of Jorden's persistence was spreading among the staff personnel of
other sections of the lab. A subdued excitement was stirring among them.
In most cases so far examined, the colonist had by now either knuckled
under to Boggs or engaged in a futile personal duel with him. If they
went further, they almost invariably collapsed under the pressure of
Bonnie's blame and began cursing Serrengia as well as the Earth from
which they fled.

Ashby ordered resumption of the program. It was an agony for him, too,
watching Bonnie during the long hours of Roddy's illness. It seemed
every bit as much a test of her strength and endurance as it was of Mark
Jorden's. With the televiewer Ashby brought an image of her face up
close, studying her from every angle during the long nights when she and
Mark Jorden exchanged vigil over Roddy. He scanned her face by the
firelight of the rough cabin.

After three days, Jorden was running close to exhaustion, but in spite
of the strain Bonnie seemed capable of remaining there forever. Her eyes
watched Jorden's face, taking in his every movement and expression.

And after three days of watching Bonnie's face in close-up, Ashby
suddenly murmured aloud to himself in disbelief and astonishment.

Dr. Miller, who was Tibbets in the program, came up to his side. "What
is it, Ashby? Has something gone wrong?"

Ashby shook his head slowly in wonder and pointed to the image in the
viewer. "Look at her," he said. "Can't you see what has happened to
Bonnie? We should have caught it long ago. No wonder this job is tearing
her apart--no wonder she doesn't want it to end the way it must--or end
at all, for that matter!"

"I still don't see what you are talking about," said Miller in
exasperation. "I don't see that anything has happened to her. She looks
like the same old Bonnie to me."

"Does she?" said Ashby. "Watch her when she looks at Jorden. Can't you
see she has fallen in love with him?"

* * * * *

There was probably a whole class of people like Roddy, Jorden thought.
People incapable of surviving beyond the world on which they were born.
Since the day of his coming Roddy had fought an unceasing battle with
this hated, alien world of Serrengia. He awoke each morning to renew the
unequal contest before he was even out of bed--and knowing fully that he
was beaten before he started.

Jorden had tried every way he knew to instill into his son some of his
own love fo