“That’s what a ‘buliy’ is—someone who beats up someone physically weaker than himself?”

“That’s right, I guess.” Actually Matthew hadn’t given the subject much consideration. To him, a bully was someone who beat Matthew Bonner up. The definition need extend no further than that.

“Then he doesn’t seem very big to me at all. It sounds to me like he has a very small mind.”

“Yeah, I guess he must Yes, that’s it.” Matthew smiled hugely. “A small mind. A small mind.” He burst into delighted laughter at having discovered a gratifying corollary. At the same time he picked up another span.

“No, not a curved one this time,” Moul advised him. “A double-straight It will give more support to the tower there.”

Matthew studied the growing monument only briefly. Moul was rarely wrong. “I think you’re right.” He set the span in place, watched as it annealed to the nearby side panels. The structure was over a meter high and still growing. The two youngsters had been working on it off and on for several days. The adults found it most interesting.

He selected a ridge ellipsoid, moved to emplace it.

“Also on the top, don’t you think?” Moul asked.

This time Matthew objected, holding it over the windowpanes two-thirds of the way up the left-hand tower. “Don’t you think it would look better here?”

“Look better.” Moul considered. He envied his friend’s ability to see in colors more than he envied him his limbs. “Yes. Yes, I think you are right, Mattheeew. That is a most intriguing composition.”

“We can use two of them.” The boy chose a second, matching ellipsoid. “One here and one up top, where you suggested.”

“An excellent suggestion, Mattheeew. Then I really think we’d better start working on the other side again or we’ll overbalance the towers.”

“Yeah, that’s right.” Then he frowned and set the two units back in their box.

“Is something wrong?”

“I’m bored,” Matthew announced, sighing deeply. “I wish they’d let us go outside by ourselves. I get tired of having grown-ups around.”

“I don’t,” said Moul. “In any case, you know I couldn’t go out with you.”

“Why not? Oh yeah, your skin would burn.”

“During the day it would,” the larva admitted mournfully. “Anyway, I think the adults don’t want us to go outside much.”

“They sure don’t I wonder why.”

“I’m not sure,” Moul said thoughtfully. “I respect adults, of course, but sometimes it seems to me they are capable of mistakes as obvious as our own.”

“Yeah, they’re not as smart as they think. I bet I could get you outside at night.” His voice fell to a conspiratorial whisper. “We could fool ’em. Your skin wouldn’t bum at night.”

“No, it wouldn’t,” Moul agreed. “I can’t get around by myself very well, though.”