them, the new belief that sprang into existence so
quickly because they wanted to believe. He smiled, somewhat sadly, and
picked up the pile of reports and the photographs he had just
developed. Then he slipped out of the room, through the crowd outside,
away from them and the rising hum of their voices. He didn't need to
say anything more. The ship would go on.

* * * * *

"Hugh, is that you?"

"Yes, Nora."

She was waiting for him in the corridor. She came up to him and smiled
and slipped her arm through his. They walked on together, down the
hall past the last of the people.

"I heard what you said, Hugh. You convinced them."

He nodded. "I wonder why it took me so long to think of it."

The voices died away behind them. They were all alone. They rounded a
corner where a viewscreen picked up the image of the moon, so
familiar, now the only thing that was familiar about this Earth. Nora
shivered.

"You were very logical, Hugh. But I didn't believe you."

He glanced around and saw that there was no one near them and that the
communicators in this part of the ship were turned off. Only then did
he answer her.

"I didn't believe myself, Nora."

"Tell me."

"When we're outside."

They went down the winding ramp that led to the interior of the ship.
It too was deserted now. They left the carpeted, muffled corridors and
their footsteps rang on the steel plates that lay down the middle of
the ship, its heart, where the energy converters were, and the
disposal units, and the plant rooms, and the great glass spheres of
the hydroponics tanks.

"It's ironic, isn't it?" Nora said slowly. "We left here so long ago,
looking for worlds with life, and we come back to find our own world
dead."

"It's ironic, all right." He walked along the row of tanks until he
came to the one he was searching for, and then he picked up a glass
cylinder and filled it from the tank.

"I had to tell them something, Nora. They couldn't have gone on,
otherwise."

The bottle was full. He stoppered it and then turned away. They
crossed to the nearest lock and he pushed the button that opened it.
They waited a few minutes until the door came open, and then they went
out, down the ramp to the ground, across the slippery rocks. Even
through the clouds there was enough light to see by.

"It's warm," she said.

"It always is, now."

They were approaching the ocean. The surf beat loudly in their ears.
T