Carlot arrived pushing the last of the cargo: not seeds, but tools. "You're going to love this, Scientist." She separated something out.

Jeffer took it with glad cries. "A pump! Wonderful! The CARM's low on water, and I hate the way I filled it last time. Can I keep it?"

"Stet. We're supposed to bribe the Seekers with it. Here, this is a bellows from the Market. You anchor one end. It's easier."

"Nice. Can you stay for a couple of sleeps? I've got food and-"

"Lonely?"

It showed in his face. "You know it."

"We've got food you never tasted. Dark fungus and earthlife. You'll love it."

Their exotic dinner was nothing unusual for Rather, not any longer. What made it fun was watching Jeffer react.

Jeffer talked while he ate. "I had some trouble getting the silver suit. I found it okay, but it was right in the fire. I had to get the bow up against it and push it out along with a kilton of burning goo. I just wonder how many Admiralty citizens saw me."

"The stories won't match," Clave said. "In sixty days it won't matter at all. I've been thinking. We'll bum the fringe here. If a Navy ship comes they'll find that the Seekers had a hell of a party and then went away."

"Good. I'll have to take the CARM someplace you can find it-"

"No. You find us. Logbearer will be returning to Citizens Tree in due course, maybe another thirty days. Keep watch. Pick us up well outside the Clump."

"Another fifty days of this? Treefodder. And I never even saw the treefeeding Clump."

"We'll leave you most of our food," Clave said.

Carlot carefully wasn't looking at Rather. "I'll be bringing a guest. Raff Belmy and I'll be married as soon as we get back to the Admiralty. I want to bring him back to the tree. What he tells his father is up to him, but he'll have at least a quarter year to think about it."

"So you decided," Rather said. He felt he had almost gotten used to the loss.

"I'm like you. I'm tired of secrets."

"There's a plant here that grows good foliage," Jeffer offered. "Dessert."

Carlot tossed an orange sphere at him.

Jeffer's acting like a happy eight-year-old. Rather thought as he tethered himself into a foliage patch for sleep. Being alone out here must be rough on him. Maybe all adults stay children someplace in their heads . . .

"Rather?"

"Yuh. Carlot?"

She wriggled under the lines and was alongside him. Rather opened his mouth and closed it again. Then he said, "I don't like lying to you."

"What now?"

"I was going to not say, 'What would Raff think?'"

She didn't move away. Presently she said, "You don't understand us."

"Nope."