Read Online Stowaway to Mars by John Wyndham - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: John Wyndham
Tags: Science-Fiction, Fantasy
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memory.
'I've met. you before, somewhere,' he said suddenly.
Her gaze shifted from Dale's to his own face. He fancied that he caught a faint trace of apprehension, but the impression was slight.
'Indeed?' she said.
'Yes, I caught it just then, when you were angry. I've seen you look like that before. Now, where was it?' He knitted his brows as he stared at her, but the answer evaded him. Out of the thousands of girls he met each year in the course of his work, it was remarkable that he should have recalled her at all which suggested that they must have met in unusual circumstances, but for the life of him he could not place the occasion.
Dale had prepared appropriate sentiments and was not to be deterred from expressing them.
'I suppose,' he said, 'that you're one of those girls who think that they can get away with anything nowadays. Give a show girl smile, and everyone is only too glad to have you along and the newspapers lap it all up when you get back. Well, this time you've got it wrong. I'm not glad to have you along none of us is we don't want you'
'Except me,' put in Frond. 'The S.A. angle will be'
'You shut up,' snapped Dale. To the girl he went on: 'And I'd like you to know that, thanks to your interference, we shall be lucky if we ever do get back. If you'd been a man, I'd have thrown you out I ought to even though you're a woman. But let me tell you this, you're not going to be any little heroine or mascot here when there's work to be done, you'll do it the same as the rest. Help, indeed!'
The girl's eyes flashed, nevertheless, she spoke calmly.
'But I shall be able to help.'
'The only way you're likely to help is to give Froud a better story for his nitwit public only you've probably at the same time spoilt his chance of ever getting back to tell it.'
'Look here,' the journalist began, indignantly, 'my public is not '
'Be quiet,' Dale snapped.
All three were quiet. The girl shrugged her shoulders and continued to meet Dale's gaze, unabashed by his mood. The silence lengthened. She appeared unaware that some response from her was the natural next step in the conversation. Dale began to grow restive. He was not entirely unused to young women who kept their eyes fixed on his face, but they usually kept up at the same time a flow of chatter accompanied by frequent smiles. This girl merely waited for him to continue. He became aware that Froud was finding some obscure source of amusement in the situation.
'How did you get on board?' he demanded at last.
'I knew one of your men,' she admitted.
'Which?'
She shook her head silently. Her expression was a reproof.
'You bribed him?'
'Not exactly. I suggested that if he got me here, he would be the only one who knew about it and that the Excess or the Hail might be generous for exclusive information.'
'Well, I'm damned. So by now everybody knows about it?'
'I expect so.'
Dale looked helplessly at Froud.
'And yet,' said the latter reflectively, 'there are still people who doubt the power of the Press.'
Dale turned back once more to the girl.
'But why? Why? That's what I want to know. You don't look the kind who I mean if you'd not been as you are, I wouldn't have been so surprised, but ' He finished in the air.
'That's not very lucid,' she said, and for the first time smiled faintly.
'I think he's trying to say that you don't look like a sensationalist that this is not just a bit of exhibitionism on your part,' Froud tried.
'Oh, no.' She shook her head with the curious result that the outflung curls remained outflung instead of falling back into place. Unconscious of the odd effect, she went on: 'In fact, I should think he has a far more exhibitionistic nature than I have.'
'Oh,' said Dale a little blankly as Froud smiled.
Doctor Grayson came to the door.
'Have you two finished now?' he inquired. 'Can't have you tiring my patient out, you know.'
'Right you are, Doc,' said Froud, rising, 'though I fancy you rather underestimate your patient's
'I've met. you before, somewhere,' he said suddenly.
Her gaze shifted from Dale's to his own face. He fancied that he caught a faint trace of apprehension, but the impression was slight.
'Indeed?' she said.
'Yes, I caught it just then, when you were angry. I've seen you look like that before. Now, where was it?' He knitted his brows as he stared at her, but the answer evaded him. Out of the thousands of girls he met each year in the course of his work, it was remarkable that he should have recalled her at all which suggested that they must have met in unusual circumstances, but for the life of him he could not place the occasion.
Dale had prepared appropriate sentiments and was not to be deterred from expressing them.
'I suppose,' he said, 'that you're one of those girls who think that they can get away with anything nowadays. Give a show girl smile, and everyone is only too glad to have you along and the newspapers lap it all up when you get back. Well, this time you've got it wrong. I'm not glad to have you along none of us is we don't want you'
'Except me,' put in Frond. 'The S.A. angle will be'
'You shut up,' snapped Dale. To the girl he went on: 'And I'd like you to know that, thanks to your interference, we shall be lucky if we ever do get back. If you'd been a man, I'd have thrown you out I ought to even though you're a woman. But let me tell you this, you're not going to be any little heroine or mascot here when there's work to be done, you'll do it the same as the rest. Help, indeed!'
The girl's eyes flashed, nevertheless, she spoke calmly.
'But I shall be able to help.'
'The only way you're likely to help is to give Froud a better story for his nitwit public only you've probably at the same time spoilt his chance of ever getting back to tell it.'
'Look here,' the journalist began, indignantly, 'my public is not '
'Be quiet,' Dale snapped.
All three were quiet. The girl shrugged her shoulders and continued to meet Dale's gaze, unabashed by his mood. The silence lengthened. She appeared unaware that some response from her was the natural next step in the conversation. Dale began to grow restive. He was not entirely unused to young women who kept their eyes fixed on his face, but they usually kept up at the same time a flow of chatter accompanied by frequent smiles. This girl merely waited for him to continue. He became aware that Froud was finding some obscure source of amusement in the situation.
'How did you get on board?' he demanded at last.
'I knew one of your men,' she admitted.
'Which?'
She shook her head silently. Her expression was a reproof.
'You bribed him?'
'Not exactly. I suggested that if he got me here, he would be the only one who knew about it and that the Excess or the Hail might be generous for exclusive information.'
'Well, I'm damned. So by now everybody knows about it?'
'I expect so.'
Dale looked helplessly at Froud.
'And yet,' said the latter reflectively, 'there are still people who doubt the power of the Press.'
Dale turned back once more to the girl.
'But why? Why? That's what I want to know. You don't look the kind who I mean if you'd not been as you are, I wouldn't have been so surprised, but ' He finished in the air.
'That's not very lucid,' she said, and for the first time smiled faintly.
'I think he's trying to say that you don't look like a sensationalist that this is not just a bit of exhibitionism on your part,' Froud tried.
'Oh, no.' She shook her head with the curious result that the outflung curls remained outflung instead of falling back into place. Unconscious of the odd effect, she went on: 'In fact, I should think he has a far more exhibitionistic nature than I have.'
'Oh,' said Dale a little blankly as Froud smiled.
Doctor Grayson came to the door.
'Have you two finished now?' he inquired. 'Can't have you tiring my patient out, you know.'
'Right you are, Doc,' said Froud, rising, 'though I fancy you rather underestimate your patient's
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