ered a smile, and breathed, "Better. I ... I was so scared.
Fever and dizzy ... symptoms like the epidemic."

"Now you know there's nothing to be afraid of," Andy said, feeling
suddenly and ridiculously like a pill roller with a practiced bedside
manner. "You know you may feel pretty miserable, but nobody's conked
out with this stuff yet."

Janis breathed out and her taut body relaxed.

"Don't hurry," Andy said, "but I want you to tell me everything that
you did--everything you ate or drank--in the last ... oh, twelve
hours." He felt a pressure behind him and swiveled his head to see
Bettijean standing there. He tried to smile.

"What time is it?" Janis asked weakly.

Andy glanced to a wall clock, then gave it a double take.

One of the girls said, "It's three o'clock in the morning." She edged
nearer Andy, obviously eager to replace Janis as the center of
attention. Andy ignored her.

"I ... I've been here since ... golly, yesterday morning at nine,"
Janis said. "I came to work as usual and...."

Slowly, haltingly, she recited the routine of a routine work day, then
told about the quick snack that sufficed for supper and about staying
on her phone and typewriter for another five hours. "It was about
eleven when the relief crew came in."

"What did you do then?" Andy asked.

"I ... I took a break and...." Her ivory skin reddened, the color
spreading into the roots of her fluffy curls, and she turned her face
away from Andy. "And I had a sandwich and some coffee and got a little
nap in the ladies' lounge and ... and that's all."

"And that's not all," Andy prompted. "What else?"

"Nothing," Janis said too quickly.

Andy shook his head. "Tell it all and maybe it'll help."

"But ... but...."

"Was it something against regulations?"

"I ... I don't know. I think...."

"I'll vouch for your job in this office."

"Well...." She seemed on the verge of tears and her pleading glance
sought out Andy, then Bettijean, then her co-workers. Finally,
resigned, she said, "I ... I wrote a letter to my mother."

Andy swallowed against his groan of disappointment. "And you told her
about what we were doing here."

Janis nodded, and tears welled into her wide eyes.

"Did you mail it?"

"Y ... yes."

"You didn't use a government envelope to save a stamp?"

"Oh, no. I always carry a few stamps with me." She choked down a sob.
"Did I do wrong?"

"No, I don't think so," Andy said, patting her shoulder. "There's