“You two were in a cave together?’ said Miss Simpkins in horror.‘Yes,’ said Kate, ‘and it was very, very dark.”

“I had no idea there'd be so many Sherpas aboard!" exclaimed Miss Simpkins."I'm not a Sherpa," Nadira said. "I'm a gypsy.""Oh, my goodness!" said the chaperone.”

“Marry me." I said.She lowered her teacup, shaking slightly, to the saucer. "Aren't you going to get down on one knee?"I got down on one knee and took her hand."Will you marry me, Kate?"You can't propose properly without a ring." She said.I reached into my pocket and took out James Sanderson's ring, which I'd picked up off the floor of the Starclimber when we'd crash landed."That's a nice looking ring." said Kate with a grin."Cost a fortune." I said. "And now, for the third time. Kate de Vries, will you marry me?"She leaned forward and took my face in her hands and kissed me."Yes," "Yes, and yes and yes. But it will probably be terrible.""Probably," I agreed."Honestly," she sighed, "I don't know what kind of life we'll have together, with me always flying off in one direction and you in the other."I smiled. "It's a good thing the world's round," I said.”

“I could not help staring back, for they made quite a contrast: Kate's pale skin and elegant purple suit, Nadira's dusky skin and exotic fiery sari."Do we clash?" Nadira said dryly."We certainly do," said Kate. "Would you like me to move?""Don't trouble yourself.”

“You can't eat [literature], that's the problem," he said. "I've tried, it's very dry, and not at all nutritious.”

“I poo poo the chit.'The attendant looked stunned. 'You cannot poo-poo the chit!'I do.' Kate said solemnly. 'I do poo-poo.'We'll walk.”

“We did it!" I said, feeling limp with relief. "It actually worked!"Dr. Turgenev rubbed his forehead. "I had very big doubts.""Big doubts?" I said weakly.The Russian scientist shrugged. "I am pessimist," he said.”