middle.
He smelled faintly of mothballs and looked very respectable.

The Buttons examined the table. There wasn't a sign of absinthe or
brandy or even champagne. There was nothing but water.

"It's too bad your cousin won't join us," said the captain, seating them
courteously. "I hope those cartons of hers have something tasty inside
them."

"They contain Dr. Stringfellow's Vegetable Remedy and Tonic for
Gentlewomen," replied Betty primly. "It is said to be very nourishing."

Their host shuddered. Recovering, he clapped his hands sharply. "Oh,
steward!"

"Aye, aye, sir!" said the robot, appearing with a big silver tureen and
setting it down on the table.

The Buttons drew back.

"I can see you don't trust me," laughed the captain. "So we'll serve
everything out in plain sight. You can shuffle the plates if you want
to." He proceeded to ladle out a clear, fragrant soup. "There. Take
whichever you want."

The Buttons selected their plates. They picked up their spoons, dipped
them nervously, made rowing motions.

The captain ate heartily, talking away between spoonfuls. He told them
that Sugar Plum was surrounded by an ionized layer impervious to DoItAll
waves. He said he had no use for such gadgets, or for the Age which
produced them.

"And why," he demanded, "did we become fake Victorians? Why are we worse
than the real ones? I'll tell you. Because space was too big. It made
people feel puny. They wanted a hole to crawl into--something small,
safe and stuffy."

As course followed course, he told them how he had retired from piracy
after homesteading Sugar Plum. Alone with his robots, he had dismantled
his vessel, using its engines for heating and lighting. He had done a
good deal of exploring.

The robot served something like lobster, and something like grouse, and
a roast which might have been venison. It served vegetables in pink,
pear-like clusters and long, golden pods. It served a crisp, succulent
salad.

Charles picked at his food, watching Betty with growing uneasiness.
First, her appetite seemed to improve. Then her eyes started to sparkle,
and the severe little corners of her mouth began to relax. Leaning
forward intently, she became more and more absorbed in the captain.

"--and so here I've been ever since," he said, as he finished his salad,
"and Sugar Plum's just about perfect. Of course, it gets lonely at
times, but--"

Abruptly, Betty's hand darted out, grabbed the captain's beard.