avage but not without
kindness and generosity. For her purposes, he might do as well as any
other. At worst a man, cast in heroic mold. Quickly, but not without
revulsions and reservations, she made her fateful decision.

"For a man of your talents," she said, "the task should be simple. I
want you to break into a building and bring me something. There is
danger you would not understand. If you fail, death for both of us. For
success, you set the price. Are you interested?"

Newlin laughed cynically. "You promise the moon if I can steal it for
you, nothing if I can't?"

"No such shrewd bargaining," the girl murmured uneasily. "But name the
amount you hoped to make here. I will match it now--and double it if you
accomplish my errand."

"Fair enough," said Newlin. "But keep your money. I'll case the job
first. Pay me later--if I don't change my mind again."

Ducking behind the bar, he shed his apron and buzzed for the stand-in
bartender. Ed Careld forsook his interminable game of Martian chess and
appeared to take over.

"Seems quiet," he said. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Newlin told him. "Private business. I may not be back. Keep
an eye on Table Three."

Careld nodded, eyed the gamblers at Table Three dubiously. He tied his
apron carefully and sidled toward the table to oversee the situation and
clamp down a lid if necessary. Table Three picked that moment to erupt
in profane violence. Three languages splashed pungently in dispute which
passed quickly to a climax of crisscrossed heat-beam brilliance.
Marksmanship was poor; both the fat Martian and his adversary from
Ganymede survived, and only two questionable kibitzers blazed into
sudden oblivion. Careld swept up the corpses into neat piles of ash,
then tried to warn the combatants against further displays of short
temper.

* * * * *

He died in an outburst of majority resentment, punctuated by heat-beams.
Newlin returned behind the counter and buzzed for Careld's stand-in.
Then clutching the girl's arm, he left the place, dragging her along.

The street was dim, silent, deserted. "Where to?" asked Newlin.

Her quick nod indicated direction.

"Walking distance?" he persisted. "Inside the city? If not, I'll have to
get protection suits from a public locker."

"Just inside. Monta Park."

Newlin whistled. "Nice neighborhood. Do you live there?"

"No," she faltered. "I'm just in from--Earth."

Earth! It was a long time since