n, and it would not
be satisfied. It might wake him frantically at any sign of dozing until
he cracked up from sheer insomnia ... or else let him sleep only when
exhaustion produced unconsciousness rather than restful slumber.

"That's a tough one!" he said disturbedly, and noticed that she still
showed signs of her recent distress. "There's not much to be done about
it, either!"

"I suggested something," said Sally, "and they built it in. I hope it
works!" she explained uncomfortably. "It's a sort of blanket with a top
that straps down, and an inflatable underside. When a man wants to
sleep, he'll inflate this thing, and it will hold him in his bunk. It
won't touch his head, of course, and he can move, but it will press
against him gently."

Joe thought over what Sally had just explained. He noticed that they
were quite close together, but he put his mind on her words.

"It'll be like a man swimming?" he asked. "One can go to sleep floating.
There's no sensation of weight, but there's the feeling of pressure all
about. A man might be able to sleep if he felt he were floating. Yes,
that's a good idea, Sally! It'll work! A man will think he's floating,
rather than falling!"

Sally flushed a little.

"I thought of it another way," she said awkwardly. "When we go to sleep,
we go way back. We're like babies, with all a baby's fears and needs. It
_might_ feel like floating. But--I tried one of those bunks. It feels
like--it feels sort of dreamy, as if someone were--holding one quite
safe. It feels as if one were a baby and--beautifully secure. But of
course I haven't tried it weightless. I just--hope it works."

As if embarrassed, she turned abruptly and showed him the kitchen. Every
pan was covered. The top of the stove was alnico-magnet strips, arranged
rather like the top of a magnetic chuck. Pans would cling to it. And the
covers had a curious flexible lining which Joe could not understand.

"It's a flexible plastic that's heatproof," said Sally. "It inflates and
holds the food down to the hot bottom of the pan. They expected the crew
to eat ready-prepared food. I said that it would be bad enough to have
to drink out of plastic bottles instead of glasses. They hung one of
these stoves upside down, for me, and I cooked bacon and eggs and
pancakes with the cover of the pan pointing to the floor. They said the
psychological effect would be worth while."

Joe was stirred. He followed her out of the kitchen and said