"It's hopeless, Ellen! I can't back down now."
She shook her dark head in swift protest. "It isn't hopeless, Andy. It isn't too late. I just proved that to you."
"But Nela is depending on me. I can't let her down."
"You owe her nothing! She took advantage of you at a time when you weren't mature and experienced enough to exercise good judgment. Why should you feel obligated to her now?"
"I agreed to go with her. If I let her down, she won't be able to obtain a replacement with my particular type of training. She can visit this point in time only once."
"That's her problem, Andy. You have your own life to live. Why shouldn't you be able to live it as you choose? You don't know just what sort of a life the future holds for you—but you do know what you'll find here."
He gripped his knees hard, finally shook his head. "This is something bigger than we are, Ellen—something more important than your personal happiness, or mine. It isn't just that Nela is depending on me. Behind her is a whole civilization. It's the greatest responsibility a man can be given. If I backed down, I'd never feel right again. I'd always have it on my conscience."
She slumped in despair. "Then there's nothing else I can do to change your mind?"
"Nothing, Ellen. I'm sorry."
Silence closed down again. A painful, uneasy silence, the silence of people between whom an unsurmountable barrier exists.