Not knowing exactly how to describe the place, or the people, I settle on this:
A woman of uncertain height, with a grayish complexion and an aura of inventive mischief about her like a halo of static-heightened hair, wearing nothing much other than the standard stripe of frayed cords from one trembling shoulder to the region of her third knee, sits on an oval stool before a man dressed in glinty fabric to which the portraits of his fore-mothers are pinned in orderly fashion. You might think him an elevated personage in this place. He holds little rank however. This fact in itself makes her listen to his words and weigh them carefully. For practical purposes I will refer to her as Twill and him as Magrood.
Twill plays a large part here; Magrood, though his words have great effect, appears only a little while into the narrative. Because of his words, however, we cannot dispose of him entirely. Two other characters, Charles T. and Eleanor A. Thomas, to be introduced shortly, will figure largely in what is to transpire. Two additional characters, Ned Burger and Betty Blaine, will appear farther down the road. Their roles in the present story, however, are so nearly inconsequential we will forget about them till their time arrives.
In the meantime I am concerned you catch this conversation between Twill and Magrood. For all practically purposes our story begins here:
"I think you know why I'm here," Twill says.
"Yes," says Magrood. "And I'm sorry to see this happening. I'd rather you continued studying and working under me. You'd have made a good person of laws yourself."
"All that humility, though, Magrood. I don't think it would be good for me. It doesn't suit. I'm too enamored of the flash and fan-fare end of things."
"I suppose that makes Earth a good choice. Not that I'm saying I approve."
"You don't have to approve, uncle," she says.
I have failed to mention before this point that he may be her uncle. I feel uncertain of the actual relationship, however, since we are speaking of another world with other practices and mores and family structures.
"In fact," she continues, "I'd be surprised if you did approve. I just want you to help me with something."
"You know I can't, Twill. What's law is law. It's what we're sworn to protect."
"What you're sworn to protect. I'm giving it all up."
"That's apparent enough."
"I just know there must be some side route around the difficulty. If I want to trade, why can't I just trade?"
"Consent of the other is absolutely necessary."
"Don't be such a brute, uncle."
"I'm not, daughter," he says.
I refuse to take responsibility, as author, for the fact that "daughter" here and "uncle" earlier fail to conjoin somehow. We are dealing with a people unlike ourselves in many respects; and I, being only human, have no way to know if "daughter" or "uncle" is right, or if both are.
"And I can't give any rousing speeches, I suppose, to gain that consent," Twill says.
"Of course not. You know that. You must obtain consent, yes. That is number one. But, number two, you must not show yourself. You cannot coerce trickily, number three. You've been my student long enough to know what I mean by doing a thing trickily. It goes against the grain of our profession."
"Your profession, uncle."
"I think, daughter, you retain more of the profession than you realize. One day you'll accept your lowly place in society and reduce yourself to bearing the weight of truth and right."
"Never," she says.
"Setting your mind so firmly--that, too, is a trait that gives you away," Magrood says. "Well, since you're set on your course--may I then wish you luck?"
"I thought you didn't believe in luck."
"I don't," he says, "but why should that get in the way of my wishing it might be otherwise?"
She sighs in wild happiness. "You really do love me, don't you, uncle?"
At which point he utters something so untranslatable I banish it from these pages, lest I set readers off their oats when the story has just begun.
)
Charles Thomas has always wanted to be different. It takes the plans of a strange being on a distant world to help him realize his dream.
