speak with the boys himself when he
got the chance.

No sense in disturbing a whole class to discipline them.

He stacked his papers carefully, taking a good long time about it in
order to relax himself and let his palms dry. His mind drifted back to
the blonde, and he reined it in with an effort and let it go exploring
again on safer ground. The class itself ... actually, he thought, he
rather liked teaching. In spite of the petty irritations that came from
driving necessary knowledge into the heads of stubbornly unwilling
students, it was a satisfying and important job. And, of course, it was
an honor to hold the position he did. Ever since it had been revealed
that the goddess Columbia was another manifestation of Pallas Athena
herself, the University had grown tremendously in stature.

And after all ...

Whistling faintly behind his teeth, Forrester zipped up his filled
briefcase and went out into the hall. He ignored the masses of students
swirling back and forth in the corridors, and, finding a stairway, went
up to his second-floor office.

He fumbled for his key, found it, and opened the ground-glass door.

Then, stepping in, he came to a full stop.

The girl had been waiting for him--Maya Wilson.

* * * * *

And now here she was, talking about the Goddess of Love. Forrester
gulped.

"Anyhow," he said at random, "I'm an Athenan." He remembered that he had
already said that. Did it matter? "But what does all this have to do
with your passing, or not passing, the course?" he went on.

"Oh," Maya said. "Well, I prayed to Aphrodite for help in passing the
course. And the Temple Priestess told me I'd have to make a sacrifice to
the Goddess. In a way."

"A sacrifice?" Forrester gulped. "You mean--"

"Not the First Sacrifice," she laughed. "That was done with solemn
ceremonies when I was seventeen."

"Now, wait a minute--"

"Please," Maya said. "Won't you listen to me?"

Forrester looked at her limpid blue eyes and her lovely face. "Sure.
Sorry."

"Well, then, it's like this. If a person loves a subject, it's that much
easier to understand it. And the Goddess has promised me that if I love
the instructor, I'll love the subject. It's like sympathetic
magic--see?"

Her explanation was so brisk and simple that Forrester recoiled. "Hold
on," he said. "Just hold your horses. Do you mean you're in love with
me?"

Maya smiled. "I think so," she said, and very suddenly s