She looked at him with concern. "Does it hurt? I guess we gave you the strongest charge." She handed him the light and went to the women who were standing some distance behind her. He heard her whispering. Presently she came back. She knelt beside him and began rubbing his legs. "I sent them away," she said. "They're going to look for someone else. It was my turn to propose to whomever we captured, but now you spoiled it." He smiled at her earnestness. "I'm sure you deserve better than you're apt to find with these strange methods of courtship. However I think you should help my son. You gave him a charge, too." "I bet I did," she said scornfully. "Don't worry about him. Kids recover easily." "Should I clout her, Pa?" asked Wilbur as he stood up, bending his knees gingerly. "She had no business shooting us." "She didn't, but you have no business talking like that. Touch her and I'll wallop you." The girl ignored Wilbur, putting her arms around Marcus and helping him to his feet. From the girl's reaction to him you'd never think so, but he was getting old. The first step was proof of it. He could walk unaided, but it felt as if someone were pulling pins out of his legs at the rate of two or three a second. "I'll go with you to the hotel," said the girl. "There are probably other marriage gangs out. If they see me with you, they'll think I've already made my catch." Marcus frowned in the darkness. Wilbur was getting entirely the wrong idea about women. He'd find it difficult to adjust to the different conditions at home. Marcus told the girl their names and asked hers. "Mary Ellen." "That's all, Mary Ellen?" "Of course, I have a last name, but I'm hoping to change it." He sighed in resignation. "Mary Ellen, we won't discuss marriage again. Is this clear? However I have plans for you. I'll get in touch with you before we leave Earth." They were nearing a brightly lit thoroughfare and he felt safer. "I was hoping you'd say that," she said wistfully. She dug into a tiny purse and handed him a card. "You'll notice there's another name on it, too. That's Chloe, my half-sister. She's smart and I like her, but I hope you don't like her--not better than me, anyway." "I'm sure I won't. But why half-sister? I'd think it would be rather difficult for your mother to marry again." "Of course she couldn't," she said scornfully. "No woman's allowed more than half a--" "Mary Ellen!" "All right, I won't say it," she said crossly. "But you asked." * * * * * He could fill in the missing information. With women drastically outnumbering men, husbands had to be shared. Men were allowed more than one mate, but women never were. Perhaps the development of polygamy had been inevitable.