It was proceeding according to plan, this private, good-natured war, until a knock on the door caused a break in operations. Channing struggled out from beneath Arden and went to the door trying to comb his hair by running spread fingers through it. He went with a sense of failure caused by Arden's quiet laugh and the statement that he resembled a bantam rooster.
The man at the door apologized, and then said: "I'm Doug Thomas of the Triworld News."
"Come in," said Don, "and see if you can find a place to sit."
"Thanks."
"I didn't know that Triworld News was interested in the wedded life of the Channings. Why doesn't Triworld wait until we find out about it ourselves?"
"Triworld does not care to pry into the private life of the newly wed Channing family," laughed Doug. "We, and the rest of the System do not give a damn whether Mrs. Channing calls you Bunny-bit or Sugar-pie—"
"Sweetums," corrected Arden with a gleam in her eye.
"—we've got something big to handle. I can't get a thing out of the gang at Canalopsis, they're all too busy worrying."
"And so you came here? What do you expect to get out of us? We're not connected in any way with Canalopsis."