"Which made me equally guilty with you," she replied, flushing. "It is a shameful secret that will abide with me until my death."
"A glorious memory that will always sustain my hope," I told her.
"A false hope that you would do well to kill," she said, and then, "Why did you remind me of that day?" she demanded. "When I think of it, I hate you; and I do not want to hate you."
"That is something," I suggested.
"Your effrontery and your hope feed on meager fare."
"Which reminds me that it might be well for me to see if I can find something in the way of food for our bodies, too."
"There may be game in that forest," she suggested, indicating the wood toward which we had been moving.
"We'll have a look," I said, "and then turn back and search for the elusive sea."
A Venusan forest is a gorgeous sight. The foliage itself is rather pale—orchid, heliotrope and violet predominate—but the boles of the trees are gorgeous. They are of brilliant colors and often so glossy as to give the impression of having been lacquered.