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and completely sealing it off from the rest of the ship. When the elevator platform arrives at its destination, this portion of the shaft wall hinges downward until it becomes the projecting balcony. When this takes place, the handrails on the elevator swing outward and form handrails for the balcony. When the elevator moves onward, these rails swing back from the balcony and form a guard rail on the elevator. | saw how these rails operated just after leaving the Scout. As soon as we had crossed the balcony and stepped onto the elevator, the side rails closed in behind us, even though we were not going to ascend. While | was gazing around, trying to take in every detail, Zulu stopped by a small control panel which was raised about four inches from the floor of the elevator, probably to prevent anyone from stepping upon it accidentally. This panel was about thirty inches long and somewhere between six to eight inches wide. On it were six buttons staggered in two rows for easy operation by the feet. Each button was marked to indicate its purpose. But | could neither read nor understand these markings. Zuhl stepped on one of the buttons, and immediately the railings on the other side of the platform swung outward and took up a new position as guard rails for the balcony extension on the far side of the shaft which we had now reached. Simultaneously, a beautifully proportioned and ornamented door in the wall before us slid open, revealing to me yet another wonderful sight. We were now in an exquisite salon, very similar in furnishing and design to the one in the Venusian carrier, though somewhat larger. Once again it was beautifully illuminated by the same mysterious soft light without obvious source. However, my attention was almost immediately arrested by six women and six men who apparently were awaiting our arrival. They had been sitting in a close group, conversing amongst themselves. As we entered, they arose and smiled. A man and a woman came forward to greet us, including rue warmly although | had never met them before. The women were dressed in beautiful, sheer gowns made of material that seemed to radiate an almost living quality. Each had a wide belt apparently part of the garment itself, decorated with gems that sparkled with a softness and vitality such as | had never seen in any gem on Earth. These jeweled belts are the only ornament that | have ever seen worn by women of other worlds. And as | marveled at these gems, | found myself wondering if, rather than being superior in themselves to those of Earth, their extraordinary brilliance might not result from the radiance of their wearers?a thought later verified by Firkon. The ladies? gowns had long, full sleeves, drawn together at the wrists. The necklines were cut round. Although differing in color according to each lady?s choice, all were of soft pastel shades which lent to the entire group an aspect of harmonious charm. In height, the women ranged from a little under five feet to about five feet, eight inches. All were slender and beautifully formed. Their features were delicate and their faces lovely in contour. In coloring, every type was represented, from complexions very fair with a faint rosy tinge to soft, smooth olive. The ears were