, Crown, but this lady is conducting a highly important
psychological research, so your purely social claims will have to wait
until after the scientific work is done."

"Why narrow the field of investigation?" laughed the girl. "I'd rather
widen it, myself--I might prefer a general, even to a physicist!"

They went up to the main saloon and joined the melee there, and after
one dance with Verna--all he could claim in that crowd of
men--Crowninshield turned to Brandon.

"You two seem to know Miss Pickering extraordinarily well. Would I be
stepping on your toes if I give her a play?"

"Clear ether as far as we're concerned." Brandon shrugged his shoulders.
"She's been kicking around under foot ever since she was knee high to a
duck--we gave her her first lessons on a slide rule."

"Don't be dumb, Norman. That woman's a knock-out--a riot--a regular
tri-planet call-out!"

"Oh, she's all x, as far as that goes. She's a good little scout,
too--not half as dumb as she acts--and she's one of the squarest little
aces that ever waved a plume; but as for _playing_ her--too much like
our kid sister."

"Good--me for her!" and they made their way back down to the control
room.

Stevens, after his one dance with Nadia, had already returned. Brandon
and Crowninshield