eilinged lobby toward the desk. All around
them, the columns that supported the ceiling were made of the clearest
crystal. Their feet sank into soft, lustrous deep-pile rugs made of
Venusian jungle grass.

The boys advanced toward the huge circular reception desk where a pretty
girl with red hair waited to greet them.

"May I help you?" she asked. She flashed a dazzling smile.

"You're a lucky girl," said Roger. "It just so happens you _can_ help
me. We'll have dinner together--just the two of us--and then we'll go to
the stereos. After which we'll--"

The girl shook her head sadly. "I can see your friend's got a bad case
of rocket shock," she said to Tom.

"That's right," Tom admitted. "But if you'll give us a triple room,
we'll make sure he doesn't disturb anybody."

"Ah," said Roger, "go blow your jets!"

"I have a nice selection of rooms here on photo-slides if you'd care to
look at them," the girl suggested.

"How many rooms in this hotel, Beautiful?" asked Roger.

"Nearly two thousand," answered the girl.

"And you have photo-slides of all two thousand?"

"Why, yes," answered the girl. "Why do you ask?"

"You and Astro go take a walk, Corbett," said Roger with a grin. "I'll
select our quarters!"

"You mean," asked the girl, a little flustered, "you want to look at all
the slides?"

"Sure thing, Lovely!" said Roger with a lazy smile.

"But--but that would take three hours!"

"Exactly my idea!" said Roger.

"Just give us a nice room, Miss," said Tom, cutting in. "And please
excuse Manning. He's so smart, he gets a little dizzy now and then.
Have to take him over to a corner and revive him." He glanced at Astro,
who picked Roger up in his arms and walked away with him as though he
were a baby.

"Come on, you space Romeo!" said Astro.

"Hey--ouch--hey--lemme go, ya big ape. You're killing your best friend!"
Roger twisted around in Astro's viselike grasp, to no avail.

"Space fever," explained Tom. "He'll be O.K. soon."

"I think I understand," said the girl with a nervous smile.

She handed Tom a small flashlight. "Here's your photoelectric light key
for room 2305 F. That's on the two hundred thirtieth floor."

Tom took the light key and turned toward the slidestairs where Astro was
holding Roger firmly, despite his frantic squirming.

"Hey, Tom," cried Roger, "tell this Venusian ape to let me go!"

"Promise to behave yourself?" asked Tom.

"We came here to have fun, didn't we?" demand