Hilar waved it off. "Oh, then we'll-"

"I have no wish to drive you crazy at this time."

"Tell us a story," Jonveev said.

He told it long. Carelessness and bad luck; the fire;

Wend dead, Karilly mute with shock. "There was a tuft tribe waiting to rescue us. They helped rebuild Logbearer. We found a tree." Booce hesitated. "We were only half a thousand klomters from the Clump, Hilar, and we might've had to go halfway to Gold to find a better choice. It was big and it was close and we wanted to go home."

"I never saw termites on a tree before."

"A new breed, maybe. They're dying now. They haven't done that much damage, and it's a lot of wood."

"That it is. We have a problem," Jonveev said.

The tea had come round again. Booce sipped and passed it on. "I notice you managed to sell some of your wood."

"Some. Then the whole Market saw you coming and the orders dried up. I could have sold at a loss, but Jonveev thought-"

"I thought we might reach an agreement," she said. "The merchants can't whiplash us if one of us announces that his wood isn't '{or sale."

Booce smiled. Such things had been done. "We'd have to give them time to believe we mean it. Thirty sleeps or so. That'll cost one of us."

"We're willing," Jonveev said. "We'll want something in return, of course."

"Speak further." He sipped. The bitter taste of blackbrain fungus was the taste of civilization and hospitality and homecoming. He wished with all his heart that Ryllin were here. If Hilar was tiptoeing round the edges of a risky venture, Ryllin would have known at once.

Jonveev said, "Booce, we'll agree not to sell our tree until the next midyear. What I want is a loan at reasonable interest. Or I'll offer you the same deal."

Booce was silent.

"The loan would be, say, ten-to-fourth chits. Enough to keep one of us going for nearly a year." She affected not to notice Booce's sudden mirthless smile.

"I don't have that much on hand. And you, I suspect, don't need that much-"

"We'd need it if we don't want to short-change some of our other concerns. But we can float such a loan and recoup it by selling our wood. On the other hand, whatever you're doing with ... what was it. Citizens Tree? It's bound to bring you money, but not soon, stet? But you have a house that's never been lived in."

The tea caught in his throat. Booce swallowed carefully, managed not to sputter. He said, "Ryllin would wring my neck."

"Well, then, you can't do it," Jonveev said instantly.