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Everybody in Katund and a lot of people from the surrounding country came to look at it. It seemed to establish his eligibility beyond a doubt. “Never thought ‘Belsira’d do it, and at her age, too,” Piq was heard to comment. “But it looks like she really got herself a catch. What’s a little weakness in the dome-top when there’s money, too?”

The first three years of Clarey’s marriage were happy ones. He and Embelsira got on very nicely together and, since he was fond of her mother, he didn’t mind her constant presence too much. Once a week he took a ulerin lesson from Rini. He practiced assiduously and made progress that he himself could see was sensational. He did wish that Rini would accept money; it would have been so much less of a nuisance than replacing the music books the boy stole from the library, but he couldn’t expect local customs to coincide with his own. The money, of course, didn’t matter; he still wasn’t living up to his allowance, although he was beginning to spread himself on elaborate custom-made cloaks and tunics. On Earth he had dressed soberly, according to his status, but here he felt entitled to cut a dash.