"Not so loud!" hushed Dudley. "About what? And how did you get that rig?"
Had he been less dismayed at her presence, he might have remarked that the tight dress only emphasized her immaturity, but she gave him no time to say more.
"About Mars, Dudley. Can't you take me? I'm afraid those illegitimate blood-suckers are going to send after me. They could sniff out which way a nickel rolled in a coal-bin."
"Aren't you just a shade young for that kind of talk?"
"I guess I'm a little frightened," she admitted.
"You frighten me, too," he retorted. "How are you ... I mean, what do you—?"
She tossed her blonde hair.
"There are ways to get along here, I found out. I didn't get arrested this time, did I? So why can't you take a chance with me to Mars?"
"Take an eclipse on that," said Dudley with a flat sweep of his hand. "It's just out of the question. For one thing, there are four of us going, and you can't hide for the whole trip without somebody catching on."
"All right," she said quietly. "Why not?"