by Edward Elmer Smith and Edward Everett Evans

“ Hilton snapped. “Look at me, Junior!” Eyes locked and held. “Do you think, for one minute, that I'll let anybody on all of God's worlds pull me off of this job or interfere with my handling of it unless and until I'm damned positively certain that we can't handle it?”
Karns relaxed visibly; the lines of strain eased. “Putting it in those words makes me feel better. I will sleep to-night—and without any pills, either.” ”

“ Her eyes flashed toward the other woman.
“Teddy knows all about us—accessory before, during and after the fact.”
“Darling!” This time, the word was a shriek. She extended both arms and started forward.
Hilton did not bother to maneuver his “big, husky carcass” around the desk, but simply hurdled it, straight toward her.
Temple Bells was a tall, lithe, strong woman; and all the power of her arms and torso went into the ensuing effort to crack Hilton's ribs. Those ribs, however, were highly capable structural members; and furthermore, they were protected by thick slabs of hard, hard muscle. ”

“ For a man as brilliant and as penetrant in every other respect ... but after all, if the big dope didn't realize that half the women aboard, including Sandy, had been making passes at him, she certainly wouldn't enlighten him. Besides, that one particular area of obtuseness was a real part of his charm. Wherefore she said merely: “I'm not sure whether I'm a bit catty or you're a bit stupid. Anyway, it's Alex she's really in love with. And you already know about Bill and me.”
“Of course. He's tops. One of the world's very finest. You're in the same bracket, and as a couple you're a drive fit. ”

“ But I came in to kick a couple of things around with you. As you've noticed, that's getting to be my favorite indoor sport. Probably because I'm a sort of jackleg theoretician myself.”
“You can frame that, Jarve, as the understatement of the century. But first, you are going to answer that question you sidestepped so neatly.”
“What I did to Bill? I finally convinced him that nobody expected the team to do that big a job overnight. That you could have ten years. Or more, if necessary.” ”

“ Thus it was with no ulterior motives at all that, three evenings later, he walked her cubby-hole office and tossed the stapled papers onto her desk. “Free for a couple of minutes, Teddy? I've got troubles.”
“I'll say you have.” Her lovely lips curled into an expression he had never before seen her wear—a veritable sneer. “But these are not them.” She tossed the papers into a drawer and stuck out her chin. Her face turned as hard as such a beautiful face could. Her eyes dug steadily into his.
Hilton—inwardly—flinched. His mind flashed backward. She too had been working under stress, of course ”

“ And, fortunately, he was not trying to fracture her ribs. His pressures were distributed much more widely. He was, according to promise, doing his very best to flatten her whole resilient body out flat. ”