t?"

"The barriers were triggered ... to respond to hostility.... You meant
well ... so our defenses ... could not work." Ludovick had to bend low
to hear the creature's last words: "There is ... Earth proverb ...
should have warned me ... 'I can protect myself ... against my enemies
... but who will protect me ... from my friends'...?"

The Belphin of Belphins died in Ludovick's arms. He was the last of his
race, so far as Earth was concerned, for no more came. If, as they had
said themselves, some outside power had sent them to take care of the
human race, then that power had given up the race as a bad job. If they
were merely exploiting Earth, as the malcontents had kept suggesting,
apparently it had proven too dangerous or too costly a venture.

* * * * *

Shortly after The Belphin's demise, the Flockharts arrived en masse.
"We won't need your secret weapons now," Ludovick told them dully. "The
Belphin of Belphins is dead."

Corisande gave one of the rippling laughs he was to grow to hate so
much. "Darling, _you_ were my secret weapon all along!" She beamed at
her "relatives," and it was then he noticed the faint lines of her
forehead. "I told you I could use the power of love to destroy the
Belphins!" And then she added gently: "I think there is no doubt who
is head of 'this family' now."

The uncle gave a strained laugh. "You're going to have a great little
first lady there, boy," he said to Ludovick.

"First lady?" Ludovick repeated, still absorbed in his grief.

"Yes, I imagine the people will want to make you our first President by
popular acclaim."

Ludovick looked at him through a haze of tears. "But I killed The
Belphin. I didn't mean to, but ... they must hate me!"

"Nonsense, my boy; they'll adore you. You'll be a hero!"

Events proved him right. Even those people who had lived in apparent
content under the Belphins, accepting what they were given and
seemingly enjoying their carefree lives, now declared themselves to
have been suffering in silent resentment all along. They hurled flowers
and adulatory speeches at Ludovick and composed extremely flattering
songs about him.

Shortly after he was universally acclaimed President, he married
Corisande. He couldn't escape.

"Why doesn't she become President herself?" he wailed, when the relatives
came and found him hiding in the ruins of the Blue Tower. The people had
torn the Tower down as soon as they w