They frowned or looked blank, and George Barton asked, "Why didn't you let them in? I don't see any problem."
"One of them," said Max soberly, "is a girl. Patricia Mead. The girl wants to come in."
There was a long silence while the implication settled to the fear center of the women's minds. Shelia the beautiful felt it first. She cried, "No! Please don't let her in!" There was real fright in her tone and the women caught it quickly.
Elsie clung to Jerry, begging, "You don't want me to change, do you, Jerry? You like me the way I am! Tell me you do!"
The other girls backed away. It was illogical, but it was human. June felt terror rising in herself. She held up her hand for quiet, and presented the necessity to the group.
"Only half of us can leave Minos," she said. "The men cannot eat ship food; they've been conditioned to this planet. We women can go, but we would have to go without our men. We can't go outside without contagion, and we can't spend the rest of our lives in quarantine inside the ship. George Barton is right—there is no problem."
"But we'd be changed!" Shelia shrilled. "I don't want to become a Mead! I don't want to be somebody else!"
She ran to the inner wall of the corridor. There was a brief hesitation, and then, one by one, the women fled to that side, until there were only Bess, June and four others left.
"See!" cried Shelia. "A vote! We can't let the girl in!"