"I'm sorry," I said. "I hadn't realized the true situation. The best thing for both of us is for Ven and me to leave as quickly as possible."
"How quick is that?" he shot back angrily.
"Four thousand pounds more," I said.
"Whew! That can must drink tin."
"It takes a great deal to leave a planet," I said. "And hyperspace demands a great deal more. Once we develop an inertialess drive it will be easier. But we've only been working on it a thousand years. These things take time."
"I imagine. Well, are you going to do anything about Edith?"
"No," I said. "It would only make things worse. The relationship has gone too far. Ven has become an Authority-image."
"You could break it."
"But I won't. I'm fond of Ven."
"You're a damned little tyrant," Donald said. "You like to see a human squirm."