ery of the green wet sea.
Marvelous, marvelous. Do you indulge in sex? I mean you, personally, of
course, not as a representative of your species."

Victor Quink laid down his pad in his lap. "I'm not married, Mr.
Fairfield," he said. "Do you often ask such questions of people you've
recently met?"

"The sun came up this morning, Dr. Quink," Fairfield answered jovially,
"the sun came up. You'll pardon my answer, of course, I was merely
trying to top your own non sequitur. Many of your people do indulge,
you know. In fact, it would seem, from my own necessarily limited
observations, that it is more universal in its appeal than any of your
other sports. Do you classify it as a sport? It's amazing, really, how
these simple connections escape one until one tries to formulate one's
recollections into a consistent line of reasoning. Have you ever
noticed? Of course, though, you do it for procreation, don't you? _Now_
I mean you as a representative of your species, naturally. Seeing as you
are not married, eh, doctor," and he winked at Quink. "It seems to me,
however, and again I insist that I am no expert in the field, however
it does seem to me that this matter of procreation is in many cases
just an excuse; there seems to be an inherent taste for mating per se,
or wouldn't you agree?"

"You seem to take a disinterested view of the whole business, Mr.
Fairfield. Do _you_, ah, indulge?"

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. I couldn't, thank you just the same. I'm
really flattered, believe me I am, but thank you, no."

"That was _not_ an invitation, Mr. Fairfield," Dr. Quink put in, "I was
trying to--"

"Galui?"

"Mr. Fairfield, I was trying to ascertain whether or not you lead an
active sex life, or whether your interest is purely, shall we say,
metaphysical?"

"Yes, let's do say metaphysical. Rather clever of you, applying the term
to sex that way. My estimation of your capabilities shoots up a notch or
two, Dr. Quink."

"You mean to say," Dr. Quink kept up, "that you do not participate in
the physical ramifications?"

"Oh, you _do_ have a turn for words, Doctor. No, of course not. None of
us do."

"By _us_ you mean your cohorts in the future?"

"Exactly. You have an analytical mind, keen, keen. We do not die, we do
not give birth. And I never would have brought the whole morbid subject
up except that it has a direct bearing on Mimi's trouble. So it is
necessary that you realize that sex is entirely foreign to us."