y were not all
related to her. Then he would dismiss the thought as unworthy of him or
any right-thinking human being. He loved Corisande for herself alone
and not for her family. Whether they were actually her family or not
was none of his business.

"Be happy!" he greeted the assemblage cordially, sitting down beside
Corisande on the tessellated pavement.

"Bah!" said old Osmond Flockhart, Corisande's grandfather. Ludovick was
sure that, underneath his crustiness, the gnarled patriarch hid a heart
of gold. Although he had been mining assiduously, the young man had not
yet been able to strike that vein; however, he did not give up hope,
for not giving up hope was one of the principles that his wise old
Belphin teacher had inculcated in him. Other principles were to lead
the good life and keep healthy.

"Now, Grandfather," Corisande said, "no matter what your politics, that
does not excuse impoliteness."

Ludovick wished she would not allude so blatantly to politics, because
he had a lurking notion that Corisande's "family" was, in fact, a band
of conspirators ... such as still dotted the green and pleasant planet
and proved by their existence that Man was not advancing anywhere
within measurable distance of that totality of knowledge implied by
the Belphin.

You could tell malcontents, even if they did not voice their
dissatisfactions, by their faces. The vast majority of the human race,
living good and happy lives, had smooth and pleasant faces. Malcontents'
faces were lined and sometimes, in extreme cases, furrowed. Everyone
could easily tell who they were by looking at them, and most people
avoided them.

* * * * *

It was not that griping was illegal, for the Belphins permitted free
speech and reasonable conspiracy; it was that such behavior was
considered ungenteel. Ludovick would never have dreamed of associating
with this set of neighbors, once he had discovered their tendencies,
had he not lost his heart to the purple-eyed Corisande at their first
meeting.

"Politeness, bah!" old Osmond said. "To see a healthy young man
simply--simply accepting the status quo!"

"If the status quo is a good status quo," Ludovick said uneasily, for
he did not like to discuss such subjects, "why should I not accept it?
We have everything we could possibly want. What do we lack?"

"Our freedom," Osmond retorted.

"But we _are_ free," Ludovick said, perplexed. "We can say what