The girl was jolted out of her reverie."Yes-! will tend your wounds," she said. She led the way back to thecabin, prettier now that she was not trying to impress.

      The building was a smooth cylinder, thirtyfeet in diameter and ten high, the outer wall a sheet of hard plastic seeminglywrapped around it with no more original effort than one might have applied toenclose a package. A transparent cone topped it, punctured at the apex to allowthe chimney column to emerge.       From adistance it was possible to see through the cone to the shiny machinery beneathit: paraphernalia that caught and tamed the light of the sun and providedregular power for the operation of the interior devices.

      There were no windows, and the single doorfaced south: a rotating trio of glassy panels that admitted them singly withoutallowing any great flow of air. It was cool inside, and bright; the largecentral compartment was illuminated by the diffused incandescence of floor andceiling.

      The girl hauled down couch-bunks from thecurving inner side of the wall and saw them seated upon the nylon upholstery.She dipped around the rack of assorted weapons, clothing and bracelets to runwater in the sink set into the central column, In a moment she brought back abasin of warm water and set about sponging off Sol's bleeding leg and dressingit. She went on to care for the bruise on the loser's head, while the two mentalked. There was no rancor between them, now that the controversy had beenresolved.

      "How did you come by that motion withthe sword?" Sol inquired, not appearing to notice the ministrations of thegirl though she gave him more than perfunctory attention. "It very nearlyvanquished me."

      "I am unsatisfied with conventionalways," the nameless one replied as the girl applied astringent medication."I ask 'Why must this be?' and 'How can it be improved?' and 'Is. theremeaning in this act? I study the writings of the ancients, and sometimes I comeupon the answers, if I can not work them out for myself."