bed, so I'm automatically taking the night shift. Remember, Mart, these
instruments are thousands of times as sensitive as the keenest human
senses--they'll spot trouble long before we could, even if we were
looking right at it."

"Of course, you understand these instruments much better than I do, as
yet. If you trust them, I am perfectly willing to do the same.
Goodnight."

* * * * *

Seaton sat down and Dorothy nestled beside him, her head snuggled into
the curve of his shoulder.

"Sleepy, cuddle-pup?"

"Heavens, no! I couldn't sleep now, lover--could you?"

"Not any. What's the use?"

His arm tightened around her. Apparently motionless to its passengers,
the cruiser bored serenely on into space, with ever-mounting velocity.
There was not the faintest sound, not the slightest vibration--only the
peculiar violet glow surrounding the shining copper cylinder in its
massive universal bearing gave any indication of the thousands of
kilowatts being generated in the mighty intra-atomic power-plant. Seaton
studied it thoughtfully.

"You know, if that violet aura and copper bar were a little different in
shade and tone of color, they'd be just like your eyes and hair," he
remarked finally.

"You burn me up, Dick!" she retorted, her entrancing low chuckle
bubbling through her words. "You do say the weirdest things at times!
Possibly they would--and if the moon were made of different stuff than
it is and had a different color, it might be green cheese, too! What say
we go over and look at the stars?"

"As you were, Rufus!" he commanded sternly. "Don't move a
millimeter--you're a drive fit, right where you are. I'll get you any
stars you want, and bring them right in here to you. What constellation
would you like? I'll get you the Southern Cross--we never see it in
Washington."

"No, I want something familiar; the Pleiades or the Big Dipper--no, get
me Canis Major--'where Sirius, brightest jewel in the diadem of the
firmament, holds sway'," she quoted. "There! Thought I'd forgotten all
the astronomy you ever taught me, didn't you? Think you can find it?"

"Sure. Declination about minus twenty, as I remember it, and right
ascension between six and seven hours. Let's see--where would that be
from our course?"

He thought for a moment, manipulated several levers and dials, snapped
off the lights, and swung number one exterior visiplate around, directly
before their eyes.

"Oh.... Oh