must happen here,
too. Oh, I get it--living costs, off the Earth, are high. Well--I've got
what Helen's father paid me. Of course I have to replace the missing
parts of my equipment. But I'll loan you five hundred. Wish it could be
more."

"Shucks, I can do better," Gimp joined in. "Pay us sometime, when you
see us."

"I--I don't know..." Lester protested worriedly, like an honest man.

But Gimp and Frank were already shelling out bills, like vagabonds who
happened to be flush.

"Poor simpletons," Gimp wailed facetiously afterwards, when they had
moved out of earshot. "Even here, it happens. But that's worse. And if
her Daddy had stayed human, she might almost have been an heiress...
Well, come on, Frank. I've got my space gear out of hock, and my tractor
sold. And an old buddy of ours is waiting for us at a repair and
outfitting shop near the space port. I hope we didn't jump the gun,
assuming you want to get out into the open again, too?"

"You didn't," Nelsen answered. "You sure you don't want to look at
Rodan's site--see if we can find any more Martian stuff?"

Gimp looked regretful for a second. "Uh-uh--it's jinxed," he said.

Ramos, scarred, somewhat, along the neck and left cheek, and a bit stiff
of shoulder, was rueful but very eager. Frank's gutted gear was out of
the blastoff drum, and spread around the shop. Most of it was already
fixed. Ramos had been helping.

"Well, Frankie--here's one loose goose who is really glad to be leaving
Luna," he said. "Are the asteroids all right with you for a start?"

"They are," Nelsen told him.

"Passing close to Mars, which is lined up orbitally along our route,"
Gimp put in. "Did you beam Two-and-Two and Charlie on Venus?"

"Uh-huh--they're just kind of bored," Ramos said. "I even got Storey at
the Martian Survey Station. But he's going out into those lousy
thickets, again. Old Paul, in Jarviston, sounds the same. Can't get him
right now--North America is turned away... I couldn't pinpoint the
Kuzaks in the Belt, but that's not unusual."

"I'll finance a load of trade stuff for them," Gimp chuckled. "We ought
to be able to move out in about five hours, eh?"

"Should," Ramos agreed. "Weapons--we might need 'em this trip--and
everything else is about ready."

"So we'll get a good meal, and then buy our load," Frank enthused.

He felt the texture of his deflated bubb. The hard lines of deep-space
equipment quickened his pulses. He forgot the call of Earth. H