How are you going to manage that? thought Dugan. There was another long fruity silence beneath the tree. Dugan was happy to note that kissing had apparently survived the Soviet purge of "degenerate" middle-class cultural traits.
At last Aleksandr said, rather throatily:
"We must go back, sweetheart. I'll go off duty soon and I've got to smuggle you through the North Gate before I go back to barracks."
"But why smuggle me?" cried Irina. "I've got a pass."
"Your pass is made out for ten o'clock. It's almost one, now. They'd make trouble for you. Come on!"
Does that include me? thought Dugan. Oh, thank you, yes! I'll be right along. He tied his supply bag a little more tightly to the tree and prepared to shinny down as fast as he could. All weariness was forgotten in the face of this opportunity. With nice people like this to help him along, he could keep going for days. He felt a glow of gratitude to Aleksandr and Irina for their lavish bestowal of information, inadvertent though it was. The dim outlines of an itinerary began to take form in his mind. First, a look around. Second, some information. Third, some sabotage. Perhaps he could manage all three.
Aleksandr and Irina began moving off down the path.
Dugan dropped to the ground. His boots, tied by their laces to each other, hung around his neck like fantastic water-wings. The path, partly covered with pine needles, was cold beneath his socked feet. He sounded to himself as noisy as an elephant crashing through a clump of dried-out bamboo; but Irina and Aleksandr, blissful in the unrationed pleasures of being young, being of assorted sexes, and being alive, were totally unaware of him. Dugan feared that he might be missing some additional bits of select and uplifting scientific conversation.
But he could not follow them closely enough to hear them without running a serious risk of being heard by them, happy though they were. Then, too, perhaps, they were beginning to listen for the sound of Soviet sentries — not realizing that a genuine grinning spy was marching in their wake.
Aleksandr said, "Wait here." Irina did. Twenty-five feet farther back, Dugan did, too.