"Another thing—"
"I've talked enough. That dame won't wait forever. Which will it be, Carvalho, the Lady or the Tiger?"
They listened in curiosity as Carvalho, tight-lipped, tapped out a short message in code. They didn't ask him what it was.
As the Astrolight drove upward away from Mercury, Lamoureux had one last glimpse of the Mercurians shooting into the air. The snow was coming down in enormous flakes two inches across, and Carvalho, staring after the ship, was shivering and cursing. After they reported the facts to the Interplanetary Commission, a ship would be sent to pick him up—but it might take some time.
"Let me tell you about this dame," said Kalinoff.
Lamoureux listened patiently, got out his contract, and waited, with pen ready, for the interplanetary screwball's signature.