Lucifer heard a definite, sharp click from the visagraph. It was as though a switch had been snapped. But there was no shadow of a physical presence in the room.
The bedroom door opened suddenly. Nina stood there for an instant, silhouetted in her short, white nightgown. Then she moved quickly across the room, knelt beside his couch. Her lips, warm and dry, pressed close to his ear; her long hair tumbled over his cheek and throat. She whispered:
"Can I stay here a little while?"
He nodded, and felt her body crowd against him on the narrow couch.
They lay there together, breathing quietly, watching the open window.
And then there was a shadow there, a darker something against the darkness. Nina's body stiffened. With an unconscious gesture older than remembered time, Lucifer put his arm over her.
A voice spoke out quietly from the window.
"It's O.K. now, Dr. Brill."
A figure stepped through the window, stumbled over the hassock and sat on the edge of it.