ly introductory and elementary stuff; but it
was so interesting that the humans stayed overtime to finish it. Then
they went back to the ship; and in the main lounge Hilton practically
collapsed onto a davenport. He took out a cigarette and stared in
surprise at his hand, which was shaking.

"I _think_ I could use a drink," he remarked.

"What, before supper?" Karns marveled. Then, "Hey, Wally! Rush a flagon
of avignognac--Arnaud Freres--for the boss and everything else for the
rest of us. Chop-chop but quick!"

A hectic half-hour followed. Then, "Okay, boys and girls, I love you,
too, but let's cut out the slurp and sloosh, get some supper and log us
some sack time. I'm just about pooped. Sorry I had to queer the
private-residence deal, Sandy, you poor little sardine. But you know how
it is."

Sandra grimaced. "Uh-huh. I can take it a while longer if you can."

* * * * *

After breakfast next morning, the staff met in the lounge. As usual,
Hilton and Sandra were the first to arrive.

"Hi, boss," she greeted him. "How do you feel?"

"Fine. I could whip a wildcat and give her the first two scratches. I
_was_ a bit beat up last night, though."

"I'll say ... but what I simply can't get over is the way you
underplayed the climax. 'Third, the planet runs out of Omans'. Just like
that--no emphasis at all. Wow! It had the impact of a delayed-action
atomic bomb. It put goose-bumps all over me. But just s'pose they'd
missed it?"

"No fear. They're smart. I had to play it as though the whole Oman race
is no more important than a cigarette butt. The great big question,
though, is whether I put it across or not."

At that point a dozen people came in, all talking about the same
subject.

"Hi, Jarve," Karns said. "I _still_ say you ought to take up poker as a
life work. Tiny, let's you and him sit down now and play a few hands."

"_Mais non!_" de Vaux shook his head violently, shrugged his shoulders
and threw both arms wide. "By the sacred name of a small blue cabbage,
not me!"

Karns laughed. "How did you have the guts to state so many things as
facts? If you'd guessed wrong just once--"

"I didn't." Hilton grinned. "Think back, Bill. The only thing I said as
a fact was that we as a race are better than the Masters were, and that
is obvious. Everything else was implication, logic, and bluff."

"That's right, at that. And they _were_ neurotic and decadent. No
question about that."