And he didn't only listen, with it going in one ear and out the other--or whatever the xhindi had instead of ears. He made helpful suggestions, such as maybe Mattern ought to fix himself up a little before going back for Lyddy. "I know she is to be--bought," he said, as if he still didn't quite understand what that meant, "but would you not derive greater pleasure from your purchase if you knew you were a man whom a woman could like for his own self?" Len was silent. He knew the kqyres couldn't understand human concepts of beauty; he had taken Len's own word that the young man wasn't much of a specimen, that his body and his teeth were crooked and his skin bad, his vision defective and his hair drab. Lyddy deserved something better than that; Len knew it himself. Even if she would go with him for the sake of the money, it wasn't the same thing. "I could get my teeth fixed up in this sector," he said at last, "but I'd need to go to the Near Planets, maybe even Earth, to have my leg fixed. It'd take a long time and passage costs a hell of a lot. People don't go that far just for a junket, you know. For most of 'em, it's a once-in-a-lifetime deal." "Of course," Njeri said. "Your wealth is dearly won; you wouldn't want to squander it. However, wouldn't a considerable economy be effected if you went in your own ship?" "The _Valkyrie_!" Len was shocked into laughter. "She'd never make it to Earth! She'd crumple up like an old paper bag!" "She will not last much longer, in any case," said Njeri. Len had been thinking that himself for some time--wondering how soon he would have no ship left at all, and what he would do then. "It would be wise," the kqyres suggested, "for you first to get enough money to pay for a new ship. Only a few more trips should be necessary. Then go to whatever planet you deem most suitable for the necessary improvements, and finally return to Lyddy--a man worthy not only of her but of any woman." "It'll take so long," Mattern said, tempted, and yet driven wild by the idea of Lyddy, so close to attainment. "At your age, what are a few more trips?" Len gave in. * * * * * Actually, it took five trips into hyperspace merely to pay for the new vessel, a much larger and more elaborate model than Len had planned on buying. "In the long run," his partner told him, "the best is most economical. A sound, spaceworthy vessel such as this one will last out your lifetime. And you can call her the _Hesperian Queen_, after Lyddy." "Why?" Len asked. "Is that what Lyddy is short for?" "It is the same as naming it after her," the kqyres said shortly. "Only it's a little more subtle." "Oh." Somehow the kqyres made Len feel stupid, _uncouth_ almost, even though he was the human being and the other nothing but hyperextraterrestrial.