riage customs, but I will explain
them to make sure. Each couple is married twice. The first marriage is
symbolized by the exchange of plain bracelets and lasts four karkamo,
during which period divorce may be obtained at will. The children of
such divorced couples formerly became wards of the state, but in my
lifetime I have not heard of there being any such children--all divorces
are now between couples who discover their incompatibility before
children are conceived."

"That surprises me greatly," said Crane. "Some system of trial-marriage
is advocated among us on Earth every few years, but they all so surely
degenerate into free love that no such system has found a foothold."

"We are not troubled in that way at all. You see, before the first
marriage, each couple, from the humblest peasantry to the highest
royalty, must submit to a mental examination. If they are marrying for
any reason at all other than love, such as any thought of trifling in
the mind of the man, or if the woman is marrying him for his wealth or
position, he or she is summarily executed, regardless of station."

No other questions being asked, Dunark continued:

"At the end of four karkamo the second marriage is performed, which is
indissoluble. In this ceremony jeweled bracelets are substituted for the
plain ones. In the case of highly-evolved persons it is permitted that
the two ceremonies be combined into one. Then there is a third ceremony,
used only in the marriage of persons of the very highest evolution, in
which the 'eternal' vows are taken and the faidon, the eternal jewel, is
exchanged. As you are all in the permitted class, you may use the
eternal ceremony if you wish."

"I think we all know our minds well enough to know that we want to be
married for good--the longer the better," said Seaton, positively.
"We'll make it the eternal, won't we, folks?"

"I should like to ask one question," said Crane, thoughtfully. "Does
that ceremony imply that my wife would be breaking her vows if she
married again upon my death?"

"Far from it. Numbers of our men are killed every karkam. Their wives,
if of marriageable age, are expected to marry again. Then, too, you know
that most Kondalian men have several wives. No matter how many wives or
husbands may be linked together in that way, it merely means that after
death their spirits will be grouped into one. Just as in your
chemistry," smiling in comradely fashion at Seaton, "a varying number o