e symphony, Jane made her way
forward, inserted her key in the lock, and pushed open the control door.

"Hello there," she said.

House Bartock whirled. The turning of a key in the lock had so unnerved
him--it was the last thing he expected--that he forgot to shut off the
star-map. Its tell-tale evidence glowed on the wall over his head.

"What do you want?" he managed to ask politely.

"Oh, just to say hello."

"You already said it."

Jane Cummings pouted. "You needn't bite my head off. What's your name?
Mine's Jane, and I play the violin. It wouldn't hurt you to be polite."

Bartock nodded, deciding that a little small talk wouldn't hurt if he
could keep the girl from becoming suspicious. That was suddenly
important. If this girl had a key to the control room, for all he knew
there could be others.

"My, you have been hurrying," Jane said. "I could tell by the
acceleration. You must be trying to break the speed records or
something. I'll bet we're almost to Earth--"

Her voice trailed off and her mouth hung open. At first Bartock didn't
know what was the matter. Then he saw where she was staring.

The star-map.

"We're not heading for Earth!" she cried.

Bartock walked toward her. "Give me that key," he said. "You're going to
have to stay here with me. Give me that key."

Jane backed away. "You--you couldn't be our pilot. If you were--"

"The key. I don't want to hurt you."

Bartock lunged. Jane turned and ran, slamming the door behind her. It
clanged, and echoed. The echo didn't stop. Bartock, on the point of
opening the door and sprinting down the companionway after her, stopped.

It wasn't the echo of metal slamming against metal. It was the radar
warning.

Either _Mozart's Lady_ was within dangerous proximity of a meteor, or a
ship was following them.

Bartock ran to the radar screen.

The pip was unmistakable. A ship was following them.

A ship as fast--or faster--than _Mozart's Lady_.

Cursing, Bartock did things with the controls. _Mozart's Lady_, already
straining, increased its speed. Acceleration flung Bartock back in the
pilot's chair. Pluto loomed dead ahead.

* * * * *

Johnny Mayhem knew at what precise moment he had been discovered, for
suddenly the speed of _Mozart's Lady_ increased. Since this had occurred
an hour and a half after Mayhem had first got a clear pip of the bigger
ship on his radar, it meant he'd been spotted.

Prone with his h