"All right, Carlot. Have some water, then go to sleep." Carlot's drinking technique was surprising. She took the pottery vessel, set two fingers to nearly block the opening, then jerked the pottery vessel toward her face.

The jet of water struck her lower lip. She tried again and reached her mouth.

"Would you like something to eat? Foliage?"

"What's that?"

Lawri went out to strip some branchlets of their foliage. Carlot looked dubiously at the fluffy green stuff. "Oh, it's greens."

"You know it?"

"I've been in a tree tuft." She tasted it. "This is sweet. Older tree?" She continued eating.

Lawri said, "Later I'll get you some stew. You should sleep now."

Carlot patted the wicker floor. "How can I sleep with this pushing up against me? All my blood wants to settle on one side."

London Tree, Lawn's home, had been bigger, with a stronger tide. In Citizens Tree you could drop a stone from eye level and draw a slow breath and let it out before the stone struck. But this Carlot must be used to no tide at all.

She turned over, gingerly. Her eyes closed and she was asleep.

They moved through the green gloom of the corridor, back toward the commons. Anthon said, "I always wondered. Lawri doesn't take orders from you either, does she?"

Jeffer laughed. "Treefodder, no!"

Clave said, "I really wanted to ask them some questions before we tackle the firetree."

"We can't wait," Jeffer said. "Let's go see what we can scavenge. This is the most interesting thing that has happened to us in fourteen years."

"It's bound to bring changes."

"Like what?"

Clave grinned at Jeffer. "They've already changed your home life. You can't sleep in the Scientists' hut and Lawri won't leave."

"I've got the children too. I'm living in the bachelors' longhut with my three kids and Rather. Look, I want to go now, before that burned tree drifts too far. Anthon?"

"Ready," said the jungle giant.

Clave nodded, reluctantly. "Just us three? Stet. We'll round up some kids to run the treadmill. And let's take those wings along. I want to try them."

The tree still burned. Fire had eaten six or seven klomters in from the midpoint along the lee side, progressing alongside the waterfall channel, where there was partial protection from the wind. The flames streamed east like the mane of a skyhorse. At the midpoint there were only red patches glowing in black char. In the center of the burn was a prominent uneven lump. Jeffer eased the CARM toward that.

Clave said, "I don't understand why it hasn't come apart."

Anthon nodded uneasily. Jeffer said, " It' s a short tree. I With a tuft missing it's even shorter. Tide would pull harder on a grown tree, but that thing could still come apart while we're on it. I don't ever want to go through that again."

Anthon asked, "Why do trees come apart?"

"They do it when they're dying," Clave said.