"None of your business."
"Have it your own way. My business won't wait either. Now, if you don't
mind, I'm in a hurry. I've less than two hours to find a honky-tonk and
get myself a bride. I don't suppose you'd know where the nearest dive
is. No, you wouldn't."
He turned away toward the elevators, but the girl clutched his arm
desperately. "Six thousand.... It's all I have."
Coran stared at her. "I'm sorry for you, but you'd have to kill me to
get these away. And I'm hard to kill. I'll make a deal though. I'll
sell you half of my double for three thousand. You'd have to marry me,
though."
"_Marry you!_" There was a word of loathing in her tone.
"It's been done. I'm on my way out now to look up a floozy. I'll even
marry her, if she's dope enough to want it that way. I don't like the
idea any better than you do, but I'd hock grandma's false teeth to get
to Venus. Forget I mentioned it. If I'm to be stuck with a dame for
four months, it might as well be a flamethrower as an icicle."
He buzzed for the elevator before she called after him. "I--I've
changed my mind." She was pale, with a look of suppressed fury about
her. "I guess I'd do even that."
Coran laughed wickedly. "Don't flatter yourself. You're just a ticket
to Venus to me. Meet me at the marriage bureau in half an hour. We
haven't much time, and you'll have to be psychographed. We really
should know each other. I'm Steve Coran."
"I'm Gerda Mors. In half an hour."
* * * * *
The purser stopped at a door marked No. 200. He was a young,
inadequate-looking man.
"You won't have to carry me over the threshold," Gerda said crisply.
She went inside and shut the door. In shocked silence, he re-checked
the sheaf of papers in his hand.
"She's shy around strangers," Coran explained. "When do we take-off?"
"In five minutes. We're making these emigrant runs under very crowded
conditions. All passengers are expected to remain in their own
staterooms most of the time. A certain amount of exercise is permitted,
of course, once free flight is attained and the A-orbit corrections
made. Until then, we recommend that everyone remain out of the crew's
way. The safest place during acceleration is in bed."
Coran winked ponderously. "I'll make out all right. One thing, though.
I believe I have a friend on board. Am I permitted to examine the
passenger lists?"
"Of course, they're public property. See the captain. His office is up
near the bow, just aft of the control rooms. But wait till we're out in
space."
Coran knocked and entered the stateroom. Gerda was brushing her hair.
She glanced up irritably. "This is my room," she told him shortly.
"Find yourself another."
He laughed grimly. "The psychographs warned we were incompatible, but
you'd better get used to me. It's 146 days to Venus, and we've only
this stateroom between us. They practically lock us in, you know. We're
going to be very good friends or most uncomfortable before we reach
Venus."