lone opened his mouth, tried to think of something clever to say,
and shut it again. Luba Ardanko was, perfectly obviously, altogether
too fast for him. But then, he reflected, I've had a hard day. "All
right," he said at last. "What _about_ Martinis?"

Luba's smile broadened. "I'd like one," she said. "And since you're a
wealthy cookie manufacturer--"

"Be my guest," Malone said. "On the other hand, why not buy your own?
Since they're free as long as you're in the gambling room."

The bartender had approached them silently. "That's right," he said in
a voice that betrayed the fact that he had memorized the entire
speech, word for word. "Drinks are free for those who play the gaming
tables. A courtesy of the Great Universal."

He delivered a Martini and Luba drank it while Malone finished his
bourbon-and-water. "Well," she said, "I suppose we've got to go to the
gambling tables now. If only to be fair."

"A horrible fate," Malone agreed, "but there you are: that's life."

"It certainly is," she said brightly, and moved off. Malone, shaking
his head, went after her and found her standing in front of a roulette
wheel. "I just love roulette," she said, turning. "Don't you? It's so
exciting and expensive."

Malone licked dry lips, said: "Sure," and started to move off.

"Oh, let's just play a little," Luba said.

There was nothing to do but agree. Malone put a small stack of silver
dollars on Red, and the croupier looked up with a bored expression.
There were three other people in the game, including a magnificent old
lady with blue hair who spent her money with a lavish hand. Two weeks
before, she wouldn't even have been noticed. Now the croupier was
bending over backward in an attempt not to show how grateful he was
for the patronage.

The wheel spun around and landed on Number Two, Black. Malone sighed
and fished for more money. He felt his precognitive sense beginning to
come into play and happily decided to ride with it. This time the
stack of silver dollars was larger.

Twenty minutes later he left the table approximately nine hundred
dollars richer. Luba was beaming. "There, now," she said. "Wasn't that
fun?"

"Hysterical," Malone said. He glanced back over his shoulder. The
blue-haired old lady was winning and losing large sums with a speed
and aplomb that was certainly going to make her a twenty-four-hour
legend by the end of the evening. She looked grim and secure, as if
she were undergoing a penanc