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only thinking for oneself in a high and mighty manner!’
    â€˜Your plan has failed,’ she said sternly. ‘If you don’t recover my luggage I’ll make a strong complaint when I reach Nihilon City. And then we shall see what will happen.’
    â€˜You’re most uncooperative,’ he said, sulking, ‘I only wanted to make love to you among the flowers.’
    â€˜No,’ she said.
    â€˜Will you sign a confession, then?’
    â€˜Certainly not.’
    â€˜That’s the least you can do after all the trouble I’ve taken.’
    â€˜Never.’
    â€˜You don’t even ask what for,’ he said bitterly. ‘A confession would bring me five hundred klipps, which would fill my Zap sports car with top-star petrol for a week. If only I could rely on the goodness of people to give me a little spiritual assistance from time to time. Life can be very hard for someone like me.’
    She smiled at his childishness, but which she didn’t like because she detected the ruthlessness lying underneath it. ‘How can you hope for people to be good in Nihilon?’ she asked.
    â€˜You can hope for anything in this country. The reason it is great is that we’re not afraid of hope. What’s more, our hopes often come true. When I saw you getting off the train, and fell in love with you, I hoped we’d be able to meet, and here you are.’
    She lit a cigarette. ‘But you arranged all that. You just said so.’
    â€˜You can’t hope without giving it some help,’ he said, laughing for the first time. He attacked her so suddenly that she dropped her cigarette. A trick of his foot shut the door hard, while the other foot clipped itself between her ankles and forced her into his arms, so that, with great strength he lowered her quickly to the floor. Such was the shock of it that she didn’t struggle at first. Then she bit, scratched, and spat. She ripped the red tab from the lapel of his tunic, and this sound of tearing cloth saved her. The price seemed too high for him, water over his passion, and he jumped away before she could do any more damage to his uniform.
    Jaquiline thought he had only leapt clear so as to spring down again from a better vantage point. She reached the table and opened the book for which she had already paid two hundred klipps. He put up his hands. ‘I love you,’ he said with trembling lips, eyes fixed on the revolver and cursing the versatility of Nihilon’s writers.
    She held it steadily and was ready to fire: ‘I want my luggage. I have to be in Nihilon City tomorrow.’
    â€˜We’ll go and get it,’ he smiled, taking a paperclip from his desk and fastening the red tab back in place on his tunic.
    â€˜I’ll go alone,’ she told him, putting the gun in its box.
    He opened the door, and gallantly pointed the way into sunlight. ‘My Zap sports car is at your disposal, madam. Twenty kilometres beyond this station the Nihilon City Express waits for two hours to take on food, fuel, arms, and spare wheels; if I drive fast we can get there in time to apprehend our criminal stationmaster. I’ll have him tried and sent to a special school where he’ll be taught a lower-grade job.’
    â€˜That’s unjust,’ she protested, ‘since it was all your plan.’
    He took her hand. ‘He was unjust in agreeing to it. It’s brought ashes and ruin on my head. He deserves to be punished. However, since it’s your wish, I won’t have him arrested, on condition that you come back here with me afterwards so that we can be together tonight.’
    â€˜No,’ she said firmly. ‘And while we stand talking we’re wasting time.’
    They walked along the platform, the police chief swaggering as became his rank, and went out through the booking hall, to where his Zap sports car was waiting by the roadside.

Chapter 9
    Benjamin sat in his silent car, wondering