tered. "Telling the little daisy where you'd been, and what you'd done. If the Admiral ever got wise to the fact that you're a one-man information bureau, he'd break you so fast you wouldn't hear the crack!"
"It didn't make any difference," Shane said.
"No. But it's just the idea that regulations forbid it," I answered. "You'll get in hot water someday, with your bag of wind."
Shane lapsed into a sullen silence. Then Varda was singing again, and a silly expression crept into his eyes, and I knew there would be no sense arguing with him any longer while she was making noise. I ordered a few more for the table. Varda kept coming to the table and going back to sing for the next four or five hours, and we were both getting pretty plushed in the pan.
"Look," I remember saying to Shane, some time later, "we only got a ten-hour liberty. We'd better shove outta here."
"You go ahead," Shane said, pleased with the suggestion. "I'll see to it that Varda gets home safely."
"You will not," I snapped. "You'll never make it in time. Do you want to get slapped in the brig?"
"I'll take Varda home," Shane said. And I'd heard that stolid, stubborn tone in his voice before.
"You'll—" I began. And then Varda was back at the table. She seemed flushed, which was strange considering she hadn't been drinking. She grabbed Shane by the arm.
"Please," the girl said, and her lips were half parted in fear. "Do not look now. But there are two dangerous men here who will probably try to follow me when I leave. I am through after the next number. These men have followed me before, and I am afraid."
This was all Shane needed. He glared triumphantly at me.
"I will see Varda home safely," he repeated. "Especially now."
I was sore.
"Where are these muggs?" I demanded.
"Look over my shoulder," Varda answered breathlessly. "At that table near the wall. The two hard-looking men sitting there."
Dubiously, I took a peek. There were two extremely rough-looking gents precisely where Varda had said they would be. This was unexpected. I'd figured it as a gag.
And—it gave me a slight, unaccountable chill—they were looking fixedly in our direction.
"Where are they?" Shane demanded, his face creasing in anger. He twisted around in his chair. The two toughs were now looking the other way. Shane started to rise. "I'll take care of them—"
"Cut the moon man melodramatics," I snapped, "and sit down!"
SURPRISINGLY enough, Shane gave gave me a funny look and resumed his seat. I don't know why, but I suddenly felt like a Great Mother, a Big Protector. I wanted to take care of chum Shane and see to it that he didn't get brigged; and in addition, I wanted to make sure that the Varda wench wasn't roughed by those space bums.
"Look," I said. "Shane and I'll leave as soon as you start your next number. You'll be through here, when you get done with it, and we'll be waiting for you just outside."
Varda gave me a grateful glance.
"Thank you," she whispered, bending close to me. A whiff of the perfume she wore began to make me realize what Sergeant Shane found in her.
Shane stood up as Varda left the table.
