"Guess who."

"I don't claim to be much good at guessing," said Anketam. "I'll have to
peek."

He stopped at the door of the kitchen and grinned widely when he saw who
the man was. "Russat! Well, by heaven, it's good to see you!"

There was a moment's hesitation, then a minute or two of handshaking and
backslapping as the two brothers both tried to speak at the same time.
Anketam heard himself repeating: "Yessir! By _heaven_, it's good to see
you! Real good!"

And Russat was saying: "Same here, Ank! And, gee, you're looking great.
I mean, real great! Tough as ever, eh, Ank?"

"Yeah, sure, tough as ever. Sit down, boy. Memi! Pour us something hot
and get that bottle out of the cupboard!"

Anketam pushed his brother back towards the chair and made him sit down,
but Russat was protesting: "Now, wait a minute! Now, just you hold on,
Ank! Don't be getting out your bottle just yet. I brought some _real_
stuff! I mean, _expensive_--stuff you can't get very easy. I brought it
just for you, and you're going to have some of it before you say another
word. Show him, Memi."

Memi was standing there, beaming, holding the bottle. Her blue eyes had
faded slowly in the years since she and Anketam had married, but there
was a sparkle in them now. Anketam looked at the bottle.

"Bedamned," he said softly. The bottle was beautiful just as it was. It
was a work of art in itself, with designs cut all through it and pretty
tracings of what looked like gold thread laced in and out of the
surface. And it was full to the neck with a clear, red-brown liquid.
Anketam thought of the bottle in his own cupboard--plain, translucent
plastic, filled with the water-white liquor rationed out from the
commissary--and he suddenly felt very backwards and countryish. He
scratched thoughtfully at his beard and said: "Well, Well. I don't know,
Russ--I don't know. You think a plain farmer like me can take anything
that fancy?"

Russat laughed, a little embarrassed. "Sure you can. You mean to say
you've never had brandy before? Why, down in Algia, our Chief--" He
stopped.

Anketam didn't look at him. "Sure, Russ; sure. I'll bet Chief Samas
gives a drink to his secretary, too, now and then." He turned around and
winked. "But this stuff is for brain work, not farming."

He knew Russat was embarrassed. The boy was nearly ten years younger
than Anketam, but Anketam knew that his younger brother had more brains
and ability, as far as paper work went, th