I fell asleep immediately, having shed my clothes, and I awoke only once in the middle of the Martian night—which is, of course, longer than ours—feeling very cold. I had not realized how much the temperature could change. I pulled the rug about me and was soon asleep again.

Chapter Three

THE INVADERS

A FEMALE servant entered in the morning, after knocking lightly on the door. I was standing at the window looking out over the beautiful streets and houses of Varnal. At first I felt embarrassed by my nakedness. But then I realized that there was no need since it was abnormal here to wear many clothes, and then, it seemed, only for decoration.

What did continue to embarrass me, however, was the look of open admiration she gave me as she handed me my breakfast tray of fruit and basu.

After she had gone I sat down to eat the fruit—a large one very similar to grape-fruit but with a slightly less bitter taste—and drink the basu.

I was just finishing when there was another knock on the door. I called, "Come in!" in English, thinking that this would do the trick. It did. In walked Shizala, smiling.

Seeing her again, it seemed that I had dreamed of her all night, for she was as beautiful—if not more so—as I remembered her. Her blonde hair was swept back from her shoulders and back. She had on a black, gauzy cloak and at her waist was the wide belt containing holstered gun and short sword. These, I gathered, were ceremonial weapons of office, for I could not imagine such a graceful girl having much familiarity with the artifacts of war. On her feet she wore sandals, laced up the calf almost to the knee. That was all she was wearing—but it was enough.

She picked up the circlet she had worn the day before and put it on.

"I thought you might wish to ride around the city and see everything," I heard her voice say in my head. "Would you like that?"

"Very much," I replied. "If you can spare the time."

"It would please me to do so." She gave me a warm smile.

I could not make up my mind whether she felt as attracted to me as I was to her, or whether she was just being normally polite. It was a puzzle which was already beginning to fill a great deal of my thoughts.

"First," she continued, "it would be better if you spent a couple of hours with the Sheev teaching machine. After that you will be able to converse in our language without recourse to these rather clumsy things."