Viola looked suddenly offended.
"About the planet, I mean."
Viola looked mollified.
"But the planet—I think Screed is running the thing; I'm not sure. As long as he is there, he knows he is running it. Here—who knows? That was the chance he couldn't take, the chance his mind refused to face. If he were here, could he still be sure he was right?"
Viola smiled the feminine smile that dismisses a question no longer of personal consequence and snuggled closer to Garten. "Well," she said, "at least we know he isn't here. That's all that matters."