I don't know why. But the touch of your
beard--your voice. I don't know what happened. We've carried it to
extremes, extremes, Eddie. It was always this way with us--once we were
sure of our man, and even before, when he was blinded by new love, we
tried to make him over, closer to _our_ idea of what was right. But now
I know something ... those faults and imperfections, most of them were
men's, the real men's chief attractions. Individuality, that's the
thing, Eddie, that's it after all. And it's imperfections too, maybe
more than anything else. Imperfections.... Oh, Eddie, you're close, much
closer to human nature, to real vitality, through _your_ imperfections.
Not imperfections. Eddie--your beard is beautiful, your dirt is lovely,
your yelling insults are wonderful--and...."

She stopped a minute. Her hands ran through his hair. "When you get a
man made over, he's never very nice after that, Eddie. Never--"

She sobbed, pulled his lips down. "Eddie--I can't let them kill you."

"Forget it," he said. "No one can do anything. Don't get yourself in a
jam. You'll forget this in a little while. There's nothing here for a
guy like me, and I'm not for you."

She stepped way, her hands still on his shoulders. "No--I didn't mean
that. I've got to go on living in the world I helped make, among the men
we all decided we would always want. I've got to do that. Listen, Eddie,
how did you intend to get back to Earth?"

He told her.

"Then it's just a matter of getting back aboard that same ship, and into
this secret room unobserved?"

"That's all, Gloria. That and keep from being exterminated first."

"I can get you out of here. We'll have to do it right now. Take that
beard off, and get that hair smoothed down somehow. I hate to see it
happen, but I've got to get you out of here, and the only way to do it
is for you to be like one of the men here."

He went to work on his face and hair. She went out and returned with a
suit like the other men wore. He got into it. She smiled at him, a
hesitant and very soft smile, and she kissed him before they left the
room and cautiously went out of the City.

* * * * *

The way was clear across the moonlit field and under the deep dark
shadow of the ship. He kissed her and then took hold of the ladder. She
slipped a notebook of velonex, full of micro-film, into his hands.
"Goodbye, Eddie," she said. "Take this with you. It may give you men
down the