r, "a zoo's not so bad. After all, most of
us spend our lives in cages of one kind or another, and without the
basic security a zoo affords--"

"But we don't know we're in cages," Mrs. Bernardi sobbed. "That's the
important thing."

Professor Bernardi looked at the vine. "But why are you--" he began,
then halted. "Perhaps I don't want an answer," he said. There was no
hope at all left in him, now that there was no doubt.

"You are wise," the vine agreed quietly. Algol arose from Mr. Bernardi's
lap and rubbed against its thick pale green stem. He knew. The
mosquito-bat looked at both of them restlessly.

The yellow haze had deepened to old gold. Now it was beginning to turn
brown.

"It's twilight," Miss Anspacher observed. "Soon it will be dark."

"Perhaps we'll sail right past his ship in the night," Mortland
suggested hopefully.

The mosquito-bat gave a snort. "Ship has lights. All modern
convenients."

Suddenly the air seemed to have grown chilly--colder than it had any
right to be on that torrid planet. All around them, it was dark and very
quiet.

"I think I do see lights," Mortland said.

"Must be ship," Monster replied. And somehow the rest of them could
sense the uneasiness in the thin, piping, alien voice. "Must be!"

"Your ship's a very large one then," Bernardi commented as they rounded
a bend and a whole colony of varicolored pastel lights sprang up ahead
of them.

"Not my ship!" the mosquito-bat exclaimed in a voice pierced with
anguish. "Not my ship!"

Before them rose the fantastic, twisting, convoluting, turning spires of
a tall, marvelous, glittering city.

"You will find that the streets actually are filled with chlorophyll,"
the vine said. "And I know you'll be happy here, all of you. You see, we
can't have you going back to your planets now. No matter how good your
intentions were, you'd destroy us. You do see that, don't you?"

"You may be right," Bernardi agreed dispiritedly, "although that doesn't
cheer us any. But what will you do with us?"

"You'll be provided with living quarters comparable to those on your own
planets," the vine told him, "and you'll give lectures just as if you
were in a university--only you'll be much more secure. I assure you--"
its voice was very gentle now--"you'll hardly know you're in a zoo."

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Collector's Item, by Evelyn E. Smith

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK COLLECTOR'S ITEM ***

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