"Yes.... Yes, ask me questions."
"All right." I had an impulse to start pacing again. I walked about for
a moment. "Tell me, Vauna. When your friend Gravgak demanded that you
come and talk with him alone, what would have happened if your father
hadn't called you back?"
She smiled faintly. "I will tell you a secret, Jim. I had already made
my father promise to call me back. I whispered to him, 'Call me back.'"
"Why?"
She gave an evasive little laugh. "You understand enough already. Now
it is my question. Tell me, Captain Jim, why do you keep saying that
you are going back to another world?"
"Because I am. That's my duty."
"When you ride with us on the Kao-Wagwattl you will come with us to
another part of this world. It is more beautiful than here. We are only
a few. Our race lives in the other part. My father came here only to
study, but soon the Kao-Wagwattl will take us all back. And you and
your friend Campbell will go with us and belong to us."
The self-discipline of an EGGWE agent is supposed to be his defense
against any natives' invitations, no matter how beautiful or charming
the native. All I could say was, "You don't understand us, do you,
Vauna?"
"Don't I?"
"Your people I love. And you, Vauna. But our orders are to return. I
must not think of disobeying my orders. And I assure you Campbell is
one who would never disobey."
"The big silver shell will take you away from us?"
"Yes."
"You will remember me?"
"Yes, always."
"Thank you, Jim." She was weeping. I started to take her in my arms,
but thought better of it. She dried her eyes. "I will remember you too.
When I see Campbell and Omosla, I will have a dream of this hour, and
how we didn't understand."
I was quick to make a correction. "You'll not be seeing Campbell. I'll
have to take him back with me, you know."
"No, he will be here. It is our rule that he should stay."
"Why?"
"Because he has become the mate of our girl, Omosla."
I looked at her, not believing I had heard her words correctly. A
fever swept my brain. In my own language I said harshly, "It's a lie!
Campbell would never violate--"
"I do not understand your words," Vauna said softly.
Then in my broken Benzendella accents I asserted, calmly but
decisively, "I don't believe what you say. I don't believe that
Campbell has become the mate of Omosla."
"You will believe," Vauna said, "when Omosla's baby is born."
6.
I had already sent for Campbell. Mentally I chastized myself for having
sent Omosla. For if what I had been told was true, his life had become
complicated enough already. (I must admit that for the moment I had
something less than proper consideration for _her_.)
Omosla didn't return from the errand for Campbell. Maybe the news of
my concern for him had frightened her away. One of her friends told me
that Campbell was out on the surface somewhere; that he couldn't be
located just now. When he returned they would send him to _me_.