"And you don't want him now?"
"I'll take him if he comes peacefully, but I don't feel like stickingout my neck to make him crawl into the Hopkins."
"I'm inclined to think it's one of the four or five other things yousaid you added."
"Such as?"
He scrutinized the ceiling.
I growled.
"Okay, but I won't say it, not just to make you happy you guessedright."
He, smirking: "That look she wears isn't just for Ikky."
"No good, no good." I shook my head. "We're both fission chambers bynature. You can't have jets on both ends of the rocket and expect to goanywhere--what's in the middle just gets smashed."
"That's how it _was_. None of my business, of course--"
"Say that again and you'll say it without teeth."
"Any day, big man"--he looked up--"any place..."
"So go ahead. Get it said!"
"She doesn't care about that bloody reptile, she came here to drag youback where you belong. You're not the baitman this trip."
"Five years is too long."
"There must be something under that cruddy hide of yours that peoplelike," he muttered, "or I wouldn't be talking like this. Maybe you remind ushumans of some really ugly dog we felt sorry for when we were kids. Anyhow,someone wants to take you home and raise you--also, something about beggarsnot getting menus."
"Buddy," I chuckled, "do you know what I'm going to do when I hitLifeline?"
"I can guess."
"You're wrong. I'm torching it to Mars, and then I'll cruise back home,first class. Venus bankruptcy provisions do not apply to Martian trustfunds, and I've still got a wad tucked away where moth and corruption enternot. I'm going to pick up a big old mansion on the Gulf and if you're ever